Saturday, December 27, 2008

Crude Oz’s songs ring with sincerity

By Noelani Torre
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:50:00 12/06/2008

Filed Under: Music, Entertainment (general)

MANILA, Philippines—Listening to the music being played on the radio these days can often be painful, mind-numbing—or both! Once in a while, however, you stumble across something that’s fresh and original, that sounds like it was actually produced by thinking, breathing individuals, not some faceless corporate droids.

If you’ve been tuning in to NU107 in recent months, you’ve probably heard of Crude Oz, whose music is pop rock as it was meant to be—sometimes silly, often catchy, and always real. Two of their songs, “Nasaan Ka?” and “Invisible Chains,” have both been named Track of the Week this year, and for good reason.

Crude Oz may be new to the scene, but they have a much better grasp of songwriting than many of today’s more well-known bands. The songs they have released thus far have been catchy as all get-out, with well thought-out lyrics and melodies that stay in your head for days.

Venues

Formed last year, Crude Oz is Deo Cruz (guitar and vocals), Paolo Vivas (drums), Bjorn Manalo (guitar) and Lenin Lara (bass). The band has slowly been making itself heard across the metro over the past year or so, playing gigs in venues like Purple Haze, RJ Bar, 6 Underground, Freedom Bar, Club Dredd, Kublai’s and 9mile. They’ve recently finished recording their first album, “Straightjacket,” which they plan to distribute for free.

“It’s our answer to piracy,” they explain. “You can’t pirate something that’s free!” Plus, they just want to be heard by as many people as possible. The group is passionate about their music in a way that only new bands can be, and this is something that comes through in their playing and in their songs.

“A lot of musicians try to be different,” shares frontman Cruz, who’s also the band’s chief songwriter. “I’m not one of them. The music that I make is the result of emotions and experiences that I felt when I made the songs. Sometimes, it may sound original, sometimes it may sound like someone else—it doesn’t matter to me.”

Pop rock numbers

The foremost element that makes them stand out are the songs themselves. “Straightjacket” contains solid pop rock numbers that have been crafted with care. While the production may not be as smooth and glossy as those of other, more popular (and well-funded) groups, the hooks are more than plentiful, and each song rings with sincerity.

The boys are still rough around the edges, and they’re still in the process of exploring their musical identity, but all this is nothing that time and practice can’t remedy. They already have the raw talent that, with luck, will soon have people wanting to pay for their CDs.

“Straightjacket” is scheduled for launching early next year, but you can already listen to (and download) Crude Oz’s music at www.crudeozmusic.multiply.com and www.myspace.com/crudeoz.