Balmain – Pastel Shadows
Genre: Screamo / Post-Hardcore, Melodic Metal, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: Deftones, Architects, The Cure
It doesn’t even matter if David Bowie actually said that the future belongs to those who can hear it coming. The point is that it’s true. it’s true in music, as in all aspects of life. Slapping the name of visionary, or a celebrity next to quote, helps the truth be regarded by a higher number of people.
It’s not just the future that belongs to those with long ears and the ability to interpret sound. The present is one by people who possess similar qualities. With rock music’s popularity dethroned in recent years, it’s been tempting for musicians to stare towards the past. Those that do not ignore the present are always bound to come out on top.
Balmain’s Pastel Shadows attempts one of the bravest things that a rock band can do. Balmain aims to sound wholly modern. They cater to nobody stuck firmly on classic rock radio frequencies. Their brand of gloomy hard-rock is seemingly cut exclusively from playlists of teenagers from around the world. That is where the future is traveling, and that’s why a group like Balmain can easily dominate the present.
King Dutch – Black and the Red
Genre: Alternative Rock
Similar artists: Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Replacements
There haven’t been many musical trends that had the impact of grunge and the alternative rock blends of the late 1990s. And, let’s be clear. An awfully long time has passed since those records came out.
Saying this, there are two ways in which one can think about this problem. Of course, one can fully embrace nostalgia. Most of the ones that do shun modern music, and give up on the potential of future releases to pleasantly surprise them.
There is an optimistic way of viewing things as well. The 90s alt-rock bands, perhaps, managed to distill the various styles and trends that preceded it to its core essentials. Is this not a foundation on which bands need to build?
If you belong to the second camp, you will be pleased to hear King Dutch’s Black and the Red. In a month in which we lost the great Mark Lanegan, it is comforting to, at least, know that the gloomy, lightless grunge pioneered by people such as the late Seattle singer, has its modern disciples. King Dutch aren’t merely plugging into the past. They have their instructions and are looking for a way forward.
