Philippine rock band
Agaw Agimat released its debut album,
R - 15, in 1995. The band features a female vocalist, QT Paduano, and also includes a male guitarist, bassist, and drummer. The band displays much imagination on the album and explores various rock avenues.
The opening song, "R - 15," has a perky bounce to it, fortified by hard-edged rhythm guitar. The following, "Makulit" (Persistent), grooves on a fast, punkish pace, as the reverb-edged guitar mows a mighty path. QT Paduano's vocals are gritty and forceful. "Wanliteltu" (slang for One Little Two) features polka-styled rhythm guitar played in a spirited manner. The song title is a wordplay on the "One little two little three Indians" nursery rhyme, which QT Paduano sings in the song. "Pera" (Money) features a moderately fast, ska-like rhythm, and the melody has an innocent, childlike quality to it. These songs and others give the album a sense of diversity.
Vocalist QT Paduano reaches for a higher register and goes into the stratosphere on the ethereal,
Cocteau Twins-like "Salmos Dos" (Psalm Two). One of the album's best songs is the penetrating "Sabi Mila" (They Say), which has a memorable, minor key melody, rimmed by rough-hewned, reverb-edged guitar.
"Pikon" (Not a Sport) also has a strong melody, and the raw-edged guitar grooves on a fast, punkish rhythm in a gritty, back-and-forth manner. "Batang Lansangan" (Street Children) begins in a slow, pensive manner and intensifies as the guitars pick up the pace. ~ David Gonzales