Peryodiko: Keeping up with the times

MANILA, Philippines - When Peryodiko’s debut album came out in March 2009, it was a highly-anticipated event with veteran producer Robin Rivera blogging about the whole affair — from the day Vin Dancel handed him demos in 2006 to the day they finished recording in February 2009. A few months after Twisted Halo parted ways, word was already out that a superband was formed with Vin on vocals, virtuosos Kakoy Legaspi on guitars, Simon Tan on bass, and Abe Billano on drums.

When they finally released their self-titled album, no one was left unsatisfied — Peryodiko was indeed a superband with an 11-track live recording album to prove it, too. It was an obra where every note was intended, every tap of the drum was precise, and no two measures were identical. Boy, did it come at the right time, too, schooling the emo kids with its immense attention to detail.

I remember wanting to have my copy signed right after they played in 70’s Bistro, early in 2010, but backing out at the last moment. They had just finished playing a mindblowing set and I thought, with a band that good, it was impossible for things to turn south. I thought the four of them would last forever and maybe in the future, I could still get their autographs in a less-tense environment.

Fast forward to four years later and I find myself telling that story to Vin. He laughs and says, “Nothing lasts forever, man.”

Coming out from a gig in the famed and acoustically faultless hall of 19East in Sucat, Peryodiko was hot on their heels with two of the newer members rushing to a lagare gig far north in Quezon City. The ranks of Kakoy, Simon, and Abe have since been replaced by Josh Villena (Maya’s Anklet and Autotelic), Ian Tan, and Pat Sarabia (Wilderness, General Luna and Twin Lobster) respectively. And before we let words get in the way, let it be known that this lineup is no less a superband than it was five years ago.

“Ilang buwan pa lang ‘tong lineup na ‘to. Kahit minsan sobrang sarap na ng tugtugan, kinikilala pa lang namin tunog namin. There are good nights, there are bad nights. And tonight was a good night,” says Vin when I asked him what he thought of their set. They played a total of eight songs, playing past releases Agawan Base and Bakasyon, and all six songs from their latest EP release, “Balik sa Simula.”

“‘Balik sa Simula’ has a rawer sound than the first album,” says Vin. “We tried to approximate what we do live — it’s the closest we could get to that feeling of playing live.” On first listening, the EP is, compared to the first album, a younger-sounding Peryodiko with more power chords laying the bed for Vin Dancel’s haunting vocals and Josh Villena’s atmospheric riffs. But as the songs progress, the link between the EP and the first album becomes apparent.

The distinct Peryodiko kick (or should I say, angas) is still delivered by the heavy pounding from the rhythm section, which on record, is supplied by Ian Tan on bass and still Abe Billano on drums. Pat Sarabia, however, is a pleasant addition to their live performances (and recordings, henceforth). With practically no detectable expression on her face, every bit of emotion is translated to her powerful and selective movement up and down the drum setup.

Ian confesses that he had been a fan of Peryodiko long before Abe recruited him to play for the band. “Bago pa mangyari ang lahat, bago pa ng audition, alam ko na mga kanta,” Ian says. “Syempre, may adjustment at kahit papa’no susubukan mo kopyahin ‘yung tunog (ni Simon). Nagkaro’n din kami nung time na puro isip lang — as in mathematically — kasi tunog ng peryodiko, may science ‘yan.”

 â€œMero’n silang nakikita’t naririnig na otherwise, hindi ko makikita’t maririnig kasi sobrang iba perspective nila Ian, Josh at Pat,” says Vin. “Iba perspective nila sa music at sa performance. Kaya naman ako hindi nagsosolo kasi mahalaga para sa akin ‘yung input ng banda. Kahit sabi nila ‘pwede’ akong magsolo, iba pa rin ‘yung may mga kakampi ka na tutulungan ka sa pag-areglo.” Along with the band members, their producers have also come from a younger batch of musicians with Point B studio’s boards being manned by Aaron Gonzales of Hidden Nicky, Earthmover’s Daniel Garcia and Dru Ubaldo, and Jazz Nicholas of The Itchyworms.

After the success of the first album, thinking of the evolution of Peryodiko’s sound was exciting. The prospect of even more complicated arrangements was alluring, but it also posed the risk of losing the songs’ souls to overpowering technique. Now that they had created a more leveled texture, they had to establish this band’s new incarnation as an evolution from the first.

 â€œIt’s really a different band,” Vin says. “Hindi ako naniniwala na ang banda ay iisang tao lang o dalawang tao lang. Kabuoan siya ng mga members niya, lalo na, exposed kami sa iba-iba naming mga banda. If there was a goal for the EP, it was to sound like who we are — the four of us and no one else.”

Seventeen, being the first-ever English song by Peryodiko, is a standout by default. Vin says that the song just came naturally, without anyone suggesting that they write an English song. But perhaps, more than that, it stands out because its tone and lyrics are able to capture Peryodiko’s rebirth most eloquently: They are back with a lethal sense of musical youth.

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Check out Robin Rivera’s blog on producing the first Peryodiko album at: http://peryodikoalbumrecordingfinally.blogspot.com.