Ivan Moon – Cellophane
Most folks figure that the Brits’ bigger impact on the world of rock music was all down to their songwriting skills, but I have a different opinion. Sure, the limeys are masters of the three-minute single. But, by and large, in an era where just about everything could come out in print, the Brits were just better at giving a quote.
Maybe it was a consequence of their upbringing and having little to do, but England certainly raised some true eccentrics. Your opinion of Morrissey, the Gallagher brothers, or Ian Brown might be tainted by recent events. I can’t really blame you. But, any quick look at their history of how they were represented in the media will show them for what they were, masters of getting people’s attention.
Ivan Moon’s Cellophane is not so much a tune but rather a cry for consideration. It’s bizarre, quick-witted, and puts an interesting spin on daily living on the old, lonely isle. Packing a punch and borrowing a few tricks from fellow, modern-punk Slavves and Jamie T, Cellophane is a modern example of a strong, England-made three-minute single.
Burning Nickels – Cobwebs
Most people who start making music, or working in any sort of creative field when they are very young, fashion themselves as remarkable, visionary poets. For some, like myself in earlier years, finding a way to poetically communicate what they’re thinking is a struggle. Most, myself included, end up with a lot of purple prose.
What about writing about, you know? Ernest Hemingway advocated this, and he could write. He won a bunch of awards for his books and everything. The easiest route between your young ambition and what you are trying to communicate might just pass through punk-rock.
In a strange way, Bruce Springsteen’s style of writing has inspired as many kids to start playing guitars as Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. Drawing on the meat and potatoes, punk-rock honesty of bands like The Lawrence Arms, Burning Nickels deliver Cobwebs a fiery, confessional pop-punk number. Banging on a guitar and performing in front of people sure beats scribbling in a diary in a lonely room, eh?
