The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)

Last Song Syndrome with Renzie.

Aw man, I just love The Flaming Lips. While their first ever hit was 1993's alternative hit, "She Don't Use Jelly", this hard-working band had been around since 1983, and to this day, has released some twelve studio albums already.

Other than "She Don't Use Jelly", two other personal favorites from The Flaming Lips are "Bad Days" (which was featured on the Batman Forever (1995) OST), and of course, 2002's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots".

Check out The Flaming Lips here on a video clip of the band performing on the Top of the Pops, shared by pollutiongirl on YouTube.

Enjoy!

The Flaming Lips
"Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" (2002)

Her name is Yoshimi
She's a black belt in karate
Working for the city
She has to discipline her body

'Coz she knows that
It's demanding
To defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots defeat me

Those evil-natured robots
They're programmed to destroy us
She's gotta be strong to fight them
So she's taking lots of vitamins

'Cause she knows that
It'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
But you wouldn't let those robots eat me

Yoshimi

'Cause she knows that
It'd be tragic
If those evil robots win
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots defeat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots defeat me

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you wouldn't let those robots eat me

Yoshimi

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

Eric Carmen - "Make Me Lose Control" (1988)

not-so-known 80's favorites with Renzie Baluyut.

A sudden wave of nostalgia made me remember a whole bunch of songs I was listening to back in High School. Among those old favorites was this one- Eric Carmen's "Make Me Lose Control", which never really got much local airplay when it came out in 1988 (or, um, ever), except on Metro Manila's 99.5 RT, and later on, on 103.5 KLite.

This song remains one of my favorites to this day, and always brings back memories of high school and summer in the 80's

YouTube video of Eric Carmen's "Make Me Lose Control" courtesy of LuiscmckI, who just like me, is a great fan of this song.

Enjoy!

Make Me Lose Control (1988)
Eric Carmen

I run a comb through my hair
And step out in the street
And the city's the color of flame
In the mid-summer heat
Oh yeah

Jennifer's got her daddy's car,
She's playing uptown on the stereo
We go cruisin' so close,
The way they did long ago
My darlin'

(Turn) Turn the radio up for that sweet sound
Hold me close never let me go
(Keep) Keep this feelin' alive
Make me lose control
Baby, baby

(When) When I look in your eyes, I go crazy
Fever's high with the lights down low
(So take) Take me over the edge
Make me lose control

We put the top down and park 'neath the moon in the sky
And the wind is so hot in our hair, like a fire in July
Whoa yeah

Jennifer's singin' "Stand By Me",
And she knows every single word by heart
Was love always this good?
Or could this be just the start?
Whoa darlin'

(Turn) Turn the radio up for that sweet sound
Hold me close never let me go
(Keep) Keep this feelin' alive
Make me lose control
Baby, baby

(When) When I look in your eyes, I go crazy
Fever's high with the lights down low
(So take) Take me over the edge
Make me lose control

"Be My Baby" comes on, and were movin' in time
And the heat from your touch makes me feel
Like I'm losing my mind
Whoa yeah

(And then they played) "Back In My Arms Again"
(We close our eyes) We start rememberin' when
(We start to kiss) and now the feeling's intense
And we just pray that this night never ends
Woah oh oh, my darlin'

(Turn) Turn the radio up for that sweet sound
Hold me close, never let me go
(Keep) Keep this feelin' alive
Make me lose control
Baby

When I look in your eyes, I go crazy
Fever's high with the lights down low
(So take) take me over the edge
Make me lose control
Baby, baby

(Turn) Turn the radio up for that sweet sound
Hold me close never let me go
(Keep) Keep this feelin' alive
Make me lose control

When I look in your eyes, I go crazy
Fever's high with the lights down low
(So take) take me over the edge
Make me lose control
Baby, baby

(Turn) Turn the radio up for that sweet sound
Hold me close never let me go
(Keep) Keep this feelin' alive
Make me lose control

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

The Philips Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands

The Philippine music scene with Renzie Baluyut.

Okay, so you and your homeboys have been jamming at home each week, trying to get your sound just right. You play the occasional school gig, maybe even land a set or two at some nightspot somewhere.

If your band of fledgling rockstars has been hanging out for a while, but ready to take the next step, you and your dogs might want to check out the Philips Bandwidth Battle of the Bands.

Here's something we tore right off the official press release:

Leading consumer electronics maker Philips is this year looking to help these undiscovered talents with the Bandwidth Virtual Battle of the Bands. The contest is meant to help unsigned bands take full advantage of new digital multimedia technology in sharing their music with the rest of the music community.

