Squeezing Cola From An Old Sponge (or Musings of a Sponge Cola Fan on the Transit Album)

I love Spongecola. I'm an addict. I'm obsessed. I need rehab. I love Spongecola.

But I guess when you love something so much, you hate to let go the first reason why you learned to love it. Why you wan't it. Why you're still obsessing about it.

When I found out that Spongecola was releasing their sophomore album, I was pretty psyched. It's been three years since I discovered them--I was just 16 back then. Now, I'm 19. Three full years of waiting was finally coming to a halt.

I was pretty much bummed out last Monday when I found out that the check for one of my design accounts couldn't be cleared until yesterday. I was planning big that day: I wanted to buy the new Spongecola album the moment it hit stores.

Yesterday, I finally cleared my check and I bought the CD. It was one of the moments I would never forget for the rest of my life. There I was at Tower Records, holding the new album, feeling it for the first time.

But deep within me, I was scared. I was trying to hold back. Something inside me tells me to just turn away and buy something else.

Three years had gone by and I have never been fed up with the Palabas sound. I guess that's how an obsessed fan really operates--I listen to the CD every now and then, and I still don't get tired of the sound. Even though I know every word, every beat, every tune in that album, I still find something fresh, something new, something worthwhile with every revolution of the disc.

I was scared because I didn't know whether I will still find the beat, the sound, the words which I came to love. I didn't know whether I would still feel that tickling sensation that comes from listening from the tunes. I didn't know whether I could still squeeze the cola from the sponge.

Sequels are never as popular as the originals, and I guess three years of listening to the same tunes has taken its toll on me.

The old sound has gone, buried under new beats. New faster beats. New tunes. New words. New effects. New band.

When a band somehow changes sound or turns into another thing, many people say that they're "Growing." I guess I could never use that word. "Changed" or "Reformated" may be a better alternative.

Spongecola never grew. To say that a band "has grown" is to say that their old style was inferior to the new. Spongecola was never inferior. Yes, the old sound may have been better if it was remastered or tweaked a little, but the old Spongecola I came to love was never inferior. It was real. It was down to earth. It was experimental. It was raw. It was good.

I have never felt more down with Spongecola. The last time I felt like this was when they released "Una" (which is my personal favorite and which I think should be left as a "treat" to fans).

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a traditionalist--I'm fine with change and all that. I guess I'm just missing the old Spongecola. I long for the sound which has been my natural upper for the last three years.

22, Partisan, KLSP, Neon, On The Floor, Stone's Throw, Jillian, Lunes, To the Sly and Cunning, Una, Dragonfly, Gemini, Jeepney, Closure--these were the tracks that have been with me for three years, the tracks that kept me happy, the tracks that kept me cool, the tracks that kept me loving.

When I bought the album, I told myself, "As long as I find tracks which can level 22, Neon, Lunes and Una, I guess I'll be happy." I guess Spongecola has really grown.

I guess it's not that hard to add more reasons on why you love something. I guess that's the only logical thing to do now. I have waited three years for this and I won't let anything spoil it.

I love Spongecola. I love their music. I have learned to love them before. I guess I just need to learn to love them anew once more.

Bitiw, Tuliro, Movie, The Wandering, Gunita, Do You Know The Feeling, Sa Bingit ng Isang Paalam, Myself in You, All We Need, Nocturne, Pasubali, Harapin--it's time to add new soundtracks for my life.

SPONGECOLA: No matter what you guys do with your music.. No matter what decisions you make.. No matter what sound you may produce.. No matter what words you might utter.. I'm Mark Obcena--and I'm always here to back you up.