CAN’T STOP TALKING – Make Those Eyes
Rock’ n’ roll has only ever reached its maximum potential for coolness precisely one time – during the 1950s, shortly after it had been born. The rest of it hasn’t exactly been a disappointment per se. After all, you’re reading this review about a rock n’ roll band, Can’t Stop Talking. But never again would fans of the music wish that they were in exactly the time and place in which they found themselves.
Nah, they wanted to be of a different generation. It became fashionable decades ago, and has stayed this way, to bemoan not having a time machine to reach an era when music was better and to, finally, feel at home.
This is precisely what different styles of music have tried to deliver to their audiences. Few others have quite gone the extra mile as rockabilly, and its vile, evil sibling, psychobilly. It’s music about a 1950s that never quite happened in the exciting way described by modern bands.
But what if psychobilly could go even further? Why not? The style of music is well-known enough without the influence of 1950s music. This is where CAN’T STOP TALKING start their path toward pop-rock domination with “Make Those Eyes.” A kind of Stray Cats for the modern era, a rockabilly band that’s incorporated indie and post-punk tricks into its music, Can’t Stop Talking might be one of our best bets for creating what early rock n’ roll always should’ve been.
Mammoth – The End
There are a million tricks left to be uncovered on the guitar, and not many people are willing to put in the time to seek those out. And while the electric guitar never truly goes out of fashion completely, this is an age where the instrument appeals, for the most part, to other students of it. How many lead solos have you heard on modern radio? How many songs feature a famous solo when you switch on any of the classic stations?
But the fact is that, unlike other instruments and, indeed, styles, electric guitar-based rock music always finds a way to, eventually, drop back into focus. When it does, what songs from this era will we use to showcase the fact that rock has continued uninterrupted since the 1950s? Who are the stars who, rather than indulge in trendy sounds and fashion, carried on the good work?
Perhaps Mammoth on the planned day of Rock’s Resurrection. Or, perhaps, Wolfie van Halen, who references his dynasty in the band’s name, simply had no choice. Yes, shake the song long enough and enough guitar tricks will fall out to make you want to obsessively practice in your room until the neighbours call the police. But, more than anything, “The End” is a fun rock track that does not ignore the needs of modern listeners, incorporating modern production techniques, yet still delivering something to the true faithful.
