I Am Bones – Bump Down
Most killers never get famous, as the song goes, and that’s sad for everyone. But history tells us that if we’re imagining serial killers, most likely, we’re imagining someone from the United States of America. Not only are there more of them there than anywhere else, but they also have the greatest chance of becoming famous and having a show made up of them on Netflix.
Now, a significant proportion of these serial killers, let’s say 20-30%, were respectable figures. Many of them wore a suit and tie, helped out in the community and even went out on dates.
I’m not very good at math and statistics, but putting all of these things together and taking into account the predatory behaviour of people working corporate jobs in America would lead us to conclude that…
Well, this is probably on the mind of I Am Bones. The band bring their best, doom-powered Melvins-like riffs to “Bump Down,” a grunge ode to a corporate meeting. In some ways, this is just another meetup, and in other ways, it’s a prelude to a bloodbath. I Am Bones sound like musicians tasked with soundtracking disasters. There’s humour here, but you have to get through all the blood and guts to see it.
Beneath a Steel Sky – Vanguard
Stereotypes are great enemies of any serious art form, including alternative music. But why are they so frequently used? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that most of us need to be told how to feel about a certain thing before our brain can accept it. Whenever there’s a global crisis, there’s a point a few hours before television stations and news sites start reporting on the matter, which most people don’t know what to think or whose side they should be on.
Popular music has worked in the same way. You could say it’s more about what people expect to get than about surprising listeners. People judge musicians with their eyes and with the weight of their own expectations. That’s a terrible thing. They’ll miss out on a lot of important, surprising artists.
Modern metal is getting a bad reputation. But fans of alternative music shouldn’t fall into the trap of imagining it to be merely aggressive rock made by fat bikers in love with their distortion pedals and endless solos.
Beneath a Steel Sky’s “Vanguard” challenges the impression you may have of modern metal. This is not music simply meant to stun with aggressiveness and volume. Beneath a Steel Sky have an artistic mission. The band employs surprising strategies and a journey-like approach to crafting their songs. In fact, it would be foolish to ignore groups such as this. The play rules are thrown out the window here. And isn’t this what good alternative music is all about?
