jasper dean – dashcam compilation
If you open the news now and again, you’re likely to have been informed by now that terrible young people are plotting to do terrible things to you and others like you. It’s not like they know you. They just hate what you stand for!
This sort of information is enough to conjure plenty of images in your mind of young men plagiarising old chemistry texts from the internet and using them to build colossal bombs meant to destroy.
But what if you could conserve that energy and just use it for something positive instead? Or, at the very least, just not as negative.
What if those angry, determined young men could imagine the world burning long enough to turn it into a song?
That’s the kind of fear-mongering news message that I could get behind. jasper dean is a songwriter and lo-fi rocker who could’ve used all those ideas and nervous energy for plenty of nefarious activities. Instead, he built “dashcam compilation,” inside his bedroom. It’s a mighty strong rock song about feelings of constant dread and, if you ask me, much more important than building either a supercomputer or a nail bomb.
Marni – Washed Up
As bizarre as it sounds, it is absolutely true that there are some people who want to understand music rather than feel it, or create some of it themselves. These people belong to the great centres of learning of the world and to mental asylums.
However, trying to reveal some kind of universal truth out of figuring out why certain sounds go together has been a fascination for centuries. As we speak, there are folks putting all their energy into programming music to perfection.
But for what good? By the time Axl Rose finally released “Chinese Democracy,” most listeners were shocked to find out that the singer had recorded electro-rock songs, not created some highly complex new musical language.
I’m satisfied to say that this is unlikely to happen to a band like Marni. Judging by “Washed Up,” the group is equipped with everything it needs to get your attention, even if the singer insists on charmingly claiming to feel unsure of his ability. It’s an alt-rock sound that feels delivered spontaneously, without thrills and without worrying too much about hiding the truth away. Direct, honest rock music may well still be what most of us need, and Marni is among those who can provide us with it.
