John Fox – Neon Lullaby
If the gigantic internet success of Toto’s “Africa” has taught us anything, it is that great songs of any genre deserve recognition at any time and that music hipsters, for the most part, are hypocrites.
Do you think that they listen to German Kosmische Musik or Icelandic post-rock when they’re trying to pump themselves up? Only if they’re crazy! Do you think that they listen to cerebral folk records from the 1960s when they want to celebrate? Only if they don’t know any better.
No, many of them listen to songs like “Africa” when they want to hear good musicians make them feel good about life. And that’s the best-case scenario. The majority of them secretly listen to wort, which is a kind of modern pop radio, on their days off.
There’s very little that is modern in John Fox’s “Neon Lullaby,” but this is by design. The song is a loving tribute of 80s guitar pop. But that wouldn’t be enough to make us concerned. It also happens to be a good performance, well-produced, and, most importantly, a very catchy song. The very last part was a problem for many of the bands who have attempted a similar style, but John Fox found the right hooks.
Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band – Little Rubber Boots
Frank Zappa loved doo-wop and pop songs, and he would’ve written a few himself if he could. Since that was out of the question, he built his career on making parodies of oldies and threw a bunch of dad jokes over prog-rock music.
Nowadays, there are fewer great pop songwriters than ever. I don’t just mean songs that could get you on the charts right now, but of songs that could be on the charts at any point in music history.
And, the ones that are capable of creating those kinds of tunes have to use their PR statements to explain their motives. It’s never enough to simply write a lovely little ditty. Every artist has to have felt a calling to do it.
There’s something sinister about just how pretty and simple Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band’s “Little Rubber Boots” happens to be. Were it not for the bizarre visuals that accompany the song, you could swear that the group merely wants to return 60s-styled pop to its rightful place. It’s hard to suspect them of that when the end result shows a bunch of weirdos making pristine pop songs. Frank Zappa would’ve poisoned their drink or signed them to his label; neither one was a good thing.
