pocket guide to the underworld

the camerawalls ~ pocket guide to the underworld (lilystars records, 2008)

the camerawalls are a trio making pop with nostalgia in the (beautiful) manilla underground scene. it's formed by clementine from orange & lemons and friends from the past.
this is their debut and you know it's gonna be delicious by the second song. opening the album is 'markers of beautiful memories', melodically candid and a great sample of how heartfelt and breezy music made in the philipines sounds like (you'll probably hear melodies and arrangements that sound like ferns).
then comes probably their most known song 'clinically dead for 16 hours'. and it's the hit song the smiths didn't recorded.
but there's also an agressive side on the album on tracks like 'lord of the flies' and 'the emperor, the concumbine and the commoner' (with hints of the british references like the stone roses).
this project continues where orange & lemons stopped and even though their dealing with the same subjects, the music is deeper.
the poem 'canto de maria clara' by 19th century filipino hero dr. josé rizal turns into music with clementine singing.
in songs like 'changing horses midstream' and 'lizards hiding under rocks' they criticise the artistic conformity that surrounds manila's scene.
here's what clementine has to say about the album:
"i try to be diferent this time. it's not the usual theme of love and sex, not your typical concepts. we're writing songs about moving on and changing jobs, about the band people in the world, about medical wonder and reincarnation".

here's two videos:

markers of beautiful memories


clinically dead for 16 hours





01. markers of beautiful memories
02. clinically dead for 16 hours
03. lord of the flies
04. i love you, natalie
05. changing horses midstream
06. ignore my weakness, don't igonre me
07. canto de maria clara
08. the emperor, the concubine & the commoner
09. solitary north star
10. lizards hiding under rocks

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