
Ryan O’Connell – Squirrels
Similar artists: Frank Black, Pixies, Beck, The Smashing Pumpkins, Silver Jews
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Alternative Rock
Ryan O’Connell lays his anxieties bare for all to see on the single “Squirrels,” but his fears sound like a better time than most songwriters’ holiday songs.
There are not a lot of people truly nursing a broken heart anymore. All sorts of things can now be used to distract them. That may be better for their sense of mind and their well-being. But what about the songs we’ve grown to love? We’ve depended on blue-hearted songwriters to tell us their woes.
There aren’t a lot of anxiety-ridden, paranoid songwriters, either. Most of them are locked away or running some blog about the imminent alien invasion. That’s just the way the world works, I guess. But as little as record labels wanted to deal with them, we need to accept that they were the lifeblood of the music industry.
Ryan O’Connell sounds like he has seen some terrible things that may or may not have happened. He is not exactly a reliable narrator on the single “Squirrels.” And while these claims may all be some sort of false flag, his Pixies-like sound is fascinating. It’s the equivalent of exploring a house that’s been left empty for years, where grass grows and the basement is flooded.
Katie MF – Work Drinks
Similar artists: Against Me!, Laura Jane Grace, Frank Turner, Grace Petrie
Genre: Punk
Katie MF dares to dream of a better world and is ready to brass-knuckle punch anyone that disagrees.
We can now be entertained in a colossal amount of ways. It could all go on for as long as the universe is allowed to exist. Whether you’re jolly listening to punk rock, watching exotic sports, or hearing commentary about Chess played on the beaches of Copacabana, there’s enough content for you to consume forever.
What about the passion, though? Sure, every fan has enough to keep them busy for a while. But what does it all mean? Don’t people like punk rock because it means something, sports as long as there is a stake, and Chess if great masters are playing it? Passion seems to be an afterthought.
Katie MF’s “Work Drinks” leads with earnest anger first. Part punk song, part annoyed blog post, the artist is looking for inspiration from the original folk-punk bands and from their beliefs. There’s idealism in all of this. There’s ever a righteous desire to make the world a better place. Once it has that, everything else isn’t very important. You can’t be wrong about writing a song, but you could lack devotion. Katie MF does not.