Bikethrasher – Rather Sure
Similar artists: The Lemonheads, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, The Radio Dept, Swervedriver
Genre: Grunge
Bands care about sounding like their favorite musicians in the same way that people who visit the gym once a month care about abs. They really want this to happen. They know it’ll never happen.
Sounding like yourself is a daunting proposition for most. It doesn’t guarantee you fans. Most people won’t understand it. And you won’t even have the guarantee of actually liking the results yourself.
Consequently, most people in bands are men and women of mystery. What do they love or hate? What are they for and against? It’s very hard to tell. The only thing we know for sure is from which bands they like to steal ideas.
Bikethrasher’s Rather Sure is honest that’s uninterested in applying cosmetics to the truth. It sounds like a diary reading over 90s-sounding alt-rock chords. It’s clever and a bit heartbreaking. Best of all, it lets some truth about the writer slip out. There are no guarantees, of course. But, it’s a start towards building a real relationship with listeners.
Slightest Clue – Breathe Slow (Live)
Similar artists: Pixies, Sonic Youth, King Krule, Queens of the Stone Age
Genre: Post-punk, Alternative Rock
Some things are best described by mentioning what they’re not rather than what they are. This is especially true of alternative rock music. Plainly said, alt-rock uses everything that traditional rock bands wouldn’t touch.
This doesn’t automatically make it good. It doesn’t always help make it earnest. But, generally, it certainly makes things less predictable. If you’ve heard more than five classic rock albums in your days, you know that surprising audiences ain’t easy.
Alt-rock also doesn’t strive too hard to meet the demands of an audience. There’s no guarantee that anyone will like it. Perfect! It’s enough to let the artists speak freely. Their relationship isn’t based on transactions.
Slightest Clue’s Breathe Slow sounds like a perfectly competent alt-rock band taking the stage to mess with the people in attendance. It’s a tense affair. It feels this way because the people playing the music sound like they are themselves on edge. There’s very little of what a big-shot music producer would recommend. And, because of that, it’s a fascinating listen.