Bleeder – Swallowing Sound
Genre: Post-Punk, Shoegaze, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: The Cure, The National, Joy Division, War on Drugs
It’s certainly amazing where life can take you. It’s also quite amazing that wherever that is, whatever trials and tribulations you might go through, you’ll end up needing some songs to get you through, lead you back on track, make your days better.
Did Ian Curtis or Robert Smith consider this as they were making their great records? Probably not. If I tend to think about the way I’m breathing, I am likely to turn blue. I can only imagine what the pressure of knowing your art can affect millions must feel like.
Bleeder’s Swallowing Sound feels like the kind of dreamy, post-punk song meant to accompany a deep, calming meditation. The singing and atmospheric instrumentation feel like the call of the writer to himself. Sometimes you just have to wear out the punches and keep going. You’re likely to need a good song while you do it. Here’s one!
Aggressive Soccer Moms – Happy Days
Genre: Post-Punk
There’s a great competition for sonic real estate nowadays, just as there is a huge competition for attention-grabbing names. The market for a great name, that makes people want to stop and pay notice, or at least spend a chuckle on your group, is a very crowded one.
Back in the day, all you needed was a noun in plural form. The Cars is a perfectly good name. The Beatles is a terrible name, but perfectly usable just the same. The Nice, The Move, The Heartbreakers are not exceptional, but they can easily make to work on a concert poster.
Now, Aggressive Soccer Moms are looking to win the Name War with a truly inspiring, evocative title. But, wait, they have tunes too. Happy Days is a strange incursion into a realm of punk-rock where nothing is dry and the sun only shines on Mondays. I wouldn’t accept strange beverages from these folks.
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