this stuff's legal. legit.

So what exactly is it called when a voice wails like an instrument? If a song was something we could drink down, "Don't Worry," is wonderment in a ceramic mug, held by both hands in a climate-controlled room. While some would blame low-quality equipment for its vocals, others see its obscurity as something intentional. Vocals of Mahina-- female sibling, word wizard, and youngest of the Guilao clan-- betrays a soft earnestness; each carried note delivering like a plea of reason. Andrew, middle child, responsible for the band's melody and harmony, weilds his guitar and harmonica with a solemness we've come to expect from the musical genius. His drumming is timed in at such perfect timing, leaving you in an array of raw sound. Proving successful in acheiving perfect harmony, Mahina and Andrew give proof of complex simplicity-- an oxymoron for the ears, and enjoyable down to the last sip.

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As if intended to console, the heartwrenchingly guileless "Capricious, Yellow, Clear Now," showed itself other than capricious with eloquent symmetry. A first-time listener would think this were just another smile-time ballad, but a true listen to its words and intent shows a level of pain and honesty in change and separation. Followed up by an enjoyable array of true-to-life recordings of these sibling's lives, the band is able to show themselves real without losing their coherence. A true fan and friend will be able to sigh and smile at its warm familiarity. If it were a color, it would indeed be Yellow, but only as a sun-rise. And all things are indeed Clear Now, but only to those able to relate.

Sandra Bungcayao
freelance writer
(JK, SMILEZ)