my taste is subjective

Melodic punk rock with just the perfect balance of rage and pop courtesy of the fine gentlemen of Nevertheless.

Militantly defiant is the best way to describe The Beauty of Doubt's tribute to the: " men and women whose only crime  is not accepting the way things are, that something has to change and taking part in the process of change."

The Usuals is a Manila-based alternative band that has its own subtle brand of agitprop rock.

The Skrewheads resemble the rap-meets-rock sound that captures much of how rock music sounded like in the late 90s. They were however ahead of the curve in much the same way as the Judgement Night soundtrack broke the barrier between 2 apparently conflicting genres. What sets them apart as well from the many other bands that followed suit is the way that they maintained close ties to the local DIY hardcore/punk scene.

Neverdie is the beautiful noise of heart up your sleeve lyrics accentuated by a wall of sound produced by a combination of shoegaze, indie and punk rock that has come to be the bands' signature sound. This live set however goes the opposite direction as they also exhibit their acoustic prowess for New Media Factory.

You're definitely missing out in case you haven't seen any of The Sleepyheads live performances, with their tongue-in-cheek lyrics, gritty low-fi sound and freakishly fun stage demeanor. Here's a free song they're giving away on their SoundCloud.

Game Theory is a rare gem with its concoction of progrock and infectious pop sensibilities that's bound to get you hooked.

Making  the most of their punk, altrock, electronic, and math rock roots the trio of Tom's Story gives us a glimpse of their unique blend of postrock in their GoPro Sessions.

Combining the post-punk sensibilities of Joy Division and the melodic melancholia punk rock of Alkaline Trio. The Skeleton Years' Between Lunacy and You, stands as one of the shining moments that restored my faith in the creativity and musical potential of the underground punk scene in the Philippines.

Goo is one of the earliest local punk bands that captured my attention in the late 1990s. Earlier this year they released an album entitled In Goo We Trust  which comes as a classic example of what a proper punk rock record sounds like.

Just when its own members  thought that they're gone for good. The members of PayItForward found time to record a couple of songs that they haven't played in years at Redverb.

Small Hands is the awesome convergence of 4 equally awesome bands: Typecast, Neverdie, Walk Me Home and Game Theory. 

According to their Facebook profile The Shocking Details are: "3 crazy kids who just happened to be girls." They're one of the many indie acts in Manila whose record is long overdue.

By moving away from his hardcore/punk/indie/emo roots and venturing to the uncharted territories of electronic music Spazzkid has created music that harkens punk rock's DIY ethic more than his 3-chord contemporaries of the past. Intimate, passion-fueld honest-to-goodness music about seeing horizons of hope in breaking out of the mundane.

I have always thought that I've have outgrown pop punk, however there are rare instances when pop punk bands get it right on the infectious side and this new song from Iya count among those rare moments.

Bad Omen is one of the longest performing Manila-based punk outfits. Check out their video for the song The Slums of Recto Avenue, from their album Unite & Fight. Produced by KI Multimedia, Redverb and Alternatrip.

Alternatrip the brainchild of the same people behind Redverb studio it is an initiative to promote local Filipino alternative music, bands and musicians. Here's a good sampling of what Alternatrip has to offer for today's indie rock scene that's long been overdue for a musical upheaval.