Commons 2 – Speak (One More)
Similar artists: Stephen Malkmus, Blur
Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock
Success is often measured by how close you manage to get to the records set by the people that have already proven themselves in a certain field. Sure, this works best where the results can be easily measured. You know you are doing well if your lap time, for example, is close to that of the record holder. Of course, you are on your way to a promotion if your sales are as good as the top salesman in the company. And, big corporations know that they’ve been successful when, at any expense, they manage to have the profits that they’ve registered at their best.
This works well in those fields. However, when it comes to music, while the system is often used, its functionality is merely an illusion. Record sales, likes, and even tickets sold are the kind of KPIs that are used by the companies selling the music. They shouldn’t affect the process of creating the work itself.
Commons 2’s Speak (One More) is the kind of laid-back, lethargic indie-rock tune that marches to the beat of its own drummer. The strummed guitar notes go for as long as the writer feels necessary and dramatic, let me show you I can play solos are not welcome here. The lyrics sound as if they’ve been excavated from the artist’s teenage notebooks. And, most importantly, there is no way that the Commons 2 will fall into the trap of being told what a hit must be.
Holy Ship – Beyond Frames
Genre: Gothic / Dark Wave, Psychedelic Rock, Dream Pop
Similar artists: BMRC, The Horrors, Nine Inch Nails
The bands that fit the mold of whatever is in vogue, the reliable pop stars, are the ones most sought after by record labels. They are the ones that A&R men may still jump on a call with, wine and dine, and talk through the incredible success stories that most certainly await them.
They are also the ones with the shortest careers in music. This happens not only because the public’s appetite for their work extends only to the point where the craze that they are representing stops. Often, this also occurs because the great pop stars could have just as well been movie stars, nightclub owners, bingo hosts, etc. Music is not something that tickles their feathers too hard.
There are those, however, that pick music-making as a kind of meditation. Holy Ship’s Beyond Frames purposely creates the kind of music that could accompany a musical ceremony, a meditation, or a ritual murder. This is stylish music that, from the opening chords, announces that its made with great commitment to the craft. There is no way of knowing what the future holds for this band, but nightclub owners and bingo hosts they are unlikely to become. Some musicians just give it their all to their chosen profession.
