Playlist Monsters

It’s one of those rare occasions when I fell in love with a large dose of OPM hits all at once. 2013 is indeed one of the most fruitful years in the local music industry as far as worthy, meaningful, and original releases are concerned. I have been spending the previous months building emotional connections of romantic geysers in pure eclecticism with these worthwhile tracks. And it’s now time to post them here.

Discolamon – Banda Ni Kleggy. Months ago, when I was trapped in a formidable room of desolation while working on something I hated so much in which everything I loved about it seemed to evaporate in thin air, this single came to my life. Funny how I instantly identified something relatable out of this tune despite the track’s main focus, namely disco and lamon. XD. Banda ni Kleggy lightly sings about love found, lost, and broken, in such a place, which I find way too catchy to some extent. The upbeat and feet-stamping sound, catchy tune, and impressively eye-candy video featuring Kim Chiu, all felt comforting. Until now, everytime I give this song a spin, whirlwind of emotions still creep up of me in a good way. After the dust have settled and the music charts around the Philippines have made the tallies, I think ‘Discolamon’ somehow didn’t get the fame it’s supposed to get yet.

Bakit hindi ka crush ng crush mo – Zia Quizon. The title alone hit me like a ton of bricks. It talks about a heart, broken and unrequited, all because of the infamous friendzone. And while the film enjoys an utterly fruitful box-office success, the soundtrack should have a fair share at least, given the uncanny lyrics enliven with Zia Quizon's exceptional voice.

Dati – Sam Concepcion & Tippy Dos Santos feat. Quest. At this age when the local music scene’s almost defaced and utterly slandered that some have almost forgotten its essence to the point that they think OPM’s dead, it’s a good thing that music events such as PhilPop Music Fest did exist, from which ‘Dati’ came from. This 90s-inspired track nailed me to it after the first encounter mainly of the lyrics. The song has a vulnerable yet powerfully resonating beat narrating a perfectly cinematic throwback a few decades back. I may not be a huge Sam or Tippy fan, but with a song that sounds this good, who the hell even gives a shit?

Tamis – Kamikazee. My heart will always have a thing for Jay Contreras and co. And ‘Tamis’ is yet another gem added on that roster of Kamikazee hits. Due to a large awe, I can;t say more. Awe.

Bumalik Ka Na Sa’kin – Silent Sanctuary. For some reason, I find myself having a huge thing about tracks that hurts. This one’s a piece of challenging cinematic chorus climax which hugely comes up with a grim atmosphere of yearning for a second chance, which enoughly, hurts.