Stella Rose – Jane
Similar artists: PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple, Liz Phair, Alanis Morissette
Genre: Alternative Rock
There’s very little about life that consistently makes sense. Similarly, the dream world offers even fewer explanations about what it all means. Reality leaves a lot to be imagined, and so do dreams, and we do our best to paper over the cracks in order to maintain our sanity.
Art, music in particular, plays a major role in helping us find a semblance of sense about what’s going on around and within us. But the lessons it provides aren’t any more straightforward than what dreams provide.
Stella Rose’s “Jane” functions like the soundtrack to a dream that you won’t forget but never truly manage to understand either. The song is dominated by the singer’s sultry vocals, a kind of seduction plea from another world. Finally, it’s up to you to make sense of how this tells a story about your life and to fill in the blanks.
B. Hamilton – That French Guy on the Jazz
Similar artists: Dick Stusso, Kurt Vile, my bloody valentine
Genre: Stoner Rock, Alternative Rock
Yes, most recording artists are lying through their teeth, guiding their careers from one merchandise sale to another. But very few have the courtesy to lie to you in such a way that makes you ask questions and make you be intrigued.
See, the fact is that the modern entertainment world doesn’t have any room for weirdos, eccentrics, or wild personalities. There’s just too much money at stake and too many opportunities to lose some of that cash. Consequently, each new star is given a story and asked to rehearse it until they are sure that they’ve memorized it.
B. Hamilton’s “That French Guy on the Jazz” is either the work of a secretive post-alt-rock star or the documented confusion of a maniac. The classic guitar-pop dynamics of the song are the least baffling aspect of it. Everything else, however, asks more questions than it answers. B. Hamilton is a man of mystery.
