THIAVV – In the Open
The images that affected the original goth-rockers may have been created, by and large, on old Hollywood sets. But, the music spoke of an entirely different, less glamorous reality. There were no castles, or dungeons in this one, just cold, grey slabs of concrete and people pacing back and forth in it. In many ways, goth was about adding another shade of black to the grey that didn’t leave much for the imagination.
Fast forward to the present time and the current post-punk, goth-rockers like THIAVV have a reality that is much the same, albeit with the connections between the inhabitants of those concrete monuments even weaker than before.
The video for In the open expertly displays this with the main character in the production doing his best to escape civilization, himself and the allure of seeing himself as he is. The German group are masterful in creating a sombre mood where the bass sound reigns supreme, the guitar riffs add just the right amount of colour, and the drums and vocals hold the mix together. The irony of being a goth with nobody left around cannot be lost on anyone.
Jerry’s Timeshare – Glass Eye
“Say something funny, Funnyman!” I have this vision of crass concert-goers in what of the U.S.A.’s less garage-rock starved regions taunting the poor Jackson Lowery of Jerry’s Timeshare during a booking disaster that might take the band’s live shows far away from the comfort of their regular, San Franciscan audiences.
That’s the trouble with making music that is funny or provocative, like the records created by one of the groups’ heroes, Iggy Pop. Eventually, you’ll have to perform in front of people that not only will not like you, but they’ll also probably be violently inclined to show just how much they don’t like you.
In my vision, Jerry’s Timeshare soothes the angry audience with a clever psych-rock number that makes them all believers. Why not then, the band was born out of a fascination for spaced-out garage rock and, clearly, would find it hard to pass the drugs test ensuring them other employment other than that of musicians. Glass Eye is a humorous and confident rock stomper.