Bandwidth participants will each be required to upload recent performance videos to the competition’s Youtube channel. Each band will be asked to perform two original songs, with one video uploaded for each song. Videos will be cross-posted to the Bandwidth website where visitors will be allowed to vote for their favorite performances.

These performances will then be screened by Bandwidth’s three mentors and judges, all of whom should be very familiar to fans of Filipino rock: Francis Reyes (a DJ on NU 107.5 and guitarist for The Dawn), Cookie Chua (singer for Color it Red), and Raimund Marasigan (singer for Sandwich, keyboardist for Pedicab, drummer for Cambio and The Eraserheads). The final crop of bands will then receive special one-one-one mentoring with the three judges prior to the final phase of the competition.

The competition will culminate in a final performance night where the winning band will be announced. The grand prize winner will take home a prize of P50,000 worth of cash and prizes.

Wanna know more? Head on over to the official contest site, and check out the contest's very own YouTube channel here. Also, check out the Philips' very own line of mp3 players, the Philips GoGear series, on my main blog, The Status is NOT Quo.

Cheers, everyone.

Iglu and Hartly - "In This City" (2008)

Spring jammin' with Renzie Baluyut.

Here's one of those songs I fell in love with the first time I heard it.

While Iglu and Hartly came out with this song late last year, "In This City" has been getting heavy rotation on my media player at home right now, and I can tell it's gonna be one of my favorites.

Check out Iglu and Hartly on this video on YouTube, courtesy of AltitudeTV, taken from a live performance at the 5 Gum GoTV music showcase at this year's SXSW.

"In This City" (2008)
Iglu and Hartly

You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

Close those doors
Close those doors
Now, now, just keep 'em open
Keep 'em open
Yeah, keep 'em open
I'll keep on, keep keep on going

Taking it in so, so heavy
Take it easy son, this ain't so deadly
Got keep on, gotta go on, gotta go on
Take it all with what we've done

Gotta push it push it push it
To the top of the building
Even when no one is feeling
It might bother you
Don't let it
If these people just don't get it

They can't express it
They won't accept it
She said it's okay that they may never give

you that credit.

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

I've been down here
Down these roads
People pass through
Some stay some go
Standing here broke
Not a penny to my name
But she says she loves me all the same

I try my best
And you do too
And all you want is something you can move to
Everybody's gotta get their kicks somewhere
Everybody gotta fit in somewhere

There's an open road
And I'm traveling down
Don't know where to go
But I lock and load
Shoot that sky 'till the moon explode
(Moon explode)

Now we're laying in a field
White flowers on our backs
Talking 'bout home
But we can't go back
I guess that's why we left
So we could take a step
Keep moving and forget the rest.

You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself
You came in to my life
You cannot separate yourself

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)
(In this city)

And I found that 'round here,
(In this city)
That I won't disappear
(In this city)
I got nothing to fear
(In this city)

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!

The Fray - "Look After You" (2007)

Last Song Syndrome with Renzie Baluyut.

If only my old piano teacher had taught me more contemporary songs than some of the
old crap she pulled out her dusty piano seat, I might have actually learned something I wanted to play.

Music from The Fray is music that inspires you to learn to play piano, if you ask me. I remember a much younger cousin of mine jamming on the ivory keys at a family reunion last year, and she could play a mean "How To Save a Life".

Anyway, mental note to self- get a piano, learn some of The Fray. Here's one of my favorites from 2007. The adult alternative classic "Look After You", from one of the band's two channels on YouTube.

Enjoy!

"Look After You" (2007)
The Fray

If I don't say this now, I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one, I want to take.
Forget the urgency, but hurry up and wait.
My heart has started to turn and separate.

Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby,
I'll look after you.

There now, steady love.
So few come and don't go.
Will you, won't you be the one I always know?
When I'm losing my control,
The city spins around
You're the only one who knows,
You slow it down.

Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby,
I'll look after you.
And I'll look after you.

If ever there was a doubt
My love, she leans into me.
This most assuredly counts
She says most assuredly.

Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby,
I'll look after you.
After you.
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
It's always have and never hold.
You've begun to feel like home.
What's mine is yours to leave or take.
What's mine is yours to make your own.
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh, be my baby, oh oh

Can't get that song out of your head? Then check out more of Renzie's Last Song Syndrome Project, the only blog service dedicated to getting that persistent tune out of your system- by giving you lots more of it!

Cheers, everyone!