Top 5 (Beautiful Machines by PUPIL)

I have been listening to this album for 7 months now, i still could not pull off a Review because i know i would be so biased. So i came up with a Top 5, instead.


5. Different Worlds

When this album came out, I was totally hesistant. I stepped inside M1 in Greenbelt with 2 choices in my head: beautiful machines? or the 'heads' tribute album? I have heard of "Nasa'n Ka" a few times in some video/textchat channel and it was "okay" not great. Probably because i was still in love with The Mongols at that time and it was too different from the Mongols' sound. Now comes the 'heads' tribute...errr, I raised eyebrow on some of the bands included in the lineup. I don't mean to be a snob but i can't imagine myself having them in my cd rack, would i put to it? so i texted my Jk to ask for his opinion. he said "don't buy it, it's a waste of money." not that he hate the 'heads but he isn't a fan of some bands on the album. After that, I picked up a PUPIL CD and went to the 'listening section?" Then ely went:

"this is the opening of the song
so glad you came here tonight
heard you got lost in the woods again
well that makes two of us"

i was taken. felt like my blood stopped pumping, stopped breathing, and everything else around me didn't matter.

"take control if your mind
'cause we're living in different worlds
different worlds
it's just a matter of time
'til we're living in different worlds
over and over again."

'got back to reality, bought the CD and i almost never stopped listening to it since then. That's why this song is on my Top 5. The lyrics would make you feel like he (ely) is talking to you. he takes you in this fascinating world of make believe you create inside your head. i also love the bassline on this song. terrific.


4. Hypersober

never heard this one played live before. I heard Bogs is a shy type? I wish i'd have the chance to hear this one in the future gigs though. This is the only s ong that i can associate with drugs on the album, though the title tells you otherwise?

"and i take it
take it all
drowning acids and i'm stoned
damn-believe me
like before
it's chemical reaction"

i like songs about drugs. i like listening to this song while cruising through coastal road at 1am.


3. Dulo ng Dila

a friend of mine once told me that "your life is at the tip of y our tongue." No that isn't what this song talks about, i just wanted a nice "intro." Just like this song, it has a nice intro. I love the guitar on this one. It's a really simple song, the title pretty much tells you what it's all about. However for me it's very complex when it's really simple. when i listen to this song it gets me back to my unreconciled past, the time when i lost my brain, which i now blame for my short-term-memory-loss-symdrome.


2. She Talks to trees

If there's what they call a chick-flick, this one is what i call the chick-song. Actually, I noticed Ely has been writing mostly about hos beloved on this album which definitely is not a sin to me. "She talks to trees" is my favorite from all the chick-song because this one got me...

"she knows me
she owns me
live in the now"

Again, another song i like listening to while cruisin' throught the coastal road at midnight.. slightly heavy, trivial and addicting.


1. Beautiful Machines

I was walking along the overpass that connects Greenbelt and Landmark when i noticed this song. I thought i put on a pirated Cd that includes assorted artists...I was like, 'who could this band be? great song." until i realized, "f^&% no, i put on PUPIL before i left home," so i opened the Cd player and it was PUPIL indeed. From then on it became one of the songs i song when the AVAYA stops receiving calls for a few minutes. It's as if I'm listening to a Butch Vig-produced song. Listening to it totally blows me off, better than sex. it makes it all worth it.

I love the 'heads. I would have loved to listen to musicians reliving their m usic. It would have brought out a lot of insane memories. But why would i choose to live in the past? after you listen to it, then what? it presents no progress. with beautiful machine, it's a whole new different experience. It's solid, dark and mature, but not boring. one of the song that could have made it to my Top5 is "Gamu-gamo." It's a great song, but to me it's like listening to the 'heads so i knocked it off. but i love listening to it in live gigs, it just put me in trance.


PUPIL are:

ely buendia - guitars and vox
bogs jugo - drums
yan - guitar
dok sergio - bass