Swan Hill – Rosebud
Similar artists: Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, Guided By Voices
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Swan Hill’s “Rosebud” is the work of young musicians fighting off the perils of boredom through loud guitars and a love for 80s indie-rock.
True independent music can breathe the kind of scenes inhabited by natural loners who hate being alone. It’s a place for people that know well about their tendency to drift on their own into their own minds. These people know that, ultimately, this doesn’t help anyone, least of all themselves. These are the sensitive, shy, awkward people who pick up drumsticks and guitars in order to make friends.
Does it work? Yes, for the most part, it does. However, there’s no guarantee that having acquired friends, musicians will become any less odd. Still, that in itself can prove an asset. With so many songs written about parties, sex, and money, it’s usually these musicians that offer an alternative. Learning to love their music is usually not easy. But once the penny drops, it can be a massively rewarding passion.
Swan Hill’s “Rosebud” sounds like a jam band that has just discovered the beauty of fuzzed-out guitars and J. Mascis-styled riffs. It’s driven by passion, surely, but doesn’t sound created to please a single artistic vision. No, the interaction between the musicians is what makes this sound click. And that interaction is likely what gets these folks out of bed, out onto the streets, and having to talk to people that may one day befriend them.
Human Missile Crisis – Blackwater
Similar artists: High Vis, PUP, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden
Genre: Post-Punk, Garage Rock
Human Missile Crisis parade their love of 90s grunge music but have no desire to waste your time or to allow themselves to waste their precious energy.
You should hold music that takes you a long time to get in great distrust. That’s not usually how music works. Do you remember hearing Ramones or Sex Pistols and feeling confused? Probably not. Did you hear a single by The Cars on the radio and say to yourself you didn’t get it? I doubt it. Did you know you liked or hated Nirvana the very first time you encountered their music? Yes, most likely.
Other types of art don’t quite work that way. James Joyce wrote “Ulysses” not so that you’d read and enjoy it but so that it would help make him a legend in the literary world. It worked. Rembrandt or Pieter Bruegel loaded up their paintings with so many details that it could take you years to fully appreciate the work that went into them.
Human Missile Crisis’s “Blackwater” is a direct punk-inspired grunge tune, and I’m willing to wager that you’ll know whether you like it from its very first seconds. That’s one of the best tests when it comes to fast, loud rock music. If it makes you get out of your seat and perform some kind of silly Kung-Fu move, it’s a keeper. If it doesn’t make you want to physically interact with the sound coming out of your speaker, it simply hasn’t reached you. Trust me, you’ll know.
