Francis M’s much talked-about collaboration album with fellow luminary Ely Buendia has
finally come.
And more than anything, In Love
and War exudes
energy.
It has spirit, it is
inspired, and
positively disinclined
to surrender,in spite of
what we all know
positively disinclined
to surrender,in spite of
what we all know
Francis went through
during the production
of this album.
during the production
of this album.
True, not all of the songs
would be about survival
or the brave, defiant front
Francis put forth inlight
of his cancer treatment.
would be about survival
or the brave, defiant front
Francis put forth inlight
of his cancer treatment.
But what you can’t deny is this:
This is the work of an artist
who wants to stick it to an
opponent, intimidating and
seemingly invincible.
“Fuck you, cancer, you’re not stopping me from doing what I want to do,”
Francis would have told it had it been a creature blessed with ears and
cognitive functions.
Francis would have told it had it been a creature blessed with ears and
cognitive functions.
And Ely Buendia isn’t any different, having had a brush or two with death
as well.
This was anartist who very well knew that death—no matter how many of
us claim that we’ve no fear of it—is still indeed a scary matter.
as well.
This was anartist who very well knew that death—no matter how many of
us claim that we’ve no fear of it—is still indeed a scary matter.
Their experiences, and that we are privy to their experiences, give the album
substance and credibility. Together, they pool their emotions into an album
whose themes transcend the usual breadth of topics in OPM music.
substance and credibility. Together, they pool their emotions into an album
whose themes transcend the usual breadth of topics in OPM music.
Let us continue with our very own ode to Francis:
This emcee is dead,
Though his spirit was strong,
The body wouldn’t hold.
Against the enemy inside,
Terrible and fearsome and all,
Finally he succumbs.
This emcee is dead,
No new rhymes will be told
But his spirit, his music, his soul
Will continue to soldier on.
In every song, there’s a sense of urgency, a will to evoke sharp emotions like
a circus knife-thrower hurling bolos at definite, very specific targets.
a circus knife-thrower hurling bolos at definite, very specific targets.
The opener, "Higante" hits the bull’s eye right away, talking about having the
courage to face huge adversities.
courage to face huge adversities.
The song should be familiar to many, as it has already been released as a single
in late 2009.
in late 2009.
“Bleeder,” a track featuring Pupil and their energetic rhythm could be Francis at
his most personal in this album. “One drop is all I need, one time for me to breathe
…Coz I’m a bleeder, so give my vessels a breather,” he sings.
his most personal in this album. “One drop is all I need, one time for me to breathe
…Coz I’m a bleeder, so give my vessels a breather,” he sings.
The next song “Bus Stop” features Pupil members again, with Ely’s synth-playing
giving the song an extra bit of catchiness.
giving the song an extra bit of catchiness.
The song has a certain sense of nostalgia to it, of a man reminiscing about a woman
he met at a bus stop on a rainy day.
Francis sings on one part: “That’s the way the whole thing started, silly but it’s true,
thinking of a sweet romance.” Pleasant memories are always a good way to ease present
pain, this song seems to say.
“Buzzkill” sees Gloc 9 displaying his rapping chops together with Turbogoth lending the
song certain edginess.
The track’s dirty rhythm guitars, spacey synthesizers, and hiphop beat make this another
standout song in an album where two songs rarely do sound alike.
“Dreamdate” starts out innocently enough with a playful piano rhythm, but soon enough,
you’ll get what Ely is getting at.
The song takes on a seedy, cabaret vibe, only later fully confirmed with the song’s first few
lines: “Tuwing kasama ka isa lang ang gusto kong gawin sa iyo. Alam mo na ito kaya wag ka
nang magpakipot jan.”
Hilera makes it guest appearance on the next track, “Hands On,” and isn’t shy to display what
has made them great so far: fun, forward-moving, rugged rockabilly sounds.
The track hits a peak with Chris Padilla (Hilera’s vocalist) singing, “Come on baby put your
hands on me! Feel the work that’s quality!” promptly transitioning to a screaming, rock-and-
roll guitar solo.
“Bum Ticker”—Ely has one. It’s also the next song, and it’s set perfectly to a marching
drum beat on steroids. “Bum ticker!” he shouts incessantly by the song’s end, like he’s
angry he’s got one.
“Wasak Waltz” sees the album taking a break from the aggressiveness of some of the previous
songs with this song that we could only describe as hopeful. This line says it all: “Itaas ang
kamay, at iwagayway, masarap mabuhay…”
“It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Unstrung Heroes” end the album on a proper, if
not slightly somber note.
The duo hints at accepting fate in the former, with the line “It’s all right ma, I’m only dying…”
The latter is far less depressing than that, and once again talks about having the will to fight.
That is until, we are presented with a sample of Francis M. declaring that he has leukemia.
A chilling end.
he met at a bus stop on a rainy day.
Francis sings on one part: “That’s the way the whole thing started, silly but it’s true,
thinking of a sweet romance.” Pleasant memories are always a good way to ease present
pain, this song seems to say.
“Buzzkill” sees Gloc 9 displaying his rapping chops together with Turbogoth lending the
song certain edginess.
The track’s dirty rhythm guitars, spacey synthesizers, and hiphop beat make this another
standout song in an album where two songs rarely do sound alike.
“Dreamdate” starts out innocently enough with a playful piano rhythm, but soon enough,
you’ll get what Ely is getting at.
The song takes on a seedy, cabaret vibe, only later fully confirmed with the song’s first few
lines: “Tuwing kasama ka isa lang ang gusto kong gawin sa iyo. Alam mo na ito kaya wag ka
nang magpakipot jan.”
Hilera makes it guest appearance on the next track, “Hands On,” and isn’t shy to display what
has made them great so far: fun, forward-moving, rugged rockabilly sounds.
The track hits a peak with Chris Padilla (Hilera’s vocalist) singing, “Come on baby put your
hands on me! Feel the work that’s quality!” promptly transitioning to a screaming, rock-and-
roll guitar solo.
“Bum Ticker”—Ely has one. It’s also the next song, and it’s set perfectly to a marching
drum beat on steroids. “Bum ticker!” he shouts incessantly by the song’s end, like he’s
angry he’s got one.
“Wasak Waltz” sees the album taking a break from the aggressiveness of some of the previous
songs with this song that we could only describe as hopeful. This line says it all: “Itaas ang
kamay, at iwagayway, masarap mabuhay…”
“It’s All Right, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Unstrung Heroes” end the album on a proper, if
not slightly somber note.
The duo hints at accepting fate in the former, with the line “It’s all right ma, I’m only dying…”
The latter is far less depressing than that, and once again talks about having the will to fight.
That is until, we are presented with a sample of Francis M. declaring that he has leukemia.
A chilling end.
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