What’s new from Lola Amour and other bands?

Lola Amour is back. Well, I do not think this band was ever really away or off the radar. These boys have been there all along starting when they were high school kids from De La Salle with a name that never failed to draw attention.  Would you believe Sinigang na Baboy?

On the other hand, though, this is one of those groups who made a big dent and seemed so promising on their first time out only to disappear and be unheard of for a while. Many remember them as the sensation from one of those Wanderland Music and Arts Festival a few years back.

Then with another interesting name, Lola Amour, they also came up with an album of five original cuts, Don’t Look Back. The other cuts were Fools, Maybe Maybe, No Tomorrow, Piece of Mind and the most commercial of the lot and the only Tagalog track, Pwede Ba.

The songs could have stood more polishing but the band had a well-defined, jazzy, alt pop sound that showed excellent potential. And then once again it was come and go as they please. Lola Amour would resurface from time to time but the attempts seemed half-hearted and not to be taken seriously. That is until three years later.

Early this November, Lola Amour made a splashy return by dropping a new version of the Don’t Look Back EP. Dubbed as Revisited, it has the group taking liberties with their old songs with new, certainly better, matured arrangements. There is also one new cut, the poppy Please Don’t Leave. It is just too bad, they decided not to include Pwede Ba. Incidentally, the song has a nice Korean version .

Why, the Revisited? Maybe, these boys feel that now is the time for them to make a serious play for the hit charts. Let us wish them well. Again, I wonder. Why did they not include their song Sanity in the new release. That one has the makings of a big seller.

Lola Amour is made up of Pio Dumayas on guitar and lead vocals; Martin Kim on keyboards and background vocals; Raymond King on bass and background vocals; Zoe Gonzales on lead vocals; Angelo Mesina on the trumpet; Joxx Perez on sax; and Renzo Santos on drums.

Pangalawang Bitaw by The Juans. The talented guys of The Juans have come up with part two of the disintegrating love story they started with the single Sirang Plaka. Songwriter Carl Guevarra decided to toy with interconnected singles after the massive success of his Istorya.

Sirang Plaka is about repeated spats that create friction in a relationship.  “Para kang sirang plaka,” a broken record that is forever on repeat. That was followed by a collab about repercussions with Janine Tenoso titled BTNS, which stands for Bakit ‘to Nangyari Sa’tin.

Now it looks like the love story is nearing its end with Pangalawang Bitaw.  Bitaw is to let go and Pangalawang Bitaw means a second attempt at letting go.  Wonder what will come next? Another letting go? Maybe another try.

‘Di Ka Sayang by Ben&Ben. The latest from the famous folk pop group Ben&Ben deals with a serious issue, self-acceptance. Sayang is the Tagalog description of regret. It translates to I am sorry, but it is not an apology. That one word says a lot and Ben&Ben has chosen it to refer to much-needed self-worth.

Sayang as used in the song has an important message that resonates with troubled souls around us. ‘Di Ka Sayang means you matter. You are not worthless in this world. You are important. Most of all, you are loved. No matter what other people may say. Those are words that many long to hear. Taking the time to say these to somebody can save lives.

“’Di ka sayang, ‘di kailangang manghinayang/ ‘Di ka sayang, ‘di kailangang patunayan, woah…/ sarili ay mahalaga/ kahit pa ano’ng tingin nila.”