Up Dharma Down begins something new with third album, 'Capacities'

It’s been four years, but Up Dharma Down has finally come out with Capacities, their much-awaited third album after the award-winning, critically acclaimed Fragmented and Bipolar. The album has a distinct 80s vibe, which vocalist Armi Millare admitted was a big influence in the songwriting. “That's the period when we grew up. Listening to music at the time was not hard. It was all over the radio. The music video culture has not matured in terms of the Philippines having not much access to cable television until the 90's came about,” she said. “For the boys, they went back to synth pop bands and have let go of their more modern favorites,” she added. Fans will immediately notice a major shift in the group’s music, a less intense, more sophisticated sound. Clearly, the band has grown up. “I think the third album is one signal a group sends out to say that they have grown down or up --- at least have not stayed the same," said Millare. The past four years have been spent doing gigs, going on tour nationally and overseas, and releasing singles like “Indak” and “Tadhana.” “I honestly think it's just the right time to come up with a new record because for one, the experiences we've encountered as individuals take time to sink in. I think it is done all in a graceful way of beginning something new and ending things, leaving things behind," she added. Capacities was probably the easiest album to make in terms of collaboration, said the singer. Personally, however, the journey was much more difficult. “I couldn't write for two years of those four, almost burning out from doing too many shows. I penned seven songs here with sweat, blood and tears and I'm only hoping this would be the last time I'll be doing this much in one record. It seems I've reached a state of drought in terms of feelings,” she said. To be called a band, there must be more than cooperation. There must be rhythm, an understanding that goes beyond the ability to play and keep time. The band has been lucky because they have always seemed to understand each other’s needs, weaving the personal with the professional, weaving everything into their music. “I deserve very little credit in this record as I've accepted my role only as a singer and as a songwriter,” said Millare. “Paul's [Yap, bass] songs, however there may only be two, are definitely classics in my opinion. I find them very real and both crosses borders. He's great at breaking stereotypical love songs especially with Ean [Mayor, drums] and Carlos' [Tanada, guitar] help doing the programming of the music and arranging them. If you think about it, most of this is theirs, not mine. I just go around and travel and send them demos.” Millare's personal favorites from the album includes “Feelings,” on which the band collaborates with Paul Buchanan from the excellent Scottish band The Blue Nile. “It's our first time to collaborate with anybody singing in the record and it so happens to be the person we have admired from afar for so long as a group,” she said. The album was successfully launched on Wednesday to a packed venue. “It's been an exciting ride, creating something we've always loved and we have always been familiar with. We just wanted to share songs with people that aren't necessarily 'hits' so to speak,” said Millare. “I personally try to avoid something that's too catchy. We still have a couple of songs that we did not include in this record because we knew it would attract too much attention to one track and leave the others unrequitedly loved,” she said. Capacities is a milestone, a marker for the band’s experiences since they started in 2004. “We are grateful for this opportunity and at the same time we're hoping that this is only the beginning of a more interesting end to things.” If anything, the album is aptly named, because it shows how Up Dharma Down has matured as a band, and promises more beautiful music, “hits” or not, in the near future. — BM, GMA News