Ma Polaine’s Great Decline – Gasoline Can
If you look at passers-by and try to guess their stories, if you’re conservative enough in your estimates, you’re going to be right nine out of ten times. But don’t flatter yourself! It’s not because you are an incredible judge of character, someone who can see behind appearances. Not necessarily. It’s because most people’s stories are the same.
Nearly everyone falls in love, hopefully, and sadly, almost everyone falls out of love or has someone fall out of love with them. The stories seem to keep repeating, but they still need to be told. Ma Polaine’s Great Decline operate in telling classic tales over a retro-styled sound. But it’s the details and the emotion brought to the telling that give a story life. And it’s the lack of those qualities that makes them simply vanish as one routine occurrence.
When you listen to Ma Polaine’s Great Decline‘s “Gasoline Can” you get the feeling that the sound could’ve been a lot more polished, that the great vocals could’ve been much more over-the-top, and that modern pop production could’ve been involved. Thankfully, the group chooses a rootsy sound that feels like it belongs in an underground blues club that is filled to the brim on a Saturday night. And, the tale being told is one of despair and revenge, a story where the ending is not the one that you’d expect.
Ojahara – You Should’ve Asked Her
How do you properly repay someone whose skill is something where years and years of study, research, and tremendous discipline have been required? If we’re talking about a doctor, lawyer, or economist, the reward comes through the respect they receive wherever they go. A masterful jeweler, or an incredibly gifted programmer, you’d expect, will just get paid more money for the work that they do than someone who doesn’t have the same skills.
But what about a musician whose skill is writing very well-crafted pop songs? Will audiences appreciate the work that went into writing and performing those songs, and will they get rewarded based on the sophistication involved in coming up with the material? The truth is that, oftentimes, yes, only a minority of the audience will be in a position to appreciate these additional competences.
That means that if you enjoy Ojahara’s “You Should’ve Asked Her,” it wouldbe wise to lend even more support than you usually would. These sorts of songwriters are nurtured by two things: the love of devoted fans and Paul McCartney’s early solo material. Using smart melodies, crafty song progressions, and a mighty playful tone, all reminiscent of 1970s Macca, Ojahara creates soulful, complex pop music that is worthy of your attention.
