Lullabye

In a room shrouded in darkness, where the only source of light comes from the flat screen of your computer; where the only sounds you hear are the humming of the neighbor's AC and the exhaust fan attached to your room's ceiling; when your thoughts turn Emo and you feel like telling your dreams and frustrations to the person next to you; the best way to invigorate the mood is to play soft music.

While others prefer jazz or ambient sounds to let go of their inhibitions, I rely on acoustic rock music to free my soul. It works in overnight drinking sessions with friends, often resulting to a much stronger bond when the alcohol has been drained from everyone's system. On many occasions, my music preference cracks even the toughest shell, like when the one I'd like to open up is a guy who rarely speaks about his feelings even to friends.

Here are five Pinoy Alternative songs that I would play when my mood turns blue. The melody and lyrics of these songs enable me to go to places and scenes without leaving the comforts of my chair. It doesn't matter if a companion is present during a sound trip or not, for what is essential is the freedom to expose one's soft spots just when everything in the world slows down to a trickle in moments between midnight and daybreak.

05. ESEM, Yano.
Imagine yourself walking at Trinoma with an empty wallet and pockets deep without coins and most probably you would hear this song played inside your head. A true classic, this song has its timely appeal now that everyone suffers from economic hardships. This song never fails to open my eyes to the pains of being a below-minumum wage earner who seeks a moment's distraction in a place where even happiness commands a price.

04. NOCTURNE, Spongecola
Sleep is a luxury an insomniac can hardly afford. This song is not about insomniacs, but is about sleeplessness in times of infatuation. Admit it or not, we have our fair share of sleep deprivation when we're in love. Though it's been ages since someone caused me such sleeplessness, Nocturne lets me remember those nights when I'd roll and twist on my bed, roosters having a concerto of crows outside my window, and the early dawn sky turning pitch black to misty blue.


03. AKO'Y IYO AT IKA'Y AKIN, I/Axe
Another timeless classic. I first heard this song back in high school. In college, we sang it when everyone's dead drunk and starts talking about their frustrations in relationship. In those days when puppy love was still in, and being turned down by a crush was as normal as cutting classes every week, this song never fails to make me remember that once in my life, I fell in love with girls.

02. FILL HER, Eraserheads
The song evokes a sense of tranquility only Ely Buendia can transform into music with his voice. Whenever Fill Her plays on my player, I picture myself lying under a big Mango tree on a quiet weekend afternoon. Next to me is my buddy, with his head on my chest singing these lines "when I get near all my fears disappear and I wont be alone anymore." to me.

01. LSS, Stonefree
If given a chance to pick a song in a KTV bar, there is no doubt that I'd choose LSS as my encore performance. Despite its cheesy lyrics and repetitive guitar rifts and drum beats, what draws me to this song is the powerful vocals that expressed a full range of emotions of the singer. The song talks about a post gig scene. As everyone packs up after a successful performance, we find the main character (which is the band vocalist) sour graping for not seeing his special someone at the gig. One might find such excuse a bit shallow, but what made this song different is that instead of the main character joining his group to celebrate their victory elsewhere, he chooses to head home to be with that someone he wishes to see at the gig.