Start playing guitar How to choose a guitar for beginners?
Alt Reviews

Keep the dream alive: Father Figures and The Library is On Fire

Father Figures and The Library is On Fire

The Library is On Fire – Hotel Jugoslavija (featuring Mike Watt)

Similar artists: Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Nirvana

Genre: Punk

Madness can do wonders for an artist, provided that they’re not actually crazy. Madness is captured really well on camera and makes people look handsome. It does even greater work for folk trying to record their vocals onto tape. Like an audio filter, it provides the kind of depth that rigorous discipline can simply not add. 

From Salvador Dali to William S. Burroughs, paranoia has been actively advertised by some of our brightest minds. But it’s always hard to say if these kinds of tricksters really meant what they say. 

Perhaps what they were getting at was that being paranoid triggers an endless sense of anticipation. It can lead to heartaches, sure. But it can also provide the necessary sense of drama to make an art piece come to life. 

The Library is On Fire’s “Hotel Jugoslavija” revels in tension and turmoil from the title and the very first bars. Steve Five sings like a man flown into Belgrade to bring down Tito’s regime years before diabetes and inner strife pulled it down on their own. 

Featuring the legendary and always dependable Mike Watt, “Hotel Jugoslavija” is a memorable morsel of rock music, a punk-rock companion to Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone”, and an exotic entry into the modern rock canon. 


Father Figures – Crammed in a Van

Similar artists: PUP, Pkew Pkew Pkew, FIDLAR

Genre: Skate Punk, Pop Punk

How far are you willing to travel for “the truth?” Personally, on most days, I have trouble getting off the couch to buy groceries, so don’t depend on me for any hero journeys and enlightenment voyages. But, there are some that are certainly looking for something. 

Why else would they subject themselves to the trials, tribulations and utter misery of travelling in a van across the grand ol’ U.S.A? There must be something that moves these individuals beyond the promise of new fans for their music and a few free beers offered by the patrons of the establishments where they’ll be presenting their art. 

Father Figures’ “Crammed in a Van” is “On The Road” for ambitious artists in their 30s. Jack Kerouac had the luxury of becoming an alcoholic and never having to write anything better than his most famous book, but for Father Figures, self-destruction is not an option. 

The charming DYI punk of “On The Road” tells the tale of musicians in their 30s seeking adventure, enlightenment, and cheap booze. They know what’s going on, but their mantra of “everything is alright” won’t let them fall off the precipice. I’m sure I speak for the American people when I say that we need more folks like Father Figures and fewer like Kerouac or his deadbeat beatnik friends. 

The Library is On Fire - Hotel Jugoslavija (featuring Mike Watt)

8.5

Father Figures - Crammed in a Van

8.5

Pros

Cons

About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
Related posts
8.3
Alt Reviews

Barking Poets and Anyone Awake Reviewed

Album ReviewsAlt Reviews

Mike Stocksdale - “Settle Down! Live at the Hotel Cafe 12.11.24” Review

8.0
Alt Reviews

Vordermann and Taylor Crawford Reviewed

7.8
Alt Reviews

Luna Drift and Air Cannon Reviewed

Be part of the Alt77 community

Leave a Reply