Subpar Proxies: Ultraelectromagneticjam (3/5)

Ely Buendia thinks that the effort is premature as 3/4 of the Heads (God knows where Marcus is) are still making music.

My girlfriend, a long-time friend and fan of the band thinks it's hilarious particularly when we got to listen to Sponge Bob Cola's Pare Ko.

I think it's a bit more complicated given the two things all tribute albums should achieve, namely, to honor the band/artist and their body of work and to make good music.

Like most tribute albums, Ultraelectromagneticjam's bound to get mixed reviews. As a rule, the artists/groups that found a nifty middleground where they could infuse their own style without making the song sound too different and/or unremarkable, succeeded.

Interestingly enough, since the Eheads were, after all, a pop band, the alternative acts made the most out of their studio time.

6CycleMind's Alapaap was dreamy but grounded just the same. Imago's Spoliarium was simply sublime. ONL's japanime take on Huwag Kang Matakot was cute.

And while Lourd De Veyra seemed like he was chasing the beat half the time in Alkohol, Eheads by Sago was something special. I wonder how'd they fare if they reworked some of Adoro's songs (South Superhighway?) but that's another story.

The tracks were profoundly unbearable came from pogi/ganda rock contingent. These guys just didn't have clue on how best to make the songs theirs without insulting a legion of Eheads fans or more appropriately, "disemboweling a classic".

Kitchie Nadal on a vocoder with Ligaya and Barbie being Barbie on Overdrive are just two of the lower points of the album.

The nadir, of course, would have to be Sponge Cola's Pare Ko which was just laughably lame. If anything, they did get to answer: "How does a jilted pogi rocker sound like?" Answer: painful, not unlike getting a long-forgotten molar extracted.

All the rest, I give the benefit of doubt or "wala lang".

An RnB cut of With a Smile and MYMP version (Why do I have this odd feeling that an MYMP version of "Dito sa Pitong Gatang" isn't far behind? ) was bound to happen anyway, I know that much was true. Cueshe doing Hard to Believe was killed in a lot of other forums but I can't entirlely blame the pogi outfit, that was a weak song to begin with.

Francis Magalona is the voice of reason in this made-for-the-money compilation, mouthing off steadfastly in Superproxy: "There's no substitute for the real."

Right on, bro. Right on.

p.s.
My greatest fear? That one day, 10, 15 years into the future, one of my kids comes across this album and concludes that the Eheads suck ass.

And then I'd have to ground him/her for a week and put him/her on a steady diet of Cutterpillow, Ultra and Circus, just so he/she learns firsthand that they don't