Revenge of the Fishlips Keltscross
IF KELTSCROSS were a martial artist, they’d be Cynthia Rothrock, very good but not very strong but good enough to kick ass.
And if an all-girl punk band can write well-crafted songs and play this aggressive, there’s no reason why all-male groups who posture as if they have a monopoly on testosterone can only come up with lame compilations of pang-chicks ballads.
Perhaps it pays to have studied in either UP or De La Salle and brought up on a post-adolescent diet of Ramones and Sex Pistols. It also doesn’t hurt to be good looking and sexy. Gifted with the requirements of an almost surefire smash, Keltscross released a record almost two years after fellow female rockers Tribal Fish’s debut record and in effect shame corporate dummies back to their concepts.
Only stupidity and sheer cowardice would lead otherwise talented musicians to blindly obey record producers and play nothing but commercial fluff…er…stuff.
Keltscross obey their Muse and come out with, pardon my French, the butt-kicking and nerve-wracking Revenge of the Fishlips – a 16-song tour-de-force, a solid head-banging product intelligent enough to please both body slammers and bookworms. A mix of declarations of strength/defiance and vulnerability/humility, it is pleasing to see not another of those cute Bananarama rip-offs who make pa-cute, voices dripping with syrupy giggles.
Right off the bat, I Wanna Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Legend, a sonic assault allusion on Kurt Cobain’s suicide: a condemnation of Nirvana’s frontman, if there ever was one. From here to the end, it’s an angst-ridden ride not letting up until the second-to-the-last (Bye-Bye Baby) and last song (Asleep), deceptive in title but faithful to the tone.
In a record with more than a dozen songs with nary a weak cut, space limitation dictates a necessity – capsule reviews.
Pollux Driving: Most primitive of messages. "There’s nothing you can do but slam." German Cut (Opera): Calls to mind all the girls I’ve know who wanted to be "one of the boys. "Hindi matimpla pare ko/(Beer/jutes) na lang tayo sa kalasingn/kapraningan)." Daddy’s Lil’ Grrl: It only gets worse, with the female persona taking a man, raping him and telling her father all about it and asking him not to tell her mother, afraid "she’ll cut my allowance clear." I Know: Great contrast to the first four songs. Where the former are defiant, almost indifferent, here is a display of vulnerability. "Since that day you walked out on me/I know I’ll just lose my mind." Cool: A collage of "cool" objects/symbols – "shoes, shades, sex, more rings, chest hair…" are turned against pa-porma individuals. Keltscross’ advice: "Kung gusto mong magpa-cool/Isaksak mo ang sarili mo sa ref." The well-placed lead guitar in the end part adds to the mocking tone. Johnny Look Twice: Pleas for mercy. "Ayoko! Tama na! Ano ’to? Parang awa mo na!" backgrounded with gothic instrumentation, manages to be both repulsive and touching, segues into "You raped and abused her, Johnny/And hit her on the head." Slut Chant: A Siouxie Sioux-like chanting version of I Am Woman, Helen Reddy’s ’70s women’s lib theme song. "This slut can purr/This slut can soar/But, baby, if you want me/This slut will roar." Pains And Fears: Defiance again. "I’m sick of kindness and pity/And all of you make me sick to the guts…I’m not afraid to show who I am." Wedding Song: A Metallica-sounding rave-on. The heaviest cut. The intro is a foreshadowing of dark pleasure. A most unweddinglike wedding song melody-wise. The lyrics are another matter entirely. "Make my heart beat once more/Make my world worth living for/Show me love." Crabs: Just be assured this is not a song about crustaceans. Ron Ruiz does the vocals here instead of Keltscross’ Zeejay. (Female voices join in the chorus.) The band probably thought the subject matter would be more appropriate with a man singing, although the affliction, there you are, is definitely not limited to men. ’Wag Ka Nang Mambitch: The title says it all. Hot Steam: The lyrics almost get to be surreal. Sorry Na Naman?: The rapping/scolding part where the girls’ voices chorus, the joy in the catharsis is almost palpable. Bye Bye Baby and Asleep: Respite from all the angst and aggression. The former is somber and melodious, the latter lighthearted and whimsical.
