Död Mans Band – Nere på knä
I’d like to live a dream in a record machine. So should you. And so are millions of people from all over the world. In fact, it’s these commonly shared fantasies that allow the music business to operate as it has for previous decades. People don’t just like the job a rock star does. They’d love to have that job for themselves.
This means that while your record collection may be primarily composed of the works of bands from London Town or New York City, it really shouldn’t stay this way. Just think of the law of probability for a second. If modern pop music is made across the world now, why would the Brits and Yanks be the only ones worth considering?
The Nordic countries, and, in particular, Sweden, have offered an alternative to fans of classic rock music for a while now. Let’s be honest, it all started as a bizarre imitation of cool Anglo-American music. But it developed into something that retains many of the qualities of the original flavor of rock.
It’s likely that upon hearing Död Mans Bands’ “Nere på knä” you’ll be reminded me of the first time you tasted a Coke, a lager, or the first time you heard a rock record that you’d bought for yourself. Död Mans Bands aren’t going for nostalgia. Rather, the band is trying to summon back up the nerve that made rock music so entertaining in the first place.
Interlay – Medic
Humans love to earn the right or the skill to control things greater than themselves. Becoming a master of chaos is very tempting, and it’s easy to understand why. It’s, essentially, the very opposite of what life allows us to do at every other time.
People have learned to predict the weather, harness the power of nature, and move out of natural disasters when they occur. For some, that’s not enough. This is how you end up with daredevils using their bodies to surf killer waves, climb gigantic mountains, or swim into the depths of the ocean.
But if you do that, what are you left with if you manage to survive? A few good stories and a highlights reel? That’s not bad, but what if you bottle it up and sell it, and everyone who buys it could entertain themselves with it?
Interlay’s “Medic” is an attempt to control the chaos created by electrified rock instruments, all being blasted at the same time like deafening canons of war. It’s hard to put all these things together, even more so to get them all in harmony. But, when Interlay managed to do that, it must’ve been very satisfying.
