Ben&Ben basks in the light on ‘Limasawa Street’
Welcome to the world of Ben&Ben, one of the coolest bands in the land today and busiest too as they swing from one gig to another. Their songs are hot on the charts and streamed in the millions. Why, a toothpaste brand had used one of their songs as jingle (put smiley face, here).
Amazingly, mere three singles released over the span of three years pretty much fueled their rise. These are “Kathang Isip,” “Ride Home” and a fine little tune called “Maybe The Night.”
Now, if a couple of songs can put you at the top of the pop heap, then imagine what a full album’s worth of songs can do. And that’s what Ben&Ben aims to do with the release of their first full-length album “Limawasa Street.” Expect the same “anthemic, folk-infused pop” sound of the Guico brothers, Paolo and Miguel, and rest of this nine-piece indie-folk outfit as they stake their mark further.
Kicking off the set is the title track,
a surging tune with pumping acoustic guitars that give way to intricately layered band interplay. A burst of glorious sound worthy of the heights that this band has already accomplished sees them at their most energetic. It also helps that this track was done under American producer Steve Lilywhite who produced the Dave Matthews Band among others. (Fact: the song’s title came from the Butuanon word ‘Masawa’ which means light. It is also the name of the band’s favourite street).
Next on the track list is the midtempo grooves of catchy “Pagtingin.” The band’s strong suit is at fore here, with those catchy melodies and fine instrumentation. The string section sounds great! Weirdly enough, it was used sparingly on “Fall.”
We can tell that the album’s sound is dialed on hopeful. Paolo drove the point home when he shared that “we wanted the album to represent a place of light by singing hopeful perspectives in troubled situations.”
Not only do the lyrics say it, but there’s genuine exhilaration in the music: From the jazz-pop strains of “Hummingbird,” folk-y “Mitsa (Salamat),” World music-tinged “War,” and charging “Lucena,” to the pretty, piano-decked “Baka Sakali” featuring Ebe Dancel.
Much of the songs we’re written primarily by Paolo and Miguel Guico but eventually worked on together with the rest of Ben&Ben. They are guitarist Poch Barretto, bassist Agnes Reoma, keyboardist Patricia Lasaten, drummer Jam Villanueva, Keifer Cabugao on violins, and Toni Munoz and Andrew De Pano on percussions. Except for the Lillywhite song, all the tracks are produced by the band alongside master sound engineer and musician Jean Paul Verona of Wombworks Studios.
With “Limawasa Street,” Ben&Ben not only proves they are one of the premier bands of the day, but they have enough creativity and depth to be in this for the long haul.