Fire Blanket – Mayday
Rockstars have turned into respectable creatures, unfortunately, but many of them had no choice. They’re usually victims of their own success. Their doors have holes in them from all the people knocking incessantly and inviting them to dinners, book signings, and drinks with fashion designers. Rockstars can no longer afford to be disliked.
The downside is that all this behaviour that is beyond reproach also has the habit of making the music extremely dull. Paul Westerberg may have advised young musicians to never allow the audience to see them trying. But great things can happen when musicians don’t let their dignity get in the way of a good song. Just listened to Fire Blanket for proof. Marvellous sounds can come out when the musician opts to show who they truly are, while not giving too much thought to the ways of public opinion.
Fire Blanket’s “Mayday” sounds great because the band, the lead singer chiefly, sounds as if, fortuitously, the recording process has caught him in the middle of a nervous breakdown brought on by matters of the heart. It sounds wonderful because it feels like the band is giving no care to who will get to hear this piece of music. It sounds awesome because you get the feeling that if whoever recorded this had moved more slowly, the singer would’ve decided to simply erase the result. That would’ve been a damn shame!
The Ratchets – Holy Mother of God
Should you be informed about what’s going on in the world? Do you really need the breaking news in order to make responsible choices in your everyday life? Of course, failing to know what’s going on with the world, you’ll be left out of polite conversation around the water cooler, you won’t know when to buy and sell stock, and you’ll have little idea what the political candidates in the upcoming elections are talking about.
But just think of all the things that you’ll be gaining. That’s what The Ratchets would like you to consider while reminding you that the world always seems to be in the midst of an all-consuming fire. But is it really your duty to get as angry and feel as hopeless as most of the other people around you? Are you really contributing to society when you choose one side against the other?
“Holy Mother of God” by The Ratchets might just be the smartest, politically-tinged protest song that I’ve heard from a U.S. band in years. Not only is the song catchy, well-produced, and features convincing lead vocals, but it also dares to consider the fact that neither left nor right, black or white, 1s and 0s have your best interest at heart and that you’re a fool for being the partisan of any one cause. It’s an enormously hopeful song, one that is very much in the holiday spirit and a tune whose message should be plastered on walls everywhere. All these years later, there’s no justice, and not even a fair fight going on. It’s just all of us, in it together!
