Dome Dwellers – Way It Goes
Musical progress ain’t always pretty. I’m pretty sure not a lot of people were sitting there listening to the original hardcore bands going, “Wow, this sounds agreeable“. Aesthetics aside, the gull and effort of those certainly pointed the way towards the future. In other words, the artists were moving out of a stagnant scene even though the destination was not yet clear.
Rock music styles have gone as deep and as far as they can. You can’t make rock more aggressive than it has been, more sensitive, faster, slower. You can’t even record silence anymore. That’s been done to death as well.
Dome Dwellers are pointing one possible road towards the future. But, it’s one cut up into treacherous terrain. It involves the ability to play rock with mathematical precision, to add the occasional Freddie Mercury falsetto, and to possess a fair deal of humor about the whole thing. Way It Goes is an interesting letter of intent, and although it may not make the Hit Parade, it could end up representing a turning point.
COLYER – Pet Names
The old country singers must have thought that they had achieved a sound of loneliness of such disturbing purity that nobody would ever be able to reach or properly mimic. Technology is a wonderful thing. Today with the new toys that musicians have at their disposal, loneliness can be played in ways that are at the same time heartbreaking, confusing, and even a little exhilarating. It’s the sound of being alone among millions of other souls.
Modern production does wonderful things to the human voice when used by someone with the right amount of expertise. It can capture the most subtle of nuances. It can transform the mix of the song into something that is, at the same time, congested and expansive.
COLYER is a master of this modern-day blues. Pet Names is a song of desolation. It speaks of the growing distance between humans, of the need for interaction, and of a willingness to sacrifice most for true intimacy—an admirable indie-pop gem.
