Album Review: Dualist by Taken By Cars

First of all, I miss you guys! I know, it has been almost two weeks since my last post. I was quite overwhelmed myself with the Migration Series of poetry that I posted all throughout the month of May. I never realized that I had so much poetry in my now deactivated Facebook account that it took so much space. Reading my own writings, made me spiral back in time. Well, now they are properly documented here, finally!

I have been pretty busy the first few days and the first week of June for some reason. Lack of sleep on some days and going here and there on other days, I was very busy. Anyway, I'm back. With my return to my blog-writing; I want to post my newly bought album of one of my most favorite local bands, Taken By Cars. If you are one of my Twitter followers, you already know how much I love Taken By Cars and how much I have been raving about their new album.




Dualist is the band's second album. If you are already familiar with their music and you listen to this album, you will notice a few changes in their melody and rhythm. Unlike the previous album, Endings of A New Kind, Dualist has smoother and has more relaxed tracks. Nonetheless, it still possess the distinct Taken By Cars sound; the electronics, the recognizable bass and Sarah Marco's smooth melodious voice.







One thing I noticed in the tracks in this album is how "clean" they sound this time. Clean in a very refreshing sense without changing the entirety of their sound. You will still know it's them on how they play and fuse the music of their instruments, they still have this distinguishable sound. Cleaner in a way that this time the intros and the entire body of a song is not as "rockish" than their previous album. This one has more punk and not as instrumentally "angsty" as the previous one.

I love the way the band makes the first few seconds of the intro of each song very smooth and interesting. Most of the tracks start with a mellow tune, and then progresses into an alternative sounding-danceable beat. The transition from slow beats to fast is seamless yet surprising. However, some tracks are done otherwise.



Their first single This is Our City is an example on how smooth they transition the intro from a slow electronically produced sound to fast upbeat-alternative song that will just make you want to sway your head and just dance. The lyrics are light in this one and I just want to dance every time I listen to this track, it is just full of energy.

This is Our City

Lyrics:

I'll be the one who smiles at you and says
Let this be our day and the thoughts will come
Lost in the vibe that overflows in our veins

Reverse delay
My day goes on reverse delay
I'm here with you
The sun comes up at night we say...

This is our city

I'll be the one who looks at you and says
Why think about the boy who doesn't even care
Lost in this life between this road and nowhere

Reverse delay
My day goes goes on reverse delay
I'm here with you
The sun comes up at night we say...

This is our city
This is our fall...

Video
I just cannot express enough how much I love this video. Quark Henares(Director) and Pong Ignacio(Director of Photography) you guys rock and did an awesome job on this one! I just so love this video. I love the effects, the photographic treatment of scenes, the outfits, the location. One thing I really love is that, this video is very much Filipino inspired. I don't get to see much music videos these days that inspires such nationalism. Well, primarily because the entire band is dressed up in a very Filipino way and the location is in Intramuros, perfect for the title of the song itself. The first time I saw the video, it sparked so much inspiration in me that I wanted to roam Metro Manila and shoot photographs.




Lyrically the band is marvelous. They write simple and light songs to deep lyrics that may need some sort of deciphering skill to comprehend, to self explanatory poetic lines. This album boasts the same old lyrical characteristics and deepness Taken By Cars is already known for. No mushy songs in this one, nor the band is known for such. That's one reason Taken By Cars is distinctly different from most local bands... They don't write mushy songs. Instead, they make emotionally stirring songs in an alternatively poetic way. Below are some (just some of the many I love) of the lines that I love from two tracks in this album:

I'm not that into you
I'm not that into you
But I'll keep on dancing
Unidentified
- Track 02: Unidentified

He's out there looking for lost girls
You stand there wanting, wanting to be found
- Track 03: 34

Overall, Dualist is a very refreshing and great album from Taken By Cars. If you like listening to upbeat music, to mellow-loungy tunes (not the love song type), to alternative-punk-danceable tracks; and you love listening to songs with sensible lyrics. Then you have to buy and listen to this album! The first track is just filled with so much energy and as you go through the whole album, it will end (11th track) with a melodious song with fitting lyrics as it is the last track. Dualist has 11 tracks with different beats to suit your every mood. You will love this album! Go buy one, support our local music!


NOTE: You can buy the album from Bratpack stores. I bought mine in Bratback Greenbelt 5. You can also download their songs from the iTunes store.