A-Mar – Hey Betty
It’s all bubblegum. Every single pop record, the great and the terrible ones, is that way. And, I, somebody who has spent more time writing about them than phoning my family, am aware and alright with this.
But there are people who find it hard to accept the fate of pop music. Sure, some go to school and learn to solo in every key while taking out or feeding notes into scales. Sure, there are some who go for the “experimental” angle, making music that can never be properly explained by anyone.
All of those things are great if they’re making someone happy. But, to be fair, unlike A-Mar’s music, the aforedescribed efforts are the “New Deal” version of modern music. They give people something to do, regardless of whether anybody actually needs it or not.
On the other hand, A-Mar, regardless of undoubted skill level, uses “Hey Betty” to entertain. This is music for RHCP fans, for people who like to have a good time, sing along, and who contain a small minority that will pore over the details and get excited about what kind of chords were used in the music. “Het Betty” feels like what the Chilli Peppers would sound like if they turned into a hip-hop-influenced Latin Jazz band playing the club circuit.
Funhouse Mirrors – The Shoes With Red Stripes
How many hours does your favourite musician practice? Well, chances are that if they’ve already amassed their fortune, and are only playing the hit every night, they’re barely do it all nowadays. Frankly, some of them likely hate the sight of an electric guitar.
Everyone else who tries to take their place, on the other hand, practices daily. Would-be rock stars load up on information, think up different musical scenarios, and give themselves problems to solve where notes are added to scales, taken from them, and chord progressions get ever more difficult.
But why? Do most musicians actually use all of these studies for anything? Funhouse Mirrors might have married their eclectic interest to a pop music format, but it’s sad to consider that most music being studied nowadays remains nothing more than a sketch.
That makes Funhouse Mirrors’ “The Shoes With Red Stripes” feel quite special. This is not a natural blend. The South American jazz groups, pop hooks and punk attitude oughtn’t go together. And while they’re forced to stick to each other, by the time that they’ve fused, the result is a delightful song about individualism. Those choices are so unusual that it’s hard not to want to play this back again. And you wonder, at what point during the study did the songwriter decide to turn this into something? It’s a very good thing that they did!
