Obviously, she didn’t quit like she said she would in 2022. In fact, she immediately retracted her statement, tweeting “…I can give back to everyone because of you. I do owe people sh*t. I owe a lot.” We’re generally used … Continue reading “Vie” for Vivacious: Doja Cat in Manila
The first thing to know about Japanese Breakfast is that none of its members are Japanese. In a nutshell, it was front woman Michelle Zauner’s way of poking fun at the Western assumption that all Asians are, when she is, … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: “Jubilee” by Japanese Breakfast
At 56 minutes, it’s not exactly Tame Impala’s longest album – 2020’s The Slow Rush still holds that record. But it takes one glimpse of the cover to know what really sets it apart. For one, it’s the first to … Continue reading Tame Impala Takes a “Deadbeat” Detour
Four years zoomed by since Japanese Breakfast’s happier-than-usual Jubilee earned them both Billboard and Grammy attention. It’s also been that long since their vocalist, Michelle Zauner, showcased her writing skills in her best-selling memoir, “Crying in H Mart”, which was … Continue reading Japanese Breakfast’s “For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)”: A Morose Return to Form
40 years ago today, Prince won his only Oscar. It was presenter Michael Douglas who summed up the category’s criteria, saying that the film score should contain at least five original songs. Kathleen Turner then further clarified that the songs … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: “Purple Rain” by Prince & the Revolution
For one thing, it’s already technically a Grammy winner, with “Die With A Smile” earning her Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Bruno Mars last February. That’s already one box ticked, as far as accolades are concerned, but that wasn’t the … Continue reading “MAYHEM” in the way only Lady Gaga can pull
Hell seemingly froze over when The Weeknd took the stage that night. Last we checked, he was done with The Grammys, after 2020’s After Hours failed to score a single nod. That prompted the Ethiopian-born Canadian to never again submit … Continue reading The Weeknd’s “Hurry Up Tomorrow”: A Redemptive Finale-Of-Sorts
If she wasn’t a New Artist, she would have left empty-handed. That was the implication with Sabrina Carpenter besting her in the Pop categories and Kendrick Lamar nabbing Record and Song of the Year. But even then, it was an … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan
The Grammys once again came and went. From Kanye West parading his wife in the Empress’ New Clothes to Trevor Noah amping up the vitriol in his fifth return as host, here are the highlights from the 67th ceremonies, culled … Continue reading Highlights from the 67th Grammys
I first wrote about St. Vincent in 2021. Specifically, that was when I acquired Daddy’s Home on vinyl. Such was my predilection for that album, I even paid to access her Down and Out Downtown concert online. Of course, as … Continue reading Applause for a Little Flea: St. Vincent in Manila
I always felt Paula Cole deserved more. And this goes beyond her once being called the next Kate Bush, or the Best New Artist Grammy she won in 1998, same year she also became the first female Producer of the … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: “This Fire” by Paula Cole
It’s not common to be called a veteran at age 23, much less a living legend. But Stevie Wonder was always a clear exception. After all, he practically dominated the Motown era in his teens. He had also already surpassed … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions”
MTV was only three years old when the 1st Annual Video Music Awards Show aired in September 1984. The affair was hosted by Dan Akroyd and Bette Midler, who in hindsight, were far from the target demographic. But consider this. … Continue reading 40 Years of Madonna: “Like a Virgin”
Madonna Louise Ciccone only wanted to be a dancer. That was initially the plan when she dropped out of college at age 20 and moved to New York City in 1978. While her terpsichorean skills did earn her breaks, her … Continue reading 40 Years of Madonna: The First Album
Just to get it out of the way, the Darren in question is Darren “Smoggy” Evans, Blur’s longtime bodyguard, who once urged frontman Damon Albarn to complete an unfinished song in 2003. That song eventually became “The Ballad”, originally conceptualized … Continue reading Blur’s “The Ballad of Darren”: A Delightful Downer
Just like any recent debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams was completed over quarantine. Surely, the circumstances influenced the mood and Arlo Parks confirmed as much in interviews. In a December 2020 Billboard feature, the British singer of Chadian-French-Nigerian lineage shared: “I was mining these deep-rooted, sometimes traumatic places … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: Arlo Parks’ Collapsed in Sunbeams
It was 1975 when Georgios “Yog” Panayiotou, then 11, and Andrew Ridgley, then 12, met as schoolboys in Hertfordshire, England. What then felt like a random connection later unfolded into a deep kinship. Because, besides having immigrant dads (one Greek-Cypriot, … Continue reading Fantastic Friends: A Review of the “Wham!” Documentary
I first learned about St. Vincent in 2014. I know it wasn’t the most educated observation then, but at the time, she struck me as a more adult Katy Perry, one who actually bore her angst instead of burying it … Continue reading My Monthly Dig: St. Vincent’s “Daddy’s Home”
I had the pleasure of watching The Cranberries’ Manila concert back in April 2012. Just like most attendees that night, I considered their music vital to my formative years. Everyone in his or her 30s now would agree. I had cassette copies of To the Faithful Departed and Bury the Hatchet. Zombie and Ode to My Family were my favorite tracks in my Now! That’s What I Call Music tapes. And really, who didn’t attempt to yodel along?
It’s been a good week for Jun Sabayton. And I’m not only referring to that Cinemalaya plug where he kvetched about the repetitiveness of local mainstream films.
Planet Chuckie 