Headcase – Good Lad
Teenagers, it is said, and with good reason, are often loud, obnoxious, know precious little about the world, and make very bad decisions. On the other hand, teenagers are also prone to getting very excited about things, believe that their dreams are going to make the world right, and have more willingness to take chances than any other age group.
That’s, perhaps, the reason why most of the very best rock music ever was made by teenagers. If you take any of those records and look at the careers of the people who made them, you’ll likely discover that everyone present on them improved as an artist later in life, but couldn’t produce better songs.
Headcase’s “Good Lad” captures a band at the very start of its career. You’ll hear it in every decision the Irish group makes. This is a band, clearly, obsessed with the gnarly sound of early Arctic Monkeys. But what you’ll also hear is dedication and the willingness to have fun with every single note that the band plays. “Good Lad” shows the way to, potentially, something great.
Mock Media – Rat Bastard
You could pretty easily recognise a punk-rocker, couldn’t you? After all, they wanted to be recognised and so made it very easy to pick them out of a line-up. Their whole point was to stand out.
The fashion element was an important factor and part of the criteria to be welcomed into a punk-rocker brother/sisterhood.
And, if the punks happened to be in a band, their brand of hardcore, powerviolence, or beatdown would definitely only be a thing designed to interest the faithful.
But things have changed, and the punks are learning the value of being on the inside. Punks are living in disguise, slipping into whatever room they want, opening the locks.
Mock Media’s a punk-rock band that sounds like it’s discovered The Beatles, modern pop music and the benefits of using musical theory. “Rat Bastard” is charming, good for a sing-along, yet has some real bite to it. It’ll get people clapping, chanting for more. And, then, the door flies open!