And if an all-girl punk band can write well-crafted songs and play this aggressive, there’s no reason why all-male groups who posture as if they have a monopoly on testosterone can only come up with lame compilations of pang-chicks ballads.
Perhaps it pays to have studied in either UP or De La Salle and brought up on a post-adolescent diet of Ramones and Sex Pistols. It also doesn’t hurt to be good looking and sexy. Gifted with the requirements of an almost surefire smash, Keltscross released a record almost two years after fellow female rockers Tribal Fish’s debut record and in effect shame corporate dummies back to their concepts.
Only stupidity and sheer cowardice would lead otherwise talented musicians to blindly obey record producers and play nothing but commercial fluff…er…stuff.
Keltscross obey their Muse and come out with, pardon my French, the butt-kicking and nerve-wracking Revenge of the Fishlips – a 16-song tour-de-force, a solid head-banging product intelligent enough to please both body slammers and bookworms. A mix of declarations of strength/defiance and vulnerability/humility, it is pleasing to see not another of those cute Bananarama rip-offs who make pa-cute, voices dripping with syrupy giggles.
Right off the bat, I Wanna Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Legend, a sonic assault allusion on Kurt Cobain’s suicide: a condemnation of Nirvana’s frontman, if there ever was one. From here to the end, it’s an angst-ridden ride not letting up until the second-to-the-last (Bye-Bye Baby) and last song (Asleep), deceptive in title but faithful to the tone.
In a record with more than a dozen songs with nary a weak cut, space limitation dictates a necessity – capsule reviews.
Pollux Driving: Most primitive of messages. "There’s nothing you can do but slam." German Cut (Opera): Calls to mind all the girls I’ve know who wanted to be "one of the boys. "Hindi matimpla pare ko/(Beer/jutes) na lang tayo sa kalasingn/kapraningan)." Daddy’s Lil’ Grrl: It only gets worse, with the female persona taking a man, raping him and telling her father all about it and asking him not to tell her mother, afraid "she’ll cut my allowance clear." I Know: Great contrast to the first four songs. Where the former are defiant, almost indifferent, here is a display of vulnerability. "Since that day you walked out on me/I know I’ll just lose my mind." Cool: A collage of "cool" objects/symbols – "shoes, shades, sex, more rings, chest hair…" are turned against pa-porma individuals. Keltscross’ advice: "Kung gusto mong magpa-cool/Isaksak mo ang sarili mo sa ref." The well-placed lead guitar in the end part adds to the mocking tone. Johnny Look Twice: Pleas for mercy. "Ayoko! Tama na! Ano ’to? Parang awa mo na!" backgrounded with gothic instrumentation, manages to be both repulsive and touching, segues into "You raped and abused her, Johnny/And hit her on the head." Slut Chant: A Siouxie Sioux-like chanting version of I Am Woman, Helen Reddy’s ’70s women’s lib theme song. "This slut can purr/This slut can soar/But, baby, if you want me/This slut will roar." Pains And Fears: Defiance again. "I’m sick of kindness and pity/And all of you make me sick to the guts…I’m not afraid to show who I am." Wedding Song: A Metallica-sounding rave-on. The heaviest cut. The intro is a foreshadowing of dark pleasure. A most unweddinglike wedding song melody-wise. The lyrics are another matter entirely. "Make my heart beat once more/Make my world worth living for/Show me love." Crabs: Just be assured this is not a song about crustaceans. Ron Ruiz does the vocals here instead of Keltscross’ Zeejay. (Female voices join in the chorus.) The band probably thought the subject matter would be more appropriate with a man singing, although the affliction, there you are, is definitely not limited to men. ’Wag Ka Nang Mambitch: The title says it all. Hot Steam: The lyrics almost get to be surreal. Sorry Na Naman?: The rapping/scolding part where the girls’ voices chorus, the joy in the catharsis is almost palpable. Bye Bye Baby and Asleep: Respite from all the angst and aggression. The former is somber and melodious, the latter lighthearted and whimsical.
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