
Taleen Kali – Flower Of Life
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
North America has held a tyrannical reign over the brand of pop music promoted across the world. Now, before you turn your attention fully and exclusively to what the Icelandic or Japanese have been cooking up, it is time to give credit where it is due. North Americans have produced a lot of the best records in rock history.
With that being said, the few truly innovative albums all seem to be made by people who left America for a while. Or, at the very least, the best American records borrow foreign sounds. They’re a rejection of conservative radio sounds, a walk into the unknown, a holiday to places where pop music has not fully been turned into a commodity.
Taleen Kali’s Flower Of Life sounds as if it’s been made following along, a cleansing journey to new lands. It bristles with the excitement of someone hearing and seeing new forms of expression. Taleen Kali’s work channels alternative rock’s most important tenet of continuous reinvention and reinterpretation. It’s a great American record that seems powered by ideas from a faraway land.
Brush – One Too Many Times
Genre: Power Pop, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: Lemonheads, Guided by Voices, Teenage Fanclub, Pixies, Grandaddy
There’s worse things to get obsessed about other than records. But, that doesn’t mean you should expect your passion to make you happy either. Like Eve opening her eyes to the Garden, the true pop fanatics have their hearts unlocked to the majesty and the true tragedy of the world. Plus, they get to pay for assembling their record collection too.
Yeah, but there are worse things that can happen. The true pop obsessives absorb melodies and sweet melodic arrangements in the same way that Andalusians soak up the sun. When they create their own variety of modern music it is not dominated by boring dirges or by a metallic riot.
Brush’s One Too Many Times showcases the powerless beauty of musicians that have learned all the tricks of the power-pop trade. They’re dedicated, they make gorgeous music, and they’re not quite doomed. Just like their influences, The Lemonheads and Teenage Fanclub mainly, Brush are not convinced enough of their misery to become true misanthropes, but they’re honest enough to pour a bit of it into the sweetness of their tunes. Becoming a power-pop musician may not make you happy, but can certainly help unearth some beautiful melodies.