randomly cluttered

Nothing hurts more than the pain of not given the chance to say goodbye... UDD encapsulates such a journey of emotions around a sensitive topic with Crying Season---a tear-jerker of a track, one of my favorite song from their self-titled album. For context, below is an excerpt from Armi Millare's Facebook page posted on October 21, 2019, explaining the message behind the song. "I know it is midday, totally out of the blue but someone had asked about what Crying Season is all about. It was written for our fallen comrade, the band’s best friend-Sherwin De Guzman, and two other friends who had succumbed to their struggle with mental health. It has been difficult to grasp none of them are here to talk to us about it, but maybe let me try from my end of the spectrum." As someone who had a similar experience, I'll try to break down the lyrics based on my own understanding and from my perspective. Verse 1 Is this the end or beginning? The song starts with a question: Is thi...

I was damaged by the fall Got the wind knocked out of me, To be standing here at all I must be invincible. I thought that I would break, But now I have come to see Something strong and beautiful Inside of me. I must be invincible... Recently, “Invincible” by Christian Bautista has found its way back into my life. And being the sentimental person that I am, I accepted its serendipitous resurgence with open arms. I was pleasantly surprised that the song evoked one potent memory I had back in Leyte. I remember watching the music video of the song on Myx back in High School and feeling drawn to it because of its somber tone. Christian Bautista is known for his ballad hits, mainly love songs. But this one was different. This was a sad song. Back then I’d only focus on the melody of a song, without understanding the real message of it. But now, with all of the experiences I've accumulated, I see  it in a different light. It is still a sad breakup song, don't get me wrong.  Good thin...

This is a playlist of songs written by artists dedicated to and inspired by their late mothers. How Many Years, Evergreen, Where Do You Go, and October Sky by Yebba Abbey Smith (Yebba) has recently performed an intimate and soul-stirring set on Tiny Desk Concert  for the promotion of her highly-anticipated debut album, Dawn. Before ending her stunning set, she sang a stripped-down version of her album opener, How Many Years. The following is her introduction of the song: "This is probably the only song lyrically, I feel fully encompasses the experience with grief. And like the holding on to my mom, embodying--you know--what was lost and, I think kind of returning to my own perspective, I guess." It might have taken her three long years to finish writing song, but it only took three minutes for her to captivate my heart with this precious tribute to her mother. Three other songs from the artist appear on this list: Evergreen , Where Do You Go , and October Sky . The first two...

Poems have been written.  Movies have been produced. Songs have been composed. And stories have been told. Every effort is an attempt to understand, to contain, and to express love as a kaleidoscope of emotions.  It is abstract but perceptible, indescribable but expressible. This playlist is yet another addition to the numerous attempts made by people who have lived and loved, with songs you can fall in love with.

Blockberry Creative It started while I was watching Febby's stream on Twitch. Febby usually plays DOTA 2 but during this stream he played another game. He was doing this laser game. It was like Dance Dance Revolution but with light sabers. The first song started and I noticed that the heavy techno beat sounded sick. After a while the lyrics came in and I knew right away that it was K-Pop. The song started with this fierce rap delivery building up into this euphoric and cheerful drop/chorus. Don't forget that Pre-Chorus who added so much to the build up. I was not able to listen to the song in its entirety because Febby kept losing. So I took note of anything from what I was seeing on my Twitch screen and saw LOONA. I went directly to Youtube and typed in "LOONA" and the search result displayed on top was Why Not? . I think you'd know what exactly happened after I clicked the MV. I fell in love with the K-Pop group! I really thought there were four members since Wh...

I am generally a sad person. I don't remember a single day that I don't feel sad in my N years of existence. 24/7 or 7 times a week. At this point it is my default mood: sad . In fact I can beat Sadness from Inside Out in a try-to-be-sad challenge and I'll be more sad winning the duel. I'm surprised my parents did not name me something that means sadness or loneliness . I realized looking back, that the essence of my personality has been revealed to me in my childhood years during those times I watched Blue's Clues.  I did not know that my liking of Blue would somehow become a precursor of what my adulthood disposition would be. Get it? Always feeling Blue? I did not resent the fact that I'm secretly a walking, breathing, mascot of sadness. But I did not care for it. In fact I have embraced my loneliness to a healthy amount. I don't crave for it like addicts do.  When it's there I'm like oh, you're here . But when it's not I won't go ...

This playlist touches on the different facets of growing up and the necessary pains associated with the lifelong process. 1. Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell This playlist is opened by Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” I chose this song as the first track because it tells of the disillusionment experienced by someone realizing that life is not always about sunny days and cloudless skies. There will be good and bad times. And I believe it is a sign of maturity when someone comes to terms with that fact. Our innocence on the realities of life ended when we fully understood that we will not be able to appreciate the good times without experiencing the bad ones. 2. Billy by Isbells “Billy” tells the story of Billy, a sad and beautiful boy with a lonely past. His mother was oblivious to this as well as his father who was not home all the time. Billy has kept all of this bottled resulting to a sad childhood. But growing up meant hope for Billy as this allowed him to leave, forgive, and forg...

2018 has been one roller-coaster of a ride. And I am grateful to discover new music (and artists) which helped made this year a more memorable one for me. Here are my top albums of 2018: 1. Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves UMG Nashville Where do I even begin? This album is perfection and I couldn’t be thankful enough to Kacey (my country queen) for giving us the album of the year. It’s a listening experience you’ll enjoy from start to finish. 2. Voicenotes by Charlie Puth Atlantic Records After releasing his underwhelming debut album “Nine Track Mind” I never expected much from Charlie Puth. But his second studio album stopped me in my tracks. Voicenotes is Charlie Puth’s best work yet and it has a lot of standout tracks you’ll surely groove in to. 3. Primal Heart by Kimbra Warner Bros Golden Echo was good but it was all over the place. In Primal Heart, Kimbra’s voice is the main focus and that’s really all that matters to me. Her voice shines here as ...

Courtesy of: Republic Records I haven’t made an album review for a while. The last time I did, it was for Paramore’s After Laughter. Since then, I’ve listened to albums that have impacted me in ways I can’t imagine, and still forgot to write about it. I have a lot of albums to review – I need to catch up! But for now, here’s a short review of Ariana Grande’s sugary, personal, and confessional album Sweetener. I hope you enjoy! Ariana opens Sweetener with raindrops (an angel cried) – a cover of An Angel Cried by The Four Season in acapella. She does this one effortlessly; reminding us of her soul-soothing and pore-clearing vocals. Blazed starts off with potential but becomes a drag after a while. The light is coming seems longer than it should be. Nicki Minaj’s addition somewhat made me like the track a little bit. But it is long. Especially when it comes right after blazed. Not a review but my own take of the song: “His love will lin...