Julia Gaeta – Hangin’ On A Dream
Similar artists: Depeche Mode, Chelsea Wolfe, Cocteau Twins
Genre: Post-Punk, Dream Pop
You’d like to think that you’d enjoy meeting your favourite pop star at a cheap restaurant and ordering a hamburger. But you’re wrong. You wouldn’t enjoy it. You’d hate that in your eyes, they’d be reduced to an easy-to-understand character that resembles all of your friends. This would strip them of their mystery.
The pop stars that matter are the ones that, at least, appear to be otherworldly. They need to be above the common the common temptations that all of the rest of us fall prey to. And, most importantly, they need to believe in tremendous ideals and be ready to sacrifice themselves for it. The 80s pop stars who put so much importance on how they presented themselves, who were true romantics, understood this power of mystery.
Julia Gaeta’s “Hangin’ On A Dream” is a highly dramatic synth-pop song that aims to match the great 80s pop stars in terms of emotional intensity. Gaeta presents the music here as something sacred, something designed to accompany impossible love affairs and the loftiest of ideals. The vocal performance isn’t so much that of a regular singer but of a royal figure condemned to the kinds of joys and torture that we regular folk will never understand.
Shrugs Bunny – Banana
Similar artists: The Garden, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Vampire Weekend, Green Day
Genre: Punk, Post-Punk
Most people are terrified about public speaking. But, there’ll come a day when everyone has to get in front of an audience, convince them of something, and picturing them naked may just not do the trick.
Most bands are terrified of sharing their creativity. That’s just as easy to explain and understand. Sharing yourself and your ideas ain’t easy. And, besides, trying to do that, failing, and making a fool of yourself is nothing that anyone desires to happen to them.
Some people turn the terror into excitement and the fear into nonchalance. Some of those people join punk bands, erase any expectation of musical sophistication and deliver their truth as directly as they can.
Shrugs Bunny are the kind of punk band that want to please nobody! That’s the spirit, and quite frankly, it makes “Banana” into a very exciting single. It’s underproduced, underplayed, and not thought very well. And it hits perfectly, leaving nothing to be desired that shouldn’t be here.
