Ceylon Sailor – Ceylon Sailor
What’s a rock documentary without some minor failures, regular mishaps, and one unavoidable catastrophe? They’re not something worth watching, that’s it. Every great story deserves some conflict, and audiences are smart enough to accept it.
But what’s the same documentary without regular recovery after the failure, making sure that mishaps don’t occur again, and beating the odds by returning after a catastrophe? An AI-generated, big label-sponsored band that nobody can care about for too long. Ceylon Sailor would rather fit into the first category.
That’s where all the great heroes of rock n’ roll come from. The great rock musicians didn’t just beat the odds, but managed to overcome their own shortcomings. The truly great songs didn’t just happen because it was written in the stars that someone was going to come up with them and record them perfectly.
The great songs happen in spite of everything stacked up against that happening. Ceylon Sailor’s self-titled track sounds like real musicians taking the likes of Brian Wilson or Paul McCartney as examples and daring to take them on. The melodies are pleasant but have some aches hidden underneath the stitching. The musicians, in the video, look freezing and exhausted, but somehow up for it. “Ceylon Sailor” is a strong guitar pop song by musicians fancying their chances against despicable forces of change.
Sara Wohlin Zerpe – Vakna!
Has someone recently shared a song that they called “fantastic,” only for you to realise that the tune had been generated in 30 seconds by an AI script? That must’ve been pretty embarrassing for the person heaping the praises. But it’s not unique nowadays.
If you’re reading this on Alt77, chances are that your taste in music is far too sophisticated to get tricked by such strategies. Furthermore, you’re not impressed by the heartless lack of creativity of glorified chatbots. You’d much rather hear something like the music of Sara Wohlin Zerpe.
But you worry. That’s only natural. What if that’s the future? What if people are genuinely becoming dumber and ready to fall for any trend promoted to them by a couple of TikTok videos? Fret not. I’m here to tell you that there’s a light at the end of each seemingly endless winter.
For all we know, Lindsey Buckingham is no longer locking himself for years on end in a music studio. But his younger disciples are taking a similar approach. Why? Out of a sincere love for the art itself. That’s the only explanation for Sara Wohlin Zerpe’s “Vakna!” The music is carefully crafted. The vocals and lyrics are filled with soulful impressions about the world and what it is to live in it as a human. And the result is something that might just speak to you directly. What did it take to come up with this? Everything, most likely. But that’s the least we can demand.
Don’t worry! People like Sara Wohlin Zerpe will stick around to care for your soul and the music that soothes it.
