Great Demise and FarFarAway Reviewed
Great Demise – LOSE YOUR FACE
In Eastern Europe, a place where the Church and those working in it continue to be great authority figures, there’s an expression that loosely translates as: “Do what the priest tells you, but don’t do as he does!”
From what I’ve been able to gather, nearly all places have a similar saying, and these aren’t modern inventions. Regardless of the time or of people’s commitment to religious ideals, the established truth is that those who preach rarely work too hard to live by the same ideals.
Yet, common folk like ourselves do need some guidelines. Remove those, and we’ll be knee-deep in blood in less than a week, and drunk off our feet the week after. With this in mind, take the ancient wisdom and the modern one provided by Great Demise and mix it all up until it all makes sense.
“LOSE YOUR FACE” is a great punk-rock song that feels like it was recorded in the garage downstairs. It could just as well be an anthem for the rise of nationalism and religious fanaticism, typically pushed by ridiculous figures who merely take advantage of their admirers. It’s a great song, but also just one big chunk of the truth.
FarFarAway – Housewives in Suburban Ghettos
Wealth is not what they teach you it is. I found out the hard way. Most people never find out at all. And, of course, there is also that rare minority glad to be working and scheming as intensely as they can their entire lives to work on a dream that could tumble down at any point.
If you want a good indicator of that, sadly, it’s the world’s supposedly richest countries that will show it to you. Not only do these countries have surprisingly large numbers of people living in poverty, but even those making a lot of money are bound by debt, the stress of how they can maintain their current lifestyle and ignorance of the fact that many of the supposedly poorer nearby countries offer greater balance for their citizens’ lives. FarFarAway sees through the facade.
“Housewives in Suburban Ghettos” is an angry and provocative punk-rock song. It’s played with meanness and enthusiasm. It’s aggressive and tries to grab your attention. But it is also, in many ways, truthful. It’s a song that pokes at the great capitalist dream. Do all these tied to their houses and their brand loyalty really live happy existences? Is it all a dirty trick to keep the spokes of the economy moving?
