
LoFi Travel & Octopus Orchestra – Mosquito Mescalito
You don’t always get what’s printed on the tin. But, one look at the exotically titled Mosquito Mescalito by LoFi Travel & Octopus Orchestra will likely reach your eye and let you know that you’re in for something a bit eccentric.
The Russian acts are not just great at naming things. They also have a knack for looking back into the past, the 1990s decade especially, and grabbing psych-rock tropes that they can reshape into their own image.
From the jingle-jangle guitars to the overdrive lacing of the six-string fills, it’s clear that both LoFi Travel and Octopus Orchestra share an affinity for the more mysterious-leaning sector of Brit-pop. It’s an interesting choice given that some great records made back then (Mansun, Shed Seven, Sleeper), have all but been forgotten in exchange for the arena-sized anthems of their contemporaries.
For the artists on Mosquito Mescalito, their method of looking back is to create rock n’ roll sounds with just a bit of quirk and mischief added to them
Local Nomad – Karen
Meme-rock was bound to become a thing sooner or later. How could it not when the newest 15-second viral clip is almost guaranteed to get more clicks than singles featured on the Billboard Top 100.
A “Karen“, for those avoiding the main meme aqueducts in recent years, is a term meant to describe a woman that is loud and feels a sense of entitlement about things. It is thus a perfect, risk-free target for a vitriolic rock-tune. God save the Queen this is not. No skinheads are going to be swinging chains at local nomad and deportation is unlikely to be on the cards. For one thing, nobody’s going to come out as a Karen to object to Local Nomad.
That aside, the tune is funny and lovely, like Tenacious D creating a movie soundtrack for a film set in the 1960s. Like the mighty duo, Local Nomad has its host of famous fans.
The singer, in a soulful voice, advises Karen to change her ways over a jingle-jangle guitar arrangement. Songs are best enjoyed when provided context and so, if you’re in on the Karen jokes, are most likely to enjoy this and exchange a chuckle with your friends.