Kurran Karbal – Happening for Me
On Alt77, we have always tried to advocate for the importance of music to sound… nice, pleasant, and ready to be heard by millions. I know this sounds like an obvious detail, but in the world of alternative it is not. Like it or not, many bands get on through great stories. Some of them do controversial things on stage, and others talk about politics.
Not all of them can play, sing, or, in any way, rival the classic records of the 1970s. That’s a bit of a problem. The thing is that once an audience has had its fill of the stories being promoted by an overzealous PR, once youth has gone and the controversies wash away, you actually have to play and sing. And, well, it would be best if the musicians could do it to a high standard.
Kurran Karbal has very little in the way of stories and controversies. The message of “Happening for Me” is pretty plain. It’s about taking a hiking trip and liking it. That doesn’t sound like a message worth wasting a postcard for. But what Karbal does is lay down some excellent acoustic guitar parts over brilliant, warm production. The singing is also pleasant, Summery, ready to be played to great groups of people. And, yes, sometimes that is enough. Leave the talk about politics and world peace to someone who can’t pick an acoustic guitar quite so well.
Logan Chapman – In A Lawnchair Watching Cars
It’s always the ones you expect least. Take the clean-cut pop stars parading on late-night television shows being interviewed about what brand of powdered milk they use and how nice it was to vote for the first time. By the time next election, they would have turned into drug fiends, porn models and accumulated more DUIs than Keith Richard at this worst.
This club of innocence decorated teens hardly ever produce work that is worthwhile, but they sure have some stories. They just need to hold on to them for rainy days. It makes the waiting difficult for all parties involved, not least of all us, the public. But you can practically guarantee a tell-all book, a reality show and an interview with Oprah are just around the corner. We all just need to hold on there.
The great thing about Logan Chapman is that the music of “In A Lawnchair Watching Cars” sounds like the material delivered by professional songwriters to an up-and-coming teen star. However, the lyrics sound like just what Mr. Chapman would write if being honest. It’s a song of sex, drugs and debauchery seen through the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. That was then, now, let’s do it again.
