Ded Elk – Mirrorball
Rob Gordon, memorably, dared to ask himself whether it was the pop songs or the misery that had first entered his life. But, judging by this logic, it’s easy to assume that the first thing we hear after the last great song’s been played will be some self-help guru’s speech.
The world needs a lot of healing. Most people require therapy of some kind. And, if the studies and statistics are right, future generations are going to be better off mentally than their parents were.
But what about the songs? Where will those come from, and who is going to want to hear them? There’ll be no more Ded Elk records, or anything of the sort, just silly novelty tunes about sunshine, rainbows and man’s desire to constantly improve.
Ded Elk’s “Mirrorball” uses tension and strain to its advantage. It’s a song questioning the nature of reality, the things that are truly important and the way in which people act in their pursuit of them. It’s a song mixing desert rock with 90s alternative. It’s dark, it’s catchy, and if all of us had our heads firmly glued to our shoulders, we might not need it. Thankfully, this has yet to be the case and will stay that way for a while.
Vieira and The Silvers – Think
Life’s a marvelously silly, funny joke if you stop for a second to really look at it. But who can find the time for that? And who, after years of being kicked about by life, still has the ability to point and laugh still intact?
But the people who don’t get around to chuckling about it all are missing out. You may add serious rockstars to this list. With all their songs about girls, money and the devil, they fail to realise the things that are truly grotesque and why those matter.
There are bands like Vieira and The Silvers who don’t sound like they’re afraid of Hell, interested in Heaven, or able to be respectful about the way that this world is going. But they’re a rare bunch.
That’s why, if you’re tired of your respected pop stars, give Vieira and The Silvers’ “Think” a try. This sounds like the music played by a group auditioning to be the house band for an orgy in hell. But the freakout, poetic and funny lyrics are all about this world, and the silliness of living in it. I’m sure that The Devil, upon hearing it, would chuckle and assure his guests, of which Alan Ginsberg would surely be one, that he’d never end up spending time up there.
