
The Daydream District – New American Hymnal
Similar artists: Radiohead, REM, Nirvana, Death Cab For Cutie, Silverchair
Genre: Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
Rock music is at its best when it manages to pull a trick on you. You’re going along for the ride. You’re being duped, and you love it. But it’s not the only thing enjoyed by millions that do this.
Diego Maradona scored his most famous goal by cheating, lounging into the air, and using his arm to put the ball into the net. Some viewers called him a fraud, others believed he was a revolutionary fighter.
Maradona later explained calmly that football was a game of deception, on in which the opponents, as well as the spectators, must never know your real intentions. Well, rock n’ roll works in the same way.
Do you love a great chorus? The Daydream District sure do as can be heard on New American Hymnal. It’s not one that you’ll see coming. Not exactly. It veers right just when you think it’s going to make a sharp left. When it pulls straight, you’re in the chorus. The melodies wash over you. The phrases might even delight you. And you’ll be happy to let yourself be deceived by rock music every once in a while.
Adam Spry – Cruel Dream
Genre: Folk rock
Paul McCartney met Brian Wilson in 1966 to solidify Anglo-American pop relations. McCartney left the meeting inspired and invigorated, hopeful that the Beatles’ new album would rival The Beach Boys’ beautiful melodies and arrangements.
Wilson, on the other hand, was a broken man. He’d only heard one new Beatles song. Not even the best new one. It was because of this that he feared foul play. He began accusing his staff of giving McCartney access to the tapes that ought to have constituted Smile, an album that would only be released decades after the fact.
Do people still put so much passion into melodies, guitar arrangements, and lyrics about regular events? They could, and a lot of them still do. These are, after all, the things that built veritable financial empires for some and soundtracked the dreams of many others.
Adam Spry’s Cruel Dream is lush pop music that seems to be built with the belief that pretty melodies can change the world and are part of some kind of higher calling. It’s pretty music about how nasty life can be. It’s music about everyday events without none of the drudgery of daily worries.