TheFranciscos.Net

One of the things I always make sure to buy when I go to Manila is buy new alternative OPM music – lots of it. I’ve always liked listening to Philippine music “on the edge” since the days of WXB102 with the likes of The Dawn, Identity Crisis, Dean’s December, Betrayed, Urban Bandits, and the rest of the old TRC bands. I’ve always thought that OPM music is at least as great as bands abroad – and this batch of music that I bought this time around hasn’t disappointed. Among the CDs I bought, these are the ones that are getting the most playtime on my player:

Marty McFly (Leinil Yu of X-Men fame’s band, sounds a lot like The Rentals)

Sugar Free – Sa Wakas (great pop songs)

Oranges & Lemons – Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream (music in the old new wave vein, ala Orange Juice and The Railway Children)

Pinikpikan – Kaamulan (awesome tribal rock)

Pan – Parnaso ng Payaso (punk rock, the way only Dong Abay can deliver it)

Noel Cabangon – Medjas (the Philippines’ finest folk rock artist)

and my current favorite –

Urban Dub – Influence (ang galeng nang mga ‘to)

I kinda liken my buying OPM as my way of supporting the Manila music scene, and Philippine music as a whole. Filipino artists need all the help they can get. If you’re a balikbayan, make sure to buy original OPM CDs. If you need to pirate something, do it to foreign artists. Support OPM!