Lovi Poe collaborates with Brisom: 'Naging vulnerable ako'
Brisom, the band led by singer/guitarist/namesake Brian Sombero, is fast gaining admiration for its fine balance of electronica, post-rock ambience, and ear worm melodies.
It is a sound that is both current and traditional: exploratory indie colors with pop appeal all over their “Perspectives” EP. They know how to play with notes and technology.
Sombero and Terence Teves play together and with their toys so well they are akin to how Keith Richards described his own partnership with Ron Wood: combined, they make one heck of a guitarist.
Flair for pathos
Stripped of the effects pedals and synthesizers that contribute to their sound significantly, how would the band fare?
Their flair for pathos remains… and you realize precisely how much, or more accurately how little, their toys actually matter.
On the band’s new release “Bigkas,” they opted for a lean arrangement with piano, stringed instruments and acoustic guitar.
Lovi should be a member of the band
Sombero’s warm vocal weaves between the spaces left by the instruments.
And then Lovi Poe joins in, singing so sweetly you wonder why she is not a member of the band.
In harmony and counterpoint, their timbres mesh well and by song’s end, your heart is cracking. The video, directed by Jeremy Lopez, is unobtrusive with no overstated dramatics and avoided the temptation of employing Poe’s acting chops.
An old song needing a new treatment
It would be easy to dismiss the collaboration as an indie band trying to hitch a ride with a well-known actress, except the effort actually works.
In fact, Sombero and Poe have been friends since 2010.
Terence Teves wrote the song, and while it has been played by the band since 2012, Sombero felt it was begging for a different treatment.
Too shy to ask Lovi to sing
He hit upon the idea of opening it up as a collaborative piece and eventually asked Kjwan’s Inky de Dios to play piano and Silent Sanctuary’s Anjo Inacay and Chino David to play cello and violin respectively.
Sombero wanted Poe to do the vocals but was to shy to ask her to work with him until, “Nakita ko siya nag-jam sa Cable Car, tapos she sang this Alicia Keys song. That’s where I decided na, kapalan ko na yung mukha ko to ask her to collaborate with me.”
The video was launched on Feb 11 in Cable Car, the Fort Strip and coincided with Poe’s birthday.
‘Ang sakit ng feeling’
Poe found it easy to maintain the emotional content of the song.
“Very relatable siya. I mean hindi man parehas ng pag-interpret mo sa nagsulat… I think it’s a song that anyone can relate to. I had my own interpretation sa song… naging vulnerable ako because of the lyrics and the music. Yung strings pa lang, ang sakit ng feeling,” she said.
Brisom and Poe will be Ogie Alcasid’s guests for OPMuSIKATin on Feb 20 at the Philippine Arena. “Bigkas” is now available on iTunes.
