Quirky Narres and the Hipster Harana
MANILA, Philippines- Quark Henares likes Quirky Narres, and no, that’s not a misspelling or another person’s name. It’s actually a song that’s as quaint as its title and comes from a band that’s even quirkier. Don’t Bogart the Can… Man is an indie pop band whose sound mimics the intimacy of a lazy conversation spent while lying on the bedroom floor. It doesn’t have to mean something profound, but it captures those feelings trapped in familiar memories. In It’s a Hipster Love Story, for example, vocalist Shinji Manlangit sings in a twee tone: “I wanna sit beside you all night long and watch all the shows we used to know — reruns of Pete and Pete and Oh! Tokyo.”
The sentiments are random and unadulterated with no traces of pretense or orchestration. All you get is the vibe of sitting in a huddle of friends making music. That’s how it started. Tired of playing high school emo covers, Shinji and longtime friend Francis Cabal started an acoustic duo inspired by Michael Cera’s now-defunct The Long Goodbye. “We were doing it for giggles,” Shinji recalls, “We started writing songs and recorded one at a network studio in between Pokwang’s recording sessions.” That song was Quirky Narres.
With lyrics like, “I stare into your eyes. You really look so nice. I make my move so close to you when I roll the dice,” the band manages to be sentimental yet mischievous, traits that each of its members naturally possesses. Jayme Ancla met the guys through common friends and eventually became the lead guitarist with Francis on rhythm. The other three, Erwin Hilao (drums), Ade Magnaye (bass), and Alvin Alagao (keyboard/synths), they met through connections on Tumblr. It’s also on the same site that the group promotes and distributes their music.
Since their soft start last year, the guys have garnered quite a following. Their gigs, though few and far in between, do not disappoint. Compared to their more popular garage rock project, The Strangeness, Shinji says he likes how DBTC…M’s shows are more easy-going and intimate. “The Strangeness hit it big first, and that’s okay. Bogart is not as “party sounding” as The Strangeness, so I guess that band is more apropos to what the scene requires. Bogart gets smaller shows, but they’re just as fun.”
With the sporadic releases of their lo-fi EPs and a spoof holiday album “A Very Dinky Christmas,” they managed to get Quark’s nod as a band to watch out for in 2011. “That was crazy,” Shinji says, “I’m a huge fan of his work. Hello? Keka was the best… I don’t think he ever saw us live, though. That would be fun. I’d sing Quirky Narres while staring into his beautiful eyes.”
DBTC…M’s music is just that, a hipster harana. Despite its overt quirkiness, there is a tenderness that can only be felt when you’re all alone, with your headphones on, listening to tracks like Fizzy Good Make Feel Nice that lull you to introspection and make you all fuzzy inside.
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Check out the band and download their EPs for free at http://dontbogartthecanman.tumblr.com.
