Indications – antichondriac
Similar artists: The Replacements, Manchester Orchestra, Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday
Genre: Pop Punk, Alternative Rock
What’s the difference between a kid who grows up in a house filled with drunks and drug addicts and one who grows up as an obsessive rock fan? The latter may just pick up an insturment and learn to produce great songs. There’s no guarantee, however! Still, the experiment seems to be working judging by Indications’ brand of touch-and-go, unstable rock n’ roll.
The world loves the stories of these kinds of characters. The people who are able to face danger, nearly get swallowed up by it, but somehow make it to the other side, are the ones movies get made about. Sadly though, reality doesn’t offer the same kind of happy ending as the movies. Take The Replacements, a powerful reference point for “antichondriac” and a band that Hollywood is desperate to shoot a film about.
What Indications’s “antichondriac” does possess is the undeniable charm of an excellently written song and the performance that seems to belong to people that are hoping that they’ll lose. In real Paul Westerberg-style, the vocal melodies swing left and right like someone dangling from the precipice, the lyrics are clever and the band rocks out in just the right moments. A strong single!
This is a Revolver – Piss & Gasoline
Genre: Punk, Grunge, Alternative Rock
The cynical observers of music scenes will be quick to tell you that punk, metal, and every other extreme genre are based on gimmicks. And they’re right. You’re far more likely to encounter a black metal singer sipping cocktails with business people after the show than you are to encounter them desecrating bodies in a graveyard.
If you dig deeper, you’ll find that this is hardly a symptom of the times. Back when punk-rock, a musical style meant to bring the sound of the streets to the charts, its top band, Sex Pistols, was endorsed by a fashion boutique. Anarchy in the U.K. could be bound at 20 pounds per torn-up, Vivienne Westwood-designed shirt.
Authenticity is an afterthought these days. With that in mind, This is a Revolver’s brand of punk and alt-rock sounds and looks terrifyingly real. Not only does the music video “Piss & Gasoline” look like a bizarre abduction tape meant to throw the cops off the scent. It is powered by very well-sung parts, 90s alt-rock dynamics, and an undercurrent of uncontrolled anger. Seeing and hearing this, it is hard to suspect This is a Revolver of anything but the truth.
