Purse Thief – Modern Lover
Somewhere along the road we may have lost our way. And that’s precisely the time, I think, when we collectively decided that rock n’ roll was supposed to be a thing that everyone can enjoy, a kind of weekend fair where families and their puppies could come visit, smile at the people on the stage, and leave with a bag full of overpriced merch.
But is that what rock music stands for? Indeed, is this what life and all of its possible adventures ought to mean, some safe haven where nothing is ventured, and little is gained? In a time where so much in the world, and especially in Northern America, seems to be going so wrong, a bit of bravery is required. Pure Thief looks to put that kind of energy into the band’s version of rock n’ roll.
The musicians aren’t doing it all on their own, though. “Modern Lover” sounds like a beat era poem that’s somehow, thankfully, got mangled inside of a 1977 punk-rock song, while Lou Reed and other pop culture luminaries stare on. There’s no screaming here. But make no mistake about it. This is the kind of music that could rip your hand off if you’re not careful. It’s a time for heroes, and for people who won’t accept anything less.
Jerkazoid – Lebanese Christmas
It’s a pretty violent world out there, and most of the things that aren’t just some accident of fate are determined by egotistic idiots who’d grin in your face, and likely spit in your direction, if you ever dare to ask them to think about the common good.
The worst thing about it seems to be that the better certain nations or groups of people manage to do in this life, the less they’re required to care for anyone else. Castle bathrooms used to be built so that one’s business simply fell from a great height onto the ground below. It was a pretty good reason to try and win a castle and not be one of the folks on the ground, and things have stayed the same way.
War’s evil, and the people fighting them are usually a bunch of idiots. That much is something that I can agree on with Jerkazoid’s “Lebanese Christmas.” I’m also on board with the melodies and the revved-up pop-punk with which they work. And, while sure, the band sounds more like skaters than folks who’ve spent the last five years digesting the evening news, that’s kinda the point. The members of Jerkazoid are seeing to the crap of this war industry, and so can most of us. Where do we go from here?
