Lex Helgerson Rides Again – Marathon Taverna
Similar artists: Lana Del Rey, Bruce Springsteen
Indie Rock, Alt Pop
People rarely become working-class heroes nowadays by accident. They usually need a plan and a great desire to represent those that come from the same class. And, believe me, they’ll need every ounce of that energy to carry them through and assist them in completing their mission.
First of all, when it comes to the sorts of things that could turn one into such a well-respected figure, they’ll face a lot of ridicule. Most of this will come from the very people that they look to represent. A lot of it will also arrive via the elites who, generally, view ambitious regular people with disdain.
Lex Helgerson Rides Again’s Marathon Taverna is a beautiful working-class song that could have been co-written by Bruce Springsteen at the height of his powers. It’s a tune that smells like an old tavern and sounds like boots clicking on old asphalt streets. With its lush production and gorgeous singing, this captures a snapshot of disputes of the heart in a lonesome, old town.
HARKNESS – Come And Get It
Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
If you ask me what the newest album by almost any classic rock band sounds like, I could describe it to you fairly quickly. Once you’ve heard what I had to say, it’ll likely feel as if you’ve heard the songs before. That’s because you probably have listened to them in one form or another, and there is little why getting to experience the actual record will surprise you.
Most musical artists can be easily described as a mix of this and that. It’s why music streaming sites will create playlists and recommend other bands like the ones you’ve searched for. They know that there’s a huge likelihood that you’ll notice almost no difference between what you want to hear and what they suggest you should hear.
However, the true eccentrics of the music world can’t be easily described by merely referencing their influences but rather by experiencing their antics. HARKNESS’ Come and get it is the song you fantasized about writing and recording with your friends when you were 12 years old. It might still be playing somewhere at the very back of your brain, but it’s unlikely that you actually managed to record it. Had you been able to capture it, the result might have been strange and wonderful. Something like what HARKNESS does with this power-pop single. We could tell you that it sounds like Daniel Johnston covering Big Star and Badfinger, but that would be an insult against the individualism of this songwriter.
