Nostalgia for a blissful time

By Brontë H. Lacsamana, Reporter

Album Review
memory card
likewise2000
A Spur of the Moment Project

THE BEST part about being a musician today is the accessibility to a plethora of tools and knowledge found on the internet. Bedroom pop and DIY musicians can make music of any genre with digitally generated sounds complementing their real voices and instruments, be they teenagers trying things out or longtime artists stuck at home.

For Clarence Garcia, guitarist of the Filipino instrumental rock band tide/edit, his computer contained all the tools he needed to kickstart his solo project as likewise2000. His first album under the moniker, titled memory card, was released on July 5.

As its title suggests, the album is a trip down memory lane to the simpler and more blissful times of the early 2000s. While still anchored in the indie subgenre of math rock, with Mr. Garcia using complex, atypical rhythms in his guitar playing, the instrument’s blend with electronic elements produces a unique concoction of contemporary sensibilities.

To evoke a lighter, freer time, the first track, “one second,” begins with bright guitar notes grounded by a dance beat. Its hopeful tone makes it a great candidate for a morning routine playlist.

The more melancholy melody of “second one” has an electronic, lo-fi tune lead into an infectious guitar melody. It is the opposite of straightforward, however, with Mr. Garcia clearly having a fun time playing with the software available to him, be they guitar effects emulators or electronic samples.

Meanwhile, “good good good” is a track that highlights the best of his instrumental rock capabilities. Complex guitar melodies with electronic effects added on make a cozy affair, reminiscent of the familiar glitches in an old Nintendo game. It’s like the eloquently played guitar notes are rendered imperfect in a way.

The fourth track, “white corolla,” is a short but sweet melodic guitar snippet extended to include a poignant electronic piano part in the middle. The effects used make the guitar notes lo-fi and overly crunchy to the ears.

Meanwhile, “mental breakdance” is the fun little upbeat tune of the album. The electric guitar is most satisfying to listen to, and the beats often intensify then give way to samples, piano notes, and tinkling electronic game sounds.

Vocalist thesunmanager comes in for the sixth track, “visual novel,” providing a softness to the music. But instead of a welcome break from the electronica, her voice is masked by a gritty, lo-fi quality in line with the album’s theme.

The seventh piece, “jpeg violence,” is memorable in that Mr. Garcia’s guitar playing sounds like it dances with the samples, beats, and piano notes. It cements how this album truly is a complex, digital-era symphony of nostalgia for an analog time.

An easy favorite is “ez,” which utilizes more traditional drum sounds that makes the track evoke standard post-rock. The guitar is as dynamic as ever, having upbeat drums to bounce off of amid the electronic samples.

Closing off the album are “centimental,” a more low-tempo, sentimental-sounding guitar melody carried forth by melancholy electric piano notes and bright drum claps; and “tree,” which aptly sounds most like a Playstation game theme transposed into a guitar melody.

While memory card is nothing dazzling, it is a comforting collection of snippets a musician crafted idly while at home on his computer. The beats and effects ground the little doodles into fully realized tracks, Mr. Garcia’s instrumental prowess as a guitarist shining amid the electronic blend.

Overall, the album is a welcome nostalgic soundtrack created for all of us who are extremely busy and burdened, who hope to look back, perhaps not actively, but through the little tunes we listen to every now and then.