Ben Zaidi – Ben Zaidi’s Blues
Genre: Indie Rock
I often find it hard to choose whether I hate modern folk music more than I hate alternative rock. This is a problem to admit out loud, seeing as though I can only play those styles of music, and work for a website that writes about them. I console myself by telling myself that the current incarnation of those two shares very little DNA with the artists that originally made this music incredible.
There are many things wrong with the songs featured on Spotify’s playlists promoting folk and alt-rock. By far the worst thing though is their gutless, lily-livered, weak nature. It’s music designed to appeal to geography teachers and meant not to upset your simple-minded friends if you should play while driving to the beach.
Ben Zaidi’s Blues, however, sticks out like someone hitting their hand repeatedly with a hammer while inside a busy train station. It’s not quite the sound you want to hear, but it’s impossible not to be intrigued. Also, it makes you easily want to assume that they must really have a reason for going at themselves. It’s a heartbreaker of a song, much like life itself. You might have a walk or a pound of ice cream afterward just to make the world look a little bit different.
J.D. Simo – Know It All
Genre: Blues
We’re generally quite arrogant about the importance of the things that we like. It’s only natural to want to assume that we are of great importance to the world in which we live. Because of that, it feels only natural to want to assume that the things we like the most are, also, of tremendous importance. We are convinced that they will continue to impact the world as long as it will exist.
When it comes to rock music though, it’s harder to make the claim. Apart from a handful of groups and artists, hit records have had their day and then disappeared apart from the playlists and record collections of a devoted few.
One of the few music styles that I am convinced can’t be touched, changed, or made redundant is the blues. It’s also the genre with the most amount of hacks. Hearing J.D. Simo feels like the first breath of air after having been dunked into a pool of water for a few minutes. His playing is effortless, his voice is full of soul, and Know it all flows with the wisdom of a song that can be enjoyed by many people for a very long time.
