Ludwig van Beethoven once said, “to play without passion is
inexcusable.” In one of our Journalism classes, we were fortunate enough to
meet Ahmad Tanji (lead singer) and to
listen to some of the songs of his band named Your Imaginary Friends.
Constantly composing, singing and playing instruments speaks of his genuine
dedication in the field of music.
It is really different hearing and watching an acoustic
version of certain songs. It’s a stripped-down performance which is actually
more intimate compared to the usual ones. Unplugged performances are probably
one of the most sincere performances I’ve ever seen.
Your Imaginary Friends is a four-ensemble group: Ahmad Tanji
(vocals and guitars), Emerald Aquino (bass, vocals and keyboards), Khalid Tanji
(guitars) and Eric Po (drums).
The band released their very first album entitled One Dreamy
Indeterminate Hum in September 2010.
Most of the songs from the album are composed by the lead
Singer, Ahmad. I must say that in each song he created, a part of his him is
integrated to it which makes his songs stand out from the rest in the local
scene. He is actually a Psychology graduate, which explains why certain terms
in his compositions are included.
Some of their songs are named before their friends – “Oh,
Liza” and “Hey Rowena.” He started off with the song “Oh, Liza,” which entails
a story of a woman getting her very first kiss tonight. Adding a lighthearted feel and humor (I hope you won’t bite) complements the
reality that situations like these, for some, could be really serious and
sincere.
“Baby You’re Going To Hell” is probably the most
lighthearted song of the band, although it is not actually part of the
album. The lyrics of the song are
actually easy to understand. It is as if the singer is just speaking to a
friend about the girl he liked in one of their inuman sessions. Haha! The use
of similes definitely helped in setting the jolly mood of the song (You curse like a sailor). If you just
want to listen to some song during your bad days with a special someone, this
song can probably lighten you up even for just a little bit J
Another song from their album is entitled “She’s All Sirens
(And I am Fiction).” I must say that this is the most heartfelt and serious
among the songs Ahmad performed in class. The lines of this song are quite
longer than the previous songs.
With each breath Ahmad takes for each line, the feeling of
running out of breath and the soft, kind of whispering, voice adds to the
sincerity of the song. Moreover, the feeling intensifies with each strum of the
guitar.
PARAMITA: TALA (2005)
“A female drummer and vocalist? Seriously??,” that’s what I
first thought of when I saw the music video of their single “Hiling” a few
years ago. I mean, if being the lead singer of a band can already be
challenging, what more if you play the drums while you sing rock songs.
Paramita is composed of three individuals: Ria Bautista
(vocals and drums), Alsey Cortez (bass) and Marco de Leon (guitar). They
already released three albums entitled Tala (2005), Paramita (2008) and Liyab
(2010).
“Hiling” is their very first single. I really liked the song
because I can relate to it back then when it was still played on television and
even though the song seemed to be really serious and too old for me (well, I
was still in grade 6 then). Well, when you’re young and in love, losing someone
important is almost as bad as dying. You feel as if the world is crumbling down
on you and you’ll do every single thing you can to not let this happen.
You can get carried away easily with the lyrics and the
amazing guitar, bass and drum works. It really felt very personal and sincere
coming from the vocalist, Ria. It felt as if she was crying herself out to say
those words that, I think, are not not really said in real life. The song
probably started from a diary entry of someone in pain because of love.
“Takipsilim,” another song from the Tala album, speaks of
someone who is still attached to his or her past. There are numerous reasons
why relationships end, but I certainly believe that “when a heart breaks, it
don’t breakeven” (The Script’s “Breakeven”). Being someone’s girlfriend or
boyfriend is greater than the label you attached to one another. You hold
hands, fight, laugh, cry and share experiences. It’s like you already
integrated or engraved a part of you to your partner and vice versa and this
mark will probably last longer than what you expected.
I guess, songs written from personal experiences have an
unexplainable impact in people. In tagalog terms, “iba eh” or “may dating.”
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