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Eraserheads

Music Dance and Lyrics Writing Now

Soundtrack of our Breakup

My second baby Songs of Our Breakup is out! *jumpshot* I’ve been hearing lovely things from the handful of people who’ve read it, and one common comment is that the book needs a soundtrack. Well, it kind of does have a soundtrack. Unofficially, that is.

Writing for me usually requires a vacuum. But sometimes, writing requires a playlist.

It made sense that I needed music to write a story about an indie rock band, taking on the task of penning lyrics for the first time ever. I was ambitious, I know. But it was super fun. The words came to me at the oddest moments. The lyrics to Slipstream for one, got into my head while I was waiting for the train at Ayala Station. By the time I got off at Quezon Avenue, the song’s first draft was complete.

The point is sometimes we need noise. A pounding drumbeat, a metallic guitar riff, or just some good old rock and roll.

Below are some (vintage) songs that accompanied me while I was deep inside my writer’s hole for Songs of Our Breakup.

Click, shuffle, and repeat.

The Script. Man on the Wire.

The Strokes. You Only Live Once

Sandwich. Masilungan

Sandwich. In Case of Fire

Eraserheads. Kailan

Ed Sheeran. The A Team

John Mayer. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room

The Killers. Shot At The Night

Maroon 5. Beautiful Goodbye

Arctic Monkeys. Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts.

Muse. Starlight

Video credits to owners.

Music Dance and Lyrics

Music Inventory

CD Inventory

So I was looking at my brand new, post-concert Battle Born CD — the first one I’ve bought in years –, and one thing led to another, as they are wont to do on a rare lazy Saturday afternoon. I found myself squatting in front of our CD/DVD rack and there they all were: physical, non-digital, non-iTunes Compact Disks with actual cover art taking up actual space. The covers were not dusty because someone actually took them out for a good wipe, but the labels were upside down and the order was all wrong. OCD and fuzzy sentiment kicked in. I plopped on the floor and took inventory:

Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare

Bloc Party – Silent Alarm Remixed

Brighter – 16 Killer Tracks from Today’s Hottest British Bands

Chicosci – Chicosci

Coldplay – Viva La Vida

Defiant – Kerplunk CD Sampler 2009 (Kjwan, The Ambassadors, Faspitch, Angulo, Beach Head, Menaya, Enemies of Saturn, Blue Jean Junkies, Subscapular, Astrojuan, Favored Enemy, Sinag)

Eraserheads (complete) – Ultraelectromagneticpop, Circus, Cutterpillow, Fruitcake, Stickerhappy, Natin99, Carbonstereoxide, The Reunion Concert

Fall Out Boy – Infinity on High

High School Musical OST – 1, 2-Disc Special Edition; 2, 2-Disk Collector’s Edition; 3, 2-Disk Premiere Edition 

John Mayer – Room for Squares, Continuum, Battle Studies

Justin Timberlake – Future Sex Love Sounds

The Killers – Hot Fuss, Day and Age, Battle Born

Maksim – Variations Part 1 and 2

New Moon OST

Norah Jones – Feels Like Home Deluxe Edition

Sandwich – Grip Stand Throw, 4-Track Mind, Thanks to the Moon’s Gravitational Pull, Thanks to the Moon’s Gravitational Pull (Deluxe), Five on the Floor, <S> Marks the Spot

Silent Sanctuary – Fuschiang Pagibig

Snow Patrol – Eyes Open

Spongecola – Palabas

Sugarfree – Tala-Arawan

The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

Twilight OST

Vertical Horizon – Everything You Want

It was a nostalgic activity, to say the least. By the time I had money to buy my own records, MP3 players and free downloads were the thing. So I took to buying only the music I knew I would love forever and happily install in my future library with the books that I will likewise love forever. (My future kids are going to hate me, getting moldy paper and scratchy disks for inheritance) The inventory revealed not a fool-proof list, and definitely not a complete one, but it’s a solid start.

I have to deal though with the itchy side effect of wanting to jump into a good gig right this moment.