
Lightwatch – Adrenaline
Maybe it’s just a matter of attitude. The biggest athletes in the world train a lot, sure. But when it comes to games that could win them a medal, they have the confidence that they have precisely what it takes to make the anthem be played specifically for them. For some, it’s a dose of delusion that they’re running on. But it’s a method that has been proven to work.
Guitar-powered hard-rocking bands haven’t been near the pop charts too often in recent years. Maybe it’s the confidence that’s holding many of them back. Sure, some of the musicians in those bands are tattooed, steroid-popping alpha males in the limelight. But judging by their writing and lyrics especially, they are really frightened boys looking for shelter. Maybe it’s time to go back to basics.
Lightwatch are ready! They’ve studied the best of what alternative rock once had to offer, and they’ve kept an eye on the charts. Plus, they have an unfair advantage to boot. They come from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. No wonder they’re this confident. “Adrenaline” has all of the guitar riffs you could desire and QotSA-like production. But it’s not a tune designed to pummel you into oblivion or make you want to drive to the gym. It’s got a strong groove and great lyrical phrasing. Besides, Lightwatch are treating their success as a given, and that kind of confidence is contagious.
Amongst Liars – Vice
It’s not like our teachers don’t like to help us. It’s just that they’re usually old. And It’s not just their joints that ache and their breathing that’s shallow. There’s also something about their heads. The advice that they can give us is inspired by the things that they experienced and studied. All of these problems are related to problems that people used to have a long time ago. What about what’s happening now, then?
Music’s always been a great tool for learning. Pop music has, on occasion, been good at shining a light on real-life problems. Still, in order to speak to people who are trying to solve these problems right at this time, you need to find a language that they understand. It needs to sound modern. It needs to be of the age. It also has to contain a nugget of ancient wisdom.
Amongst Liars’ “Vice” is modern alt-rock inspired by metalcore and the overly-produced sounds of bands like Bring Me The Horizon. The rage and desire for better days are themes that you could just as well find in the genre’s predecessors, like grunge, thrash, or punk.
But, for now, these are still new sounds. They’re put to good use as Amongst Liars make this pop-heavy sound be about overcoming struggles related to mental health issues, a problem that is turning into an epidemic. These sounds won’t stay young forever, but, many of these issues will remain the same. They just need the right language to be properly addressed.