Album Review: Rivermaya Panatang Makabanda

Panatang Makabanda

So I'll be kicking off my Album Reviews by reviewing Rivermaya's latest album, Panatang Makabanda. It's been 2009 since Rivermaya had released an album, and in between those years and now, a lot had happened. Jayson Fernandez (the vocalist they got from a talent search) left the band to go solo. Japs Sergio (Rivermaya's bassist since 2001) went on an indefinite leave. On top of that, they were left without a manager after longtime manager Lizza Nakpil was embroiled in a financial controversy with the band. Easily, these developments would have sent any band packing to their death knell. Well, any band but not Rivermaya. The band has been known to weather the storms no matter how huge the challenge is. This is no different.

Ryan, Mike, Norby, and Mike

With Mark Escueta (original drummer and current guitarist/vocalist) and Mike Elgar (lead guitarist since 2001) left to hold the fort, both guys recruited Ryan Peralta and Norby David to form the New Rivermaya. The good thing about this recruitment is that there were no auditions. They formed this lineup in the traditional way. Both guys were no strangers to Rivermaya, as they in one point of time sessioned for the band. So it was practically "let's hit the studio and jam." The new album Panatang Makabanda is the fruit of their labor. The band rode on the album's carrier single "Pilipinas Kailan ka Magigising" as their coming out party, right when the Philippine's mid-term elections was approaching. "Pilipinas..." was  the right song at the right time as the band's patriotic sensibilities emerged anew (who could forget past songs Awit ng Kabataan, Mabuhay, Posible, and Bandila to name a few). Penned by Mark Escueta and ably assisted by the rest of the band, "Pilipinas..." relaunched Rivermaya for this current generation with Mark on the forefront. The song harkens back to the glory days of Rivermaya's anthemic sound, with scintillating guitar solos provided by Mike, rich bass lines of Norby, and the explosive drumming of Ryan. The music does not feel different to the type of music that Rivermaya is known for. Same goes for the rest of the songs in the album. This version of the band has went back to Rivermaya's roots. I've always believed that when Bamboo left the band, Rivermaya with Rico Blanco on vocals were experimenting on their music and veered away from the type of songs that they were known for. Panatang Makabanda is a re-introduction of Rivermaya via version 5.0 (Okay that's version 1.0 Bamboo,  2.0 Rico-Mark-Nathan-Trio, 3.0 Rico-Mark-Mike-Japs, 4.0 Post Blanco). "Pilipinas..." isn't even my favorite song of the album.

Pilipinas Kailan Ka Magigising Music Video

Personal favorites from the album are: Malayang Magmahal, Tayo Lang Dalawa, Song About You, and Can't Hide it Anymore. I love Malayang Magmahal's cool sounding musical textures. Song About You on the other hand pretty much reminds me of the 70's pop rock songs, with even some traces of The Beatles' softer sounding songs. Tayo Lang Dalawa and Can't Hide it Anymore are what I would like to call signature Rivermaya songs, Alt-Rock with very strong pop sensibilities. The rest of the songs in the album are gems too (they even managed to sneak in celebrated rapper Gloc-9 in the song Nasa Sa'yo). I was actually surprised to find out that this album is better than I expected it to be because after Blanco, Japs was my favorite songwriter. In the lyrics department however, this is where the noticeable difference is seen. I have always been big on lyrics, and that's why I'm drawn to Blanco's work because of his uncanny knack for writing witty lyrics without sounding forced. But the lack of wit is however replaced with more heartfelt lyrics. I've never heard Rivermaya songs that is as honest and stripped down as this. No lyrical bravados that are hard to decipher. Just simple words that are easier to relate to. Those post Blanco albums before this one were tumultuous times. There were some anger and moving on written all over the place. Panatang Makabanda is a fresh start. And I like it very much. I can only hope that Rivermaya version 5.0 will continue to write more music and albums. I think this is the happiest period of the band's existence. Old and new fans should purchase this album. Trust me, you don't need the baggage of the past to appreciate what this version of the band has given us.