Ribozyme – Bloodworks
Similar artists: Spidergawd, Queens of the Stone Age, TOOL, Elder
Genre: Grunge, Progressive Rock
You won’t like what I’m about to tell you! But hear me out. Rock n’ roll is all about appearances. It’s shallow. It involves manipulation. And, yes, the right formula can just be enough to get you heard. It’s just the way that the world works.
There’s never been any Golden Age of Rock n’ Roll. This is how things have always worked. The right haircut, picking a trendy style, or building your song around musical elements that are easily translated to a large audience, are the things that make musicians famous.
But just what happens once you have the audience’s attention? Ribozyme’s “Bloodworks” has all of the elements to make it a real treat upon first listening. It’s the title, it’s guitar riffs, and the excellent production make it stand out from the first 10 seconds of hearing the recording.
But listen to it long enough, and you’ll discover that surely there’s something underneath the glitzy modern rock exterior. These turn a band in the mind of a potential audience from an occasional pleasure to a lifelong commitment.
Cedarsmoke – Goodnight Marianne
Genre: Indie Folk, Indie Rock
The most asked question by music reporters struggling to justify their existence is, “Music or lyrics first?” The most frequent answer given by artists also struggling with their role in the world is, “Well, it depends, y’know?”
That’s a bald-faced lie, of course. In today’s musical landscape, it’s always the music that comes first. Or, to be more precise the 10-second hook that can be used as a TikTok or Instagram reel. We ain’t had no Bob Dylans scoring hits in the modern age yet.
Still, there is hope. There are songwriters who lead not only by confidence or arrogance but also by a sense of humor and a real longing that will keep them up at night.
Cedarsmoke’s “Goodnight Marianne” is a modern-day oddity, a pop song that is quotable, not hummable. It’s bitter, and it’s sweet in about the same measure, and the singer never trips on the lines that he’s so desperately trying to get out.
Smart love songs are pretty hard to find these days. But smart and funny love songs? Cedarsmoke can turn into something really special.
