MANILA, Philippines?The second major-label release from local hardcore punk band, Typecast, ?Every Moss and Cobweb? is a surprisingly easy album to listen to?though those who?re familiar with the band?s music will doubtless disagree with the ?surprisingly? part.
For those of us who haven?t actively listened to Typecast?s more melodic brand of hardcore punk before, however, the group?s latest recording is unexpectedly pleasant.
Debut
Released under Warner Music Philippines, the album is the band?s third. Their debut, ?Last Time,? was independently released in 2002, and their sophomore album, ?The Infatuation is Always There? hit the shelves midyear in mid-2004.
If you follow the local music scene, you?ll no doubt know who these guys are, but for the not-so-updated, here?s a backgrounder: Typecast, whose name ostensibly comes from the title of a Snapcase song, is a foursome from Sta. Rosa, Laguna?s underground scene. They were already pretty well-known in their hometown before they got a wider audience a few years after they were formed.
Originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Steve Badiola, bassist Chi Resurreccion and drummer Melvin Macatiag, the group added a fourth member, guitarist Frank ?Pacoy? Fletchero, who joins the band in their latest album.
The band has been making itself noticed?they were nominees in practically every major category in the 2005 NU107 Rock Awards, and the song, ?Will You Ever Learn?,? from ?Every Moss and Cobweb? was named the Song of the Year last year.
The first thing you?ll notice about Typecast is how tight they sound?like they?ve been playing together for years and years. And their songs are solid numbers that incorporate elements of pop, hardcore punk, and a dash of metal.
The band is usually classified as emo, due to the generally plaintive bent of most?if not all?of their songs. In fact, the sentiments might sound too immature for listeners above the age of 20.
Most avid fans
The kids seem to love it however: A good number of the group?s most avid fans are in their teens, and they can?t seem to get enough of all that forlorn sighing and moaning over goodbyes, lost loves and broken hearts.
If you?ve been wondering whether the album?s title has anything to do with Ralph Waldo Emerson?s essay, ?Compensation??where there?s a line that goes, ?The true doctrine of omnipresence is that God reappears with all his parts in every moss and cobweb??well, apparently, it?s just coincidence. There are no theosophical explorations in ?Every Moss and Cobweb,? but that sort of subject matter doesn?t usually sell records, anyway.
