Jesse Creatchman – Fortress
Nowadays, bands that have been doing it for a while, for the most part, don’t even bother putting out new music. And the ones that are ambitious enough to record whole concept records every couple of years, don’t bother playing more than two or three new songs on tour.
But, before this makes you sad enough that you’ll want to start weeping into your vintage band merch, consider for a minute that most bands are only built for a finite number of statements. Groups that have a shtick eventually use it all up. And the groups that don’t have a shtick find it much harder to climb up the totem pole.
That’s why, in many respects, songwriters like Jesse Creatchman, music’s men and women who get by through always penning new songs, have got it made. They don’t need to pledge allegiance to any one style, type of storytelling, or stage clothes.
Jesse Creatchman’s “Fortress” is light and pleasant, like some Gaslight Anthem demo. But the song also sounds like the work of someone who’s already had the experience of penning numerous such songs and has all the experience needed to know how to use chords and tales of broken hearts to create emotion. This is a folky, country-infused pop-rock tune. Still, Creatchman decides to switch tomorrow; nobody will complain, and his listeners will trust him.
The Painted Roses – Chippin’ Pieces
The world’s getting prettier. There’s just no way around it. All the grimy street corners are being bought up by some guy in a suit, secretly or publicly endorsed by some giant corporation. Before you know it, he’s going to have sweepers come in, painters clean things up, and decorators advising on what shade of purple should be used on the new establishments that are going to sit on the street corner from now on.
That’s good news for whoever did the smart thing and bought property around the street corner when getting mugged was still a realistic possibility. But it’s bad news for anyone hoping to run into a real character, hear a real story about demise and possible redemption, catch a glimpse of life in all of its ugly glory. Perhaps the only substitutes we have left are songs like the ones written by The Painted Roses.
In fact, you may need yourself a tall chair and a large glass of something strong as you listen to “Chippin’ Places.” This well-written song about anxiety and what not to do about it is the sonic equivalent of a talk with a stranger who’s been kicked around by life and is plotting how to get back on their feet. The world’s getting prettier and pushing these people out. The fashionable street corner is no place for them. Their stories can only survive in songs nowadays.
