Critical Analysis : MARXIST

“Bamboo :Tatsulok”

Totoy bilisan mo, bilisan mo ang takbo
Ilagan ang mga bombang nakatutok sa ulo mo
Totoy tumalon ka, dumapa kung kailangan
At baka tamaan pa ng mga balang ligaw

Totoy makinig ka, wag kang magpa-gabi
Baka mapagkamalan ka’t humandusay dyan sa tabi
Totoy alam mo ba kung ano ang puno’t dulo
Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito

[Refrain]
Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman

[Chorus]
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong gulo

At ang dating munting bukid, ngayo’y sementeryo
Totoy kumilos ka, baliktarin ang tatsulok
Tulad ng dukha, nailagay mo sa tuktok

[repeat Refrain and Chorus]

[repeat Refrain and Chorus]

[repeat Chorus]

Di matatapos itong gulo

 Bamboo is a Filipino alternative rock band founded in 2003 by Francisco “Bamboo” Mañalac, Ira Cruz, Nathan Azarcon and Vic Mercado.

Francisco "Bamboo" Mañalac serves as the band's frontman. Contrary to popular belief, the band is not named after him. According to Ira Cruz, the guitarist, the word bamboo relates to strength and durability with an island feel to it. Also, it's very Filipino and Asian at the same time.

Two of its members, Bamboo Mañalac and Nathan Azarcon, were formerly part of Rivermaya. The other two members, Ira Cruz and Vic Mercado, were former instrumentalists of another band, Passage. Ira Cruz and Nathan Azarcon were also former members of the band Kapatid during that time.

 Bamboo's debut album, As The Music Plays, was released in February 2004 where it received positive response from fans and critics alike. The album also won numerous awards at the AWIT Awards, NU 107 Rock Awards, and MTV Pilipinas 2004.

Their second album, Light Peace Love, which was released in 2005, consists of ten songs with differing moods and subjects, and took only 3 months to record. This album has a softer sound with both its lyrics and delivery. For this album, the band added more strings and a variety of other instruments, including a trumpet. The band admitted that this album had a personal feel to it. They experimented with several new styles that may please new listeners, at the risk of disappointing fans of the more conventional rock of their first album.

Their third album, We Stand Alone Together, was released in 2007 with participation of JOSHUA "JESSA". It contains revived local songs such as Buklod's "Tatsulok" and international songs such as Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", from different generations. It also includes bonus tracks like unplugged versions of their hit songs from previous albums such as "Mr. Clay", "These Days", and "Hallelujah". Once again, opting to do away with the conventional rock image that was attached to them, they produced sounds which were more jazzy than expected.

The band is known to produce rock with a jazzy feeling to it, and known to create songs with meaning to it. Almost all of their song defines the Filipino society. The way the rich and powerful always pushes around the poor. They redefined the Filipino rock band and mastered the art of persuasing Filipinos to buy their albums because the masses can relate to their songs. I myself loved bamboo since their first album came out “As the Music Plays”. They are different from the other Filipino rock bands I listened to. Most of the Filipino rock bands has meanings attached to their songs but is very shallow. From the way I see it, only intellectuals who has a deep output in life can fully appreciate the lyrics that their songs say.  Some of the people see the band as the frontline of the masses airing their opinions on how bullshit the politics in our country are. Bamboo used the art of singing to express their honest opinion on how they see our country the Philippines. The people in it and the events that are happening.

Using Marxist Theory as way to critically analyse this great song, The title of the song, which is Tatsulok (Triangle), is also quite symbolic. It describes the social class in our society wherein only a few belongs in the top. Most Filipinos can be associated to be included in the bottom part of the tatsulok or triangle. It's basically a revolutionary song against the triangular social structure in the country. Many are poor, few middle class, and only a few rich people who are on top who basically controls the major political and social institutions of the country. They're singing about classism being the reason for chaos. Specifically how justice is only for the rich according to the lyrics. That, the true opponents of our country is not other countries who are far more developed than ours, but ourselves. We are the reason that the country is not developing, is because of this classism. It is like a disease killing our society.

In this song they are motivating the masses not to be complacent on their place on the society and complain why they are always oppressed by the much more powerful class, instead they have the power to turn the triangle around and give a fair justice they deserved.  In this dog eat dog society, the weak shall be perished by the strong. It is true, but it is in ourselves if we will continue living in this type of society.

Like what they are saying in the song, this chaos is caused by the triangular structure of the society. And it will not end unless we ourselves, do something about it.