Alex Alavi – Praying Mantis Man
It’s easy to see why people love horror movies so much – it’s terrible things that someone has control over, and it’s something that you can shut your eyes to. People have been paying for small doses of these, you’d assume, since the dawn of civilisation. Stories about hearing ghostly figures do the unspeakable to folks just like you, without actually being at risk, are wonderful for the nerves and the self-esteem.
Rock music has always sided with horror. Truthfully, both tend to provide the same kind of thrill. They’re the sort of fantasies that are fine when contained inside of an indoor show and, if you listen to responsible grown-ups and the mayor of any city, a bad idea when left on the outside. Alex Alavi’s brand of horror-punk might just be the exception. It’s gore drawn in colourful pencils.
“Praying Mantis Man” is a song inspired by a bad date and by some people’s obsession with sexual cruelty. It might all sound a bit sinister, but Alavi knows better than to get upset. His punk-rock is delivered with a smile and with great care in offering fans the melodies that might quickly sway them to Alavi’s side. The world’s a pretty sinister place when you seriously think about it. Fortunately, most of the time, nobody’s forcing you to do that.
Little Champion – Suburbs
You could get a punk rocker on the stand once you really needed a witness. Why would they lie? How would they do it? Writing punk tunes or being a frequent listener robs you of the ability to embellish the truth. It makes it feel like a worthless effort, like something that takes too long and robs one of the opportunity of experiencing reality as it is. Little Champion’s version of punk is all about telling unpleasant truths in charming ways.
For example, what’s the price that you pay for great comfort and endless safety? What happens when you insulate yourself from the world? Some of the dangers immediately go away. But, as Little Champion observed, so do a lot of the nice things. Terrible battles and great famines are usually located in the same places as where they hold all the pretty paintings and concert halls.
“Suburbs” is a song, on the surface, about middle-class North Americans. But, truthfully, it’s a tune about all of the youngsters of the world waiting for life to begin and wondering what’s gonna take to start it up. It’s a punk song, but a very friendly one. It’s the kind of music that sounds like it started in a garage by kids who know all their neighbours and still say hello every time that they pass by on their bikes. They’re waiting for the world to begin, and they’re putting all of that nervous energy to good use.
