COVER: Space oddities

MANILA, Philippines - Science fiction has always played an integral part in pop music — a thematic point of interest that musicians have tapped into, conjuring images in listeners’ heads of aliens and time warps, super-humans and parallel universes, wormholes and post-apocalyptic life. David Bowie turned cosmic weirdness into high art and introduced us to the fictional astronaut Major Tom on signature classics Space Oddity, Ashes to Ashes, Hallo Spaceboy and Blackstar. On the Grammy-nominated single Many Moons, futurist R&B vixen Janelle Monae assumed the character of a messianic android that gets vilified in her community for falling in love with a human being. In The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1, a martial arts expert wages war against flesh-eating pink machines; Elton John’s Rocket Man is a piano-backed ballad about a Mars-bound astronaut; Muse’s album “Black Holes and Revelations” is built around the themes of globalist agenda, alien invasion and sci-fi conspiracy theories.

Now, in this great tradition, comes Pedicab, the Pinoy rock supergroup whose members include Diego Mapa (of Tarsius, Monsterbot, Eggboy), Raymund Marasigan (you’ll know him from The Eraserheads, Sandwich, Squid9, Assembly Generals), Jason Caballa (of Twisted Halo, Cheats), Mike Dizon (of Teeth, Sandwich), and filmmaker RA Rivera.

Pedicab’s new album “Remuda Triangle” is based on the band’s fascination with extraterrestrial beings, sci-fi flicks, Martian life and otherworldly mysteries. It’s a fuzzy, digital-punk epic whose loose narrative revolves around a character abducted by aliens, fighting his way out of his destiny, only to realize that the home planet he grew up on is now swarming with celestial invaders. There’s moroseness in this theme that recalls Bowie’s more transgressive work, but being the poster child of ‘80s post-punk parties and Manila Sound bohemianism, Pedicab embraces the lighthearted, fun side of the genre. “Yung narrative namin naglalaro between galactic and post-apocalyptic worlds, tapos may hint ng comic-book geekery yung treatment,” says chief lyricist and vocalist Diego Mapa. “It’s inspired mostly by Ancient Aliens, yung show sa History Channel. I’ve always been fascinated with the theories that it presented.”

Aside from extraterrestrial forms, the space punk rockers were captivated by the enigma behind Bermuda Triangle, a loose area in the Atlantic Ocean where several ships and airplanes have mysteriously disappeared without a trace. “Dun nabuo yung album title: Remuda Street is the place where we rehearsed and recorded the songs in the album, while Triangle came from Bermuda Triangle,” Raymund Marasigan tells Supreme.

Sonic Ambition

As opposed to their previous records, Pedicab’s third full-length album finds the band telling a futuristic story and blending conceptual ambition with fearless creativity. The appeal of “Remuda Triangle” lies in the ability of the band to unearth sonically challenging experiments and maximalist ideas that require them to play with fuzz and noise effects, pedals, gear and a more elaborate setup — a bold attempt to veer away from the sound of their  previous full-length records, “Tugish Takish” and “Shinji Ilabas Mo Na Ang Helicopter.” “We played on the more-is-more aesthetic sa album na ‘to,” says guitarist Jason Caballa. “Medyo maximalist yung tunog namin. It’s probably the most fun we’ve had making a record overall.”

“Remuda Triangle” operates at the height of Pedicab’s sci-fi fetishism and aural curiosity, with each song offering something unique and different from the others. As Caballa puts it, “We have specific ideas on how certain songs would sound.” Title track Remuda Triangle contains a melodically poppy but proggy synth hook that causes pure joy with every downstroke, while Mercury Restraint has that brooding synth-pop pulse straight from the Depeche Mode songbook. Sending Out a Signal is a call-to-arms, indie-rock anthem that foregoes any attempt at restraint while Meet You Right is Prince-lite funk that inhabits every twist and turn with an endearing vibe. But the real standout in the album is current single What’s the Algorithm — an instant showstopper whose Gang of Four riffs, big and widescreen sonics, stoner pounding, and spiffy dance-rock grooves evoke early Pedicab, albeit with a grander and grittier motif.

Visual treat and Vinyl Fetishism

This newfound musical direction is not the only interesting thing about “Remuda Triangle.” Pedicab manages to create a visually dazzling spectacle with the help of collaborators in the independent ranks of arts and cinema, such as Leeroy New and Ernest Concepcion. For his part, Concepcion was approached by the band for the usage of his painting “The Battering of Battery Park” as the image for the vinyl-pressed record cover. The artwork, which illustrates an alien invasion about to wreak havoc upon humanity, fits the thematic arc of the album. The sci-fi elements also make their way onstage, with the band wearing alien-like helmets crafted from your typical household items. Designed by Leeroy New, the cosmic headgear was worn by Pedicab during shoots and gig performances. “We wanted the idea of incorporating (New’s project) Aliens of Manila helmets in our live shows,” Raymund Marasigan reveals. “Buti na lang kapitbahay ni Diego si Leeroy and then nagkasundo agad sila. He made special helmets specifically for us.” Even the music video of the album’s first single What’s the Algorithm taps Blue Bustamante director Miko Livelo and his brother Jolo, recreating their onstage nerdcore persona in 8-bit animation.

The band takes pride in having the entire record pressed on vinyl, a risky move that deserves to be celebrated at a time when digital consumption and streaming reign supreme in terms of sales numbers and render other listening modes bait for retromaniacs. The vinyl pressing was supervised by Jay Amante of The Grey Market Records and Blanc Gallery, who also happens to co-distribute the record with Soupstar Music. “Matagal na naming pangarap yun. 2010 pa,” says Caballa. “Pero walang deeper reason other than nasa bucket list talaga namin siya. And you know, we all collect vinyl.”

Even more than being purveyors of cool, Pedicab has surmounted the ever-changing trends in the local music landscape by being two steps ahead of everyone. For sure, another landmark has arrived with the release of their sci-fi-themed opus, an indication that they’ll be around for more years, decoding labyrinths of stories about aliens, dungeons and dragons, and making music to get lost in.

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Pedicab will be launching their highly-anticipated full-length album Remuda Triangle on February 25 at Historia Boutique Bar & Restaurant, featuring performances by Pedicab, Taken by Cars, Flying Ipis, Tom’s Story, Bignay Soundsystem and installations by Leeroy New. The vinyl LP will be available at the gate for P1,200, which comes with a free entrance and one drink.

Photos by Chealsy Dale

Produced by Ian Emmanuel C. Urrutia

Special thanks to TodayxFuture