[ greyweed ] -- and the bored shall inherit the earth...

DEAD THOUGHTS: Depleting Artistry?


FURTADO RETURNS

Ever since Nelly Furtado came out with her debut disc Whoa Nelly!, I have embraced her music. OK, the lyrical approach to “I’m Like a Bird” was a wee bit bothersome, but the next few songs definitely grew on me. Her tribal/mid-Eastern brand of pop was a freshly eclectic sound amid the plethora of painful mush made up of pretentious pop-alt acts and one-hit wonders at that time (Read: Sisqo).

Though her sophomore effort titled Folklore caused no stir whatsoever, it still had the diverse sound she had established for herself. The album was entirely influenced by her becoming a mother and was inching towards a more rock-acoustic angle.

And now she's back, only this time she’s gotten a lot more urban. After all, she does have Grammy-awarded producer Timbaland backing her up. As of writing, her first single “Promiscuous” is hot item, flaring up in just about every pop station and music channel in the country.

She used to explore her vocal capacity by doing staccato pseudo-raps and some experimental form of chanting rhythms which have become part of her trademark, but now she does the Fergie/Ashanti kind of flirty, falsetto thing. I understand perfectly well that as an artist, she is probably rearing to get out of her comfort zone and that having a “trademark style” denies her artistry. If one transmutes into something that is generally a cliché nowadays, it could be of trying to reach out with a more accessible music. Although she seemed to have lost her vocal character and the eclecticism that goes with it, making her easily unrecognizable from the crop of hip-hop singers populating the scene.

And the music video for “Promiscuous” mildly annoys me. It looks like a less imaginative but otherwise superbly directed version of Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” vid. Present is the identically wild crowd of ravers packed in a claustrophobia-inducing grimy warehouse type of environment; where Ms. Mouseketeer attempts to have a storyline about underground female boxing, Furtado settles with the performance scenes of her singing as she explores her surroundings and a dance routine that could make Napoleon Dynamite blush.

A few minutes ago, I heard her first single, “Man Eater” as I was trying to organize my tiny CD collection. I listened to it and smiled a little. It had traces of the Nelly Furtado I appreciated before. It had some tribal drums, a lethargic and intoxicating rhythm to it that borrows some elements from the 80s music scene with a sort of theatrical dynamic. Sounds promising.





WHAT’s THE DEAL WITH IMAGO?

As a long-time fan of Pinoy rock, I saw the emergence of Imago as a creative force and a Pinoy rock icon. I was in high school when “Alay” was first played over at NU107’s In The Raw.

When Probably Not But Most Definitely was released, they were being misjudged by some clueless critic as the country’s answer to The Corrs just because they had a violinist. The band proved him wrong with their horrendously diverse sound and overly experimental instrumentation that I immediately loved. Who wouldn’t? Tracks like “Alay” and “Pretty Me” and “Rainsong” were so different from one another you wouldn’t know what to expect for their next single. The album was one exciting, but unexpected, raid into rock’s soundscape where everyone joined in for the music.

And then Take 2 happened. It was here when they began exploring more conventional sounds. The violinist, Michelle, left the band. And so did Arvin the bassist, and Myrene hopped on board. If not for Aia’s familiar vocal work, you wouldn’t know it was an Imago album…save for six songs which still had their signature vibe. They got rid of the more tribal/world music inspiration and ventured forth into the world of the mainstream. Sure, “Taning,” “Bihag” and “Akap” were decidedly Imago products, but some of the other tracks sounded like they were written by some other musician. “Gratitude” for instance sounded like a SunValleyCrew composition (Rye, by the way, guests in this song). And Aia raps? Not exactly a welcome change for me. And also the catchy, bubblegum pop undertones in “Anino” suggests that it Aia probably wrote this during her stint with Fatal Posporos.

And now they released BLUSH. The title sound like a teenybopper fashion magazine, the cover art looks the part. Believe me, I am proud that they’ve grown from being underground/indie esoteric heroes to a mainstream crossover bankable act. And for their sheer talent, they’re finally getting the recognition they rightfully deserve. Though I’m not entirely sure where they are headed. First single was titled “Tara Lets.” When I first heard it from a crappy radio station FX cabs and busses prefer, I assumed it was perhaps some new act. I could not identify the voice. Though I admit that the artistic musicality is still there, and that they kept the fun attitude that became apparent during the Take 2 days, the song still sounds like something you’d hear being played as background music to some cheesy youth-oriented flick. With the chorus that repeatedly goes “Tara Let’s / Tara, tara let’s / ‘Di ka na mabibigo / whoa” playing at the back of your skull, and you know that there’s some sort of a sign of depreciation. And it makes the Imgo-fan in you ask: Is this an attempt at selling out? Like I said, I haven’ the foggiest idea, though I’m still hopeful.