Changeling – Hole
Having someone you can relate to is no small thing. That’s especially true nowadays. We may be more technically more easily connected than ever, and all of the pieces of the world may blend together. But, truthful people have never felt lonelier. In a recent global study, one-third of the people asked said that they felt incredibly lonely.
That may seem odd. After all, the majority of the apps that have scored great fortunes for American tech entrepreneurs are built on collective interaction, right? It seems more and more people are waking up to the fact that those are just not real. In real life, if you can find a person or a thing to tell your troubles about, you are very lucky.
Music is one of those things. Bands like Alice in Chains produced a great, moody sound with songs written about the tragedy that had occurred or was to come. It’s no wonder that it still resonates with a lot of people.
It resonates with the American band Changeling, which produces a slithering, serpent-like sound in “Halo.” The tune echoes the Staley/Cantrell collaborations, which are their most tortured. And Changeling have learned their craft well. The band understand the grunge dynamics and how to add tension. But in doing all of this, they too may serve as a support to the people who need them most.
BarrelHaus – Self Help For The Helpless
It’s no coincidence that most rock bands make their most vibrant, and often their best, albums when they are just starting off, or that they manage to play their best shows around the same period. Sure, experience can be a wonderful thing. Yes, it’s great to accumulate musical techniques and use them. Eventually, all of these nice things will only act as a substitute for power.
There is no rock musician who hasn’t stood in awe at the power of his own playing when amplified. And, most certainly, there is no young musician who hasn’t felt a surge of enthusiasm at being able to drop this colossal bomb of sound on an unsuspecting public. If you manage to retain that energy long enough and bring a hook to the noise, then you really have something.
BarrelHaus really have something. Even when played at moderate levels, the band still sounds loud. But it’s a controlled chaos. “Self Help For The Helpless” brings to mind the vampire-rock of Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan. The band relies on a relentless groove and on guitar distortion expertly adjusted. I wouldn’t imagine that it’s controversial to say that BarrelHaus makes the kind of modern alternative rock that many fans anxious for more of those classic records in the 1990s and 2000s will be interested in hearing.
