Sometimes there are circumstances — like a vicious white Martian invasion, or a visit from Solaris, the Tyrant Sun — that are best dealt with by banding together, as any member of the Justice League knows. The flipside of that is that you need the right number and combination of members, or the group becomes too unwieldy or redundant, as the Avengers learned when their ranks swelled to bursting after they fought Morgan Le Fay in the late 1990s. (Yes, all my metaphors are comics-based. Blame my childhood.)
The point is, whether we’re talking superhero teams or rock bands, a gathering can be a powerful thing, capable of accomplishing much that is beyond the powers of its individual members. Which brings us to the phenomenon of the music label, specifically the relatively small, independent music label. While the larger globe-spanning labels encompass too many acts to really be seen as anything other than blind rapacious behemoths, the small labels can have certain values, shared traits, a personality. The right kind of label wins a listener’s loyalty for life.
Launched just this month, Number Line Records looks set to become exactly that kind of label. Created by siblings Bobby, Michael and Micaela Benedicto (who are also behind the art and design pop-up shop, We Are Triangle) as “a collective platform for like-minded Filipino artists to distribute music locally and globally,” it was established, in part, “as a response to broader changes in music consumption and distribution practices, especially the near-total death of radio in Manila and the emergence of various online music networks.”
It’s an interesting and exciting lineup, that includes artists with “electronic, experimental, indie-pop, indie-rock, shoegaze, surf noise, and synthpop influences,” among others.
Here are some of the acts involved:
Love in Athens: “Love in Athens started in 2008 by Francis Maria Regalado as a way of coping with a long-distance relationship. After several roster changes and an extended period of inactivity, Love in Athens is returning as part of Number Line Records and with a brighter take on the hazy, lovelorn sound of its earlier inception.”
Multo: “Allan Lumba has been writing and recording music sporadically under the name Multo since 2006. Multo songs are heavily in love with 1970s/1980s radio pop and Pacific Northwest indie-rock. The current songs are being written and recorded in a bedroom in Quezon City.”
Outerhope: “Outerhope began in the summer of 2004 when siblings Michael and Micaela Benedicto sat down to create melodies with a guitar and a piano. Inspired by the decade of their childhood, they wrote about lost youth, forgotten plans, and imagined places. They debuted with the album “Strangely Paired” in 2005, followed by “A Day for the Absent’ in 2009.”
Other artists on the label are: Big Hat Gang (Mario Consunji), idkids (Owel Alvero, Nice Buenaventura), Less Than Pi (Joon Guillen, Donna Macalino), Manuel Nicolas Alvero, Modulogeek (Joon Guillen), Plant a Tree (Pat Sarabia), Similar Objects (Jorge Wieneke), Slow Hello (Selena Salang), and Treblinka Love Scene (Francis Cabal, Francis Maria Regalado).
Number Line Records’ website (numberlinerecords.com) went live last April 11. By the time you read this, Multo’s EP Footnote to Youth will have launched (April 14) and Modulogeek’s single An Android’s Lament will be up on April 28.
To introduce the lineup, a compilation album will be available for free download on April 14. Limited-edition physical copies featuring alternate covers by artists Bea Camacho, Mariano Ching, Dex Fernandez, Marcushiro Nada, and Tof Zapanta will be given to the first 50 people at the Number Line Records Launch Party, which will be held on May 6 (9 PM) at Saguijo Bar + Café. Full-length releases from Big Hat Gang, Plant a Tree, and Similar Objects are forthcoming.
Call it “an experiment in post-geographical music distribution.” Call it an attempt to address a gap in the scene. Whatever you call it, Number Line Records sounds like a good idea.