reviews from the garage

In the thriving scene of pinoy rock, it is relatively easy to point out artists who are copying the wrong artists. It’s a waste of talent, and if it means a bit to them, a waste of aweful time. Fortunately, I can’t say the same thing with Zach Lucero’s solo release Fall, Crash, Infect. As far as I could remember, although I knew his name first as the drummer of Hungry Young Poet and Imago and as the wacky guy whose loud babble wakes me up every weekday morning through NU107′s “Zach & Joey In the Morning” show. The first time I saw Zach in person would  have to be in Saguijo. I can’t remember now what band I was watching but I remember standing barely 2 meters away from the band, overly giddy, when he enters and stood across my view, and the tall guy that he is, it totally spoiled that night’s Saguijo experience for me. “Very inconsiderate!” I said to my myself, “no wonder why HYP kicked him out,” Haha! Well, that was my mad self talking. Overtime, especially with the rise to Imago to mainstream stardom, Zach Lucero had become too hard to ignore.

When I learned that he’s coming out with a solo album, I was imagining it to be heavily influenced by Deftones or Glassjaw? I thought he would veer away from the typical Imago beats. Fortunately, I was wrong. Having been able to listen to the 9-track album only in myspace.com/zachlucero (sorry Zach they were out of stock when I went to Music1), I’d say this is an offshoot from the time he spent  as a drummer for Imago . These are the songs that would have gone to an Imago album but he thought he’ll do a better take on it.

“What If,” a track off Fall Crash Infect, explores the wisdom in trying the things you are not sure of, “What if, What if, it’s worth the risk?”. I can say that Zach had exceeded my expectations for this solo release. It’s not exactly ear-candy pop like Camerawall’s but it’s a little on the indie pop emo side like Outerhope. There is no question how Mikaela ended up in the album with the track Last Day, which rhythm eventually stayed  inside my head for a while – catchy.

The mood of the album is in a way melodically consistent. Like zach was pretty careful making it. Evidently, he’s been around the scene for quite too long now and have made numerous albums to know what songs to put out. There isn’t much of experimentation going on, which I most likely and giddily expect off a first album. Matina Town Square features vocals and lyrics of Sarah Marco of Taken By Cars, although a little  upbeat, it isn’t exactly a track you’d party with. In fact, this album strikes me as a celebration of sort. Most tracks are collaborated with a friend of Zach’s like Superpoke, wherein he shares vocal duties with Lourd de Veyra. Lourd does his locally renown bebop style as they make fun of a  popular social media website facebook and its App – Superpoke.

Bias aside, BBIW might be my personal favorite, featuring Katwo of Duster. It got me at “Just be careful, just choose me!” It appear that he was selective in the tracks he puts his guest artist in, as it seem to fit each one of them like a glove. Blue White and Red guest vocals Aimee Marcos of The Dorques fame, is just Ok, not exactly phenomenal but a track that Zach might have planned playing live with just a guitar. Lyric-wise, this is a good one.

Fall Crash Infect – the title track,  which he shares vocal duties with the talented music video director Marie Jamora, is one song you would probably put in your most played list. A pretty tipsy track, if you ask me, and it deserves an applause. Meanwhile, Visit is all Zach and depressing but it’s fine.

The album is all good while it last. It’s Ok to lug it around on your playlist for a while. It’s not uber-amazing but it’s not too bad to share it to your friends without expecting a WTF face afterwards or a confused face maybe, because it’s not too complicated but it’s not too easy to be mainstream either. Just indie. I like it better that way, though.