Ghoul Talk – Veils
Similar artists: Wolf Alice, Bikini Kill, CAKE, Sleater-Kinney, Hole
Genre: Punk, Post-Hardcore
Ghoul Talk makes protest music that sees the benefit of providing the kind of shocks that make listeners want to think twice about the world. Far from annoying propaganda, there’s a good-hearted spirit hiding behind the punk-rock sounds.
When it comes to protest music nowadays, it’s hard to know who to trust. After all, you can’t expect a nice comment written on the internet to have been written without someone supplying a financial incentive. How can you be sure that a political issue is supported by someone simply because they believe in the cause?
Ghoul Talk’s “Veils” is a song that questions the state of the world. But its issue is not one that is modern or trendy. It’s one that’s always existed in all types of society. Enough to make a punk singer angry? Ghoul Talk channels it into a lawless, confusing sound that is part indie-rock singalong and part grungey shout match.
Gardensnakes – White Roses
Similar artists: Ty Segall, Bass Drum of Death, Ancient Shapes, Ramones
Genre: Punk, Garage Rock
Gardensnakes sounds like a band determined to fight boredom and musical subtlety with every last decibel of their music. I can’t blame them. I used to feel the exact same way about both boredom and quiet music that supposedly contained remarkable amounts of depth. Turns out that I was right to be afraid.
Sure, sure. Those kinds of sounds have a time and place reserved for them. There aren’t many people that will stand you playing Motorhead over a nice dinner. You can’t really read a book while listening to The Stooges. And, if you’re sad and gloomy, you might not stay that way for a long while blasting The Cramps. But, oh, boy, how much you gain from loud, explosive rock music!
Gardensnakes use “White Roses” to show just how little they are interested in the sort of things that make men and women grow old, fat and boring. They want action, and they want it now.
“White Roses” is a one-two punch. It’s the kind of music that begins in the garage, graduates to unventilated clubs, and ends up being hummed by folks on the subway train. Doesn’t get much more underground than that!
