From Atoms – Otherside
The rock music world used to be filled with shadowy figures who seemed to have accessed some kind of hidden underworld. There have been, let’s not fool ourselves, many artists who’ve written “Prince of Darkness” on their concert posters and numerous fans through the ages desperate to learn their secrets, to find out the way down toward that place where bliss and oblivion meet.
From Lord Byron to Mark Lanegan, the artist’s road down is a bumpy one. But who else could know the coordinates? It’s up to special people who appear to be both haunted by demonic spectres and colossally talented to show us. It’s up to artists like the one who goes by the name of From Atoms to guide us. And, it’s up to us to sit quietly, soak in the magic, and take notes whenever they deliver a new clue.
From Atoms’ “Otherside” sounds quite a bit like Mark Lanegan’s resonant vocals singing an old American ballad about love found and lost. It’s a song about one incredible moment of passion and love that is fleeting, and that once gone cannot be found again, nor can it help provide redemption to the person singing it. From Atoms’ greatest strength, besides the confident singing, is the ability to summon mist and thunder at will and to create a darkly magical atmosphere that is wholly compelling.
Kyle Lacy – More Than That!
We must always be glad of the fact that electric guitars have always been a relatively affordable item. Sure, it’s not something that people pick up from the grocery on their way to buy a carton of milk, but it’s always been sufficiently cheap that enough kids felt inclined to purchase one and learn how to make it talk. There would, without a doubt, be far fewer great songs written over the past 70 years without it.
And while Kyle Lacy’s music is the epitome of rock n’ roll sophistication, we must also remember to be happy for the fact that the guitar’s rudiments are easy to pick up. Learning a few chords and going out to play music in front of a handful of people is how this gigantic music industry has been allowed to exist.
However, when audiences hear simple music delivered without many frills for too much time, naturally, they begin demanding something different, something more.
Kyle Lacy’s “More Than That!” is a fun, retro-styled murder and mystery rock n’ roll number. This is music meant to accompany scenes of Bogart solving a crime. But it’s also a very showy kind of tune, in the best way possible. The music takes inspiration from rockabilly and blues, placing Lacy and his band’s excellent playing at the forefront, and makes you realise that for all the things that uncomplicated music has provided, it’s the truly talented and devoted musicians that have always offered us the most.
