Hello! So starting next week, my DryedMangoez Music Monday thoughts will temporarily move to Thursdays. With The Amazing Race Australia premiering this Monday, my Sundays and Mondays and however many days Network 10 decides to air TARAu will keep me busier than usual. All in addition to other real-life stuffs too.
So! For as long as The Amazing Race Australia will be on the air (and who knows how long it’ll be what with their 98+ Legs), Music Monday will Temporarily become Thursday Tunes!
Looking forward to some more great music to listen to, but on Thursdays for a while. Hee.
While I’ve actually done many special Music Monday posts on other days of the week, including Thursday, for songs or artists that I wanted to feature and couldn’t wait a couple of days for, the first time I actually used “Thursday Tunes” was for ALAMAT’s “Say U Love Me” last month. I had said that I couldn’t wait to feature it on the following Monday because “ALAMAT’s lead single off of their upcoming first! mini-album just can’t wait for Monday to have me gushing over it.”
So what better way to kick off Thursday Tunes than with these two striking new tracks from CIX and, yes, ALAMAT!
“ILY ILY” by ALAMAT feat. Lyca Gairanod
And like last month, “ILY ILY” featuring Lyca Gairanod is definitely a song that can’t wait. The second song off the group’s upcoming album is a stunningly haunting track that will definitely hit close to home for many Filipino families. Infused with a famous Hiligaynon lullaby, which opens the track, “ILY ILY” brings to life the complicated feelings of the children of OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). The loneliness and longing for a reunited and complete family are interwoven with a sometimes forgotten acknowledgment and appreciation for the hardships and struggles parents and relatives face abroad.
The song and the music video especially depict the emotional and physical sacrifices that everyone in the family makes. But most striking is how neither shy away from expressing potentially bitter, hurtful and maybe even self-centered feelings that might arise from the difficult circumstances many Filipino families find themselves in. Particularly when it comes to money, gifts or even just simple everyday needs. It’s a song with a clear narrative and tells a story that brings about so many emotions. And most of all, a needed reminder as well. It’s really one that must be experienced for oneself. Both the song and the music video.
And on a fanboy sidenote, Yay! to hearing Taneo’s effortlessly delivered Ilocano lines. 😊 I missed it in “Say U Love Me.”
“458” by CIX
Meanwhile, “Cinema” was my favorite song of 2021. And “458” could’ve easily shot up to the top of my 2022 list too. But this intriguing, haunting track just misses for me. Just a little bit. I absolutely love the piano-backed verses. Just the sound of that melody is amazing and the vocals perfectly complement the vibe. If you gave me a song of just those verses? And of course with the group’s excellent and passionate performance coupled with the piercing and emotional lyrics? Immediately a #1 contender, I think.
For me though, it’s the transition to the chorus that really pulls me back from fully diving into the Song of the Year pool for “458.” I don’t know how to describe it. But something about that transition (and the later rap bridge) feels off to me. And I think it is more pronounced for me because of how much I just love the verses. The rest of the chorus is okay, but again, just lacks that certain something to bring it all together for me. Definitely going to show up on my year-end list. But I dunno, it’s just that tiny little piece that doesn’t quite fit in the “458” puzzle for me. I still very much like the song and I love the direction CIX seems to be moving toward. But… just misses the mark by a little little bit.
(Though don’t come at me when after a couple more listens, I actually do fall in love with the song as much as I still love “Cinema.” Lol)
Your Taneo bias is showing! 😂 hehe joke lang
It’s true though😊