Brixton Alley – Are You Sure?
Genre: Surf Rock, Indie Rock, Garage Rock
Similar artists: Dune Rats, Skeggs, Hockey Dad, Violent Soho
I have it on good authority that the majority of rock bands that you’ve ever heard on the radio in recent decades write choruses. A lot of choruses! And, if anyone expresses interest in any of these potential ear-worms, the musicians work their way back into writing the verse, the bridge, and all of the other parts.
It’s hard to do the same thing in any other art form! However, that reveals something significant about pop music. Most people simply want something familiar enough and that contains the kind of energy to get them buzzing or simply get them through a day. There’s nothing wrong with demanding these kinds of thrills from our favorite music.
Brixton Alley’s Are You Sure? may be a song about awkwardly growing up. But, before the writer is ready to give you all of the seedy details, they make sure to hit you over the head with the hook. It’s the kind of chorus meant to be sung by football hooligans at the World Cup, sure. However, it’s the anthemic quality of the song that is easily transferred to whatever your listening needs happen to be. It’s enough to keep you a believer in the powers of a good pop tune.
Dez Dare – They Scream, My Head Is So Full I Can’t Dream
Genre: Punk, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
Punk-rock is one of the most childish types of music in the entire pop spectrum. And because of that, it is also one of the purest and one of the most difficult to counterfeit. For the most part, excluding bands dedicated to creating punk-rock operas about the sadness of losing their favorite cat, this is music that is built off of tantrums.
Even the guy who invented it will tell you that. Iggy Pop, arguably the performer by which all others in this genre are measured, said that he developed his stage moves while thinking of himself as a child desperate for attention from grown-ups. To get that focus, all strategies could be employed. The arsenal included falling down, screaming, and even hurting oneself.
Dez Dare’s They Scream, My Head Is So Full I Can’t Dream is pure punk rock, the kind of music that a child might make, and certainly the kind of tune that a toddler would enjoy. It is only fitting then that the visuals that accompany this seem derived from some kind of kid’s program. This is the kind of tune that feels written without much pre-planning. It’s why the tune is so direct. It will take you no more than 10 seconds to know whether you like this, or not. And, for the sake of your very soul, we hope you enjoy it.
