Bubka – DEAF’N’ITALY
Similar artists: Trans Am, Ashinoa, Trees Speak
Genre: Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Post Rock
Bubka specializes in highly-melodic, minimalist robot rock, the kind of music that could have accompanied an Apocalypse that never was.
What are all the songs playing non-stop on the radio all about? Most of them are a mystery. And that’s not a coincidence, either. Music artists earn a lot from putting their names on songs with vague meanings and unclear intentions. They can be used to sell a wider range of products and can be pitched to a greater variety of audiences.
But what about the ones whose lyrics are easy to understand? The majority of them are not very good. The lyrics are usually either childishly naive or contain obvious, empty sloganeering. In fact, it’s the vocals and lyrics that let down the majority of the immense number of songs that are floating around in the ether.
Bubka doesn’t need words, and, in fact, creating lyrics for a song titled “DEAF’N’ITALY” might just take away from what the song manages to do right. This is a robotic sound a la 70s West Germany. It sounds like the future, as if the future had already happened. And it’s a great mood piece complete with simple, memorable synth lines.
Licking Rainbows – Track 1
Similar artists: Etienne Machine
The gloves are off. Modern bands love creating hybrid styles, and Licking Rainbows are looking to show that they are among the most daring to attempt this.
There used to be a time when melding two distinct genres of music together was newsworthy. For example, putting together the uber-aggressive styles of heavy metal and rap together was the kind of thing that warranted entire columns in prestigious publications. What bravery! What vision!
Enough time has passed, and technology offers us an infinite variety of possibilities for self-expression. It means that pop stars have no qualms about adding a 15-second black-metal jingle in a pop tune or symphonic elements in a song about tipping strippers. That’s all fine and good, but who will be courageous enough to truly go deep into these experiments?
Licking Rainbows’ “Track 1” feels like the work of world-class chefs who’ve decided to throw away the cookbook. Pure psychedelia is the effect that is being chased here. Achieving this is done through an intro of barbershop harmonies followed by soft-loud grunge dynamics followed by classic rock guitar solos. It’s an interesting mix, a kind of “The Beach Boys playing power chords,” and it works.
