Art d’Ecco – Palm Slave
Genre: Art Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: David Bowie, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Gary Numan, Human League, T.Rex
The influence of rock musicians is determined by how many lives they are able to dramatically change. A lot of would-be punk-rockers never felt that they could be in a band before they heard The Ramones. Many great songwriters didn’t think that they were cut out for penning tunes before they heard The Replacements.
In the case of David Bowie, and disciples such as Roxy Music or Gary Numan, the greatest of influences was felt on a crowd that few bands addressed. Bowie made the art-school kids feel like they could take the manual and use it to run the world. A quick glance at many of the most successful artists of recent decades reveals the fact that they were, likely, on to something.
Art d’Ecco’s Palm Slave sounds like the work of someone who has entertained themselves on a steady diet of Bowie, Roxy Music, Japan, and all other artists of this ilk. This is felt not just in the sonic direction, but in the visual presentation, or the way in which each word is sung here. Art d’Ecco makes music for art-school kids that still dream about ruling the world.
Canongate – Nothing Is Yours
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Dream Pop
Similar artists: Jake Bugg, Radiohead, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Mac Demarco
It must be hard to make music both as if playing to your best friends, and as if the whole world might be listening in. Just the thought of that is enough to paralyze with fear most artists. The truth is that any creative exercise is different when it is being witnessed by someone other than the artist.
But, the Brits are made of softer stuff. Just take a look and listen at The Beatles playing in front of 70 million people on U.S. television. Not a flinch! Did The Libertines sound worried when preparing their second record? Totally loose! Did The Arctic Monkeys crumble under the pressure of their success? They went floating in the stratosphere.
Canongate’s Nothing Is Yours is built from a similar fabric. This is British pop music of a robust quality, tossed around by the writers as if it’s one of several hundred songs that they have on hand. This must be the British version of the blues, relaxed, dreamy, and with complete faith in gorgeous melodies.
Thanks for the review! It seems you’re telepathic: it is one of many songs on hands, and the Beatles are a big inspiration.