Jeff Fein – In Front of a Screen
The great writers who lived during historical events usually didn’t bother jolting down any words about it. For the most part, they were too busy thinking about history and all the historical events that happened in the past, so much so that the notable events of their own lives passed them by.
Life might seem pretty boring to most people in the Western world at the moment. But this might be simply because people have gotten used to their everyday luxuries and because these have robbed them of their dopamine and enthusiasm.
The average person spends 7 hours in front of their computer or phone at all times. While that’s a wonderful business for the companies selling the gadgets, even the most technocentric optimism couldn’t call this normal. Where will it lead to? Probably a widespread, crippling addiction crisis.
Jeff Fein is living through historical times and has caught on to the fact. Does it depress him? Only when it doesn’t make him giggle. “In Front of a Screen” is a playful folk-rock tune about scrolling your life away. Like a mouse waiting for a bit of cheese, the people in the song are waiting for just one more piece of valuable info. Those people are us, and it takes people like Jeff Fein to glance beyond what most of us can’t see anymore.
Calotype – Summer Fade
If you’re a fan of cinema, you will have heard old, successful movie directors talking about what a thrill they got from first seeing independent pictures. But I doubt that they felt any thrill at all. Most likely, they saw the writing on the wall. Someone was going to be able to do what they did for less money. And, so it was.
The same thing happened to rockstars. But it’s less likely that their schedule permitted them to see the writing on the wall. All the parties and public displays of affection tend to make you immune to such stress. Still, this, too, came true. There was no need for us, in the audience, to wait for stars to try and write poetry when the poets and songwriters could be anywhere and would beam their message through the internet to us.
Calotype’s “Summer Fade” is a lo-fi-sounding folkish tune. It’s as beautiful as anything you’re likely to have heard or will hear from any other artist represented by a major label. And, it certainly is not fearful of digging deeper than most of those songs will.
It’s a song about the warmth of Summer and the inevitable turn to Fall. It’s a song about enjoying the moment and realising the pain of having these things taken away. This is a mature topic laid onto a perfectly beautiful melody. Bruce Springsteen or Gene Simmons may feel the same. But the real poets tell others how they feel at all times, and we are fortunate to have access to their works.
