About Universal Records

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Quezon City, Philippines
Universal Records is the NUMBER ONE independent record label in the Philippines. Bringing you quality music for the past 30 years, we are home to artists like: Jose Mari Chan, Gary Valenciano, Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha, Jed Madela, Christian Bautista, Jay R, Billy Crawford, Kris Aquino, Edu Manzano, Marian Rivera, Mark Herras, Nina, Ronnie Liang, Gail Blanco, Sam Concepcion. Our band roster includes: Parokya Ni Edgar, Kamikazee, Sponge Cola, Imago, Silent Sanctuary, Kenyo, Paraluman. We are equally committed to bring you exciting international releases covering various genres like pop, jazz, new age, classical, alternative, indie pop, rock, electronica, dance, r&b, and hip-hop. Name it, we definitely have it!

March 10, 2009

CLASS OF 2009

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART
New York four-piece The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are fast becoming the most name-dropped band in underground circles on both sides of the Atlantic. SoundsXP describes their music as “Sunshiney C86 pop with jangly guitars and a slightly fuzzy underbelly, coming across like early My Bloody Valentine meeting The Smiths.” Their distinctive brand of noisy pop is a tidy distillation of all the great noise-pop precedents - early My Bloody Valetine, House Of Love, Pale Saints, Rocketship - but with that incredible exuberance and energy that the Pains bring to every song. Their self-titled debut album is an instant classic, drawing the sparkling legacy of the best of '80s and '90s pop. Featuring "Everything With You", "This Love Is Fucking Right", "Come Saturday", "A Teenager In Love" and more.

BRICOLAGE
Having been endorsed by Franz Ferdinand and similarly sharing the same love of early Postcard singles, the Scottish four-piece Bricolage produce chiming indie pop steeped in that late '80s sound that is so popular at the moment. They tap into the rich musical tradition of Glasgow, drawing on the Postcard sounds of Orange Juice and Josef K but with a contemporary edge, mixing indie pop with classic dance touches to infectious effect. Their eponymous album is produced by former Altered Images mainstay Stephen Lironi and features 12 songs that recall the Sound of Young Scotland. Includes "Footsteps", "Looting Takes the Waiting Out of Wanting", "The Waltzers" and "Turn U Over".


CRYSTAL STILTS
"Alight of Night" is the debut album by Brooklyn's Crystal Stilts. There has been a huge amount of buzz about Crystal Stilts lately, and it is well-deserved. A remarkably graceful collision of such disparate references as The Velvet Underground, Red Crayola, Joy Division, The Pin Group and early Jesus & Mary Chain, Crystal Stilts' spectral avant-garage is both classic and totally new. Its post-punk minimalism that brings to mind early Rough Trade and Factory releases - dark and melodic, deep and yet somehow still "pop" at the same time. "Alight of Night" is a brilliant album full of mystery, fuzz, croon, twang, throb and oh those tunes. Featuring "Departure" and "Prismatic Room".

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