Scott Evil – Quaranteens
Genre: Alt-rock, Shoegaze
The only thing greater than having your very own language is inventing a language that only a few other people can speak. This is a common philosophy of most would-be artists struggling to find a place for themselves in a world built on convention and lack of any great surprises.
For musicians, the road to this kind of intimate connection seems more achievable than for most. After all, few things inspire as much fervent admiration as the work of mysterious rock stars. But asking for this kind of reverence comes at a cost. The mystery can’t be sold to everyone, after all.
Scott Evil’s Quaranteens acts as the promise of a sacrifice, with the artists opening themselves up to the treacherous road that making emotional, cryptic music will bring them on instead of the comforts of commercial strategies. The tune here floats weightlessly as dreams are enjoyed just before dawn. It’s music performed in code that only a few get to know the meaning of.
Crooks & Nannies – Sorry
Genre: Emo
Mood playlists are the new truck-stop compilations designed for maximum distribution and meant to plug into the very core of the public’s desires. Crafting music to suit moods, or the other way around, is pretty nifty. It’s just the kind of way that one might have imagined music to evolve.
But most playlists are predictable since the moods don’t lend themselves to anything too exciting. They describe the most common human feelings. They appeal to a broad audience. And, consequently, there’s rarely ever any risk involved in creating these sorts of playlists. Where, for example, is a selection of songs dedicated to crying one’s eyes out? Surely, that’s a pretty common human emotion as well.
Crooks & Nannies’ Sorry embraces unconsolable sadness in a way that is brave and ridiculous. It’s the way that we all ought to look upon our weaknesses. You don’t get a lot of sobbing from cool rock stars and the jet-setting elite that accompany them. You also won’t get it from people wishing to one day become rock stars. Crooks & Nannies, however, are not playing safe. And that’s why their work is more important.
