Magnum Dopus – Vampires in Memphis
They’re working in offices, riding the trains back home, and strolling through the park. You see them in line at the supermarket and don’t even sigh in astonishment any more. They look like they’ve arrived off the set of a movie, or like they’ve been transported from a distant, violent past. But, for the most part, they’re friendly, will make eye contact, and, if asked, will comment on the weather.
Fans of alternative music styles and those who have adopted the lifestyles associated with them are everywhere. The kinds of people who would play in a band like Magnum Dopus are forced to live among all of us boring regulars. Pale-faced fans of Christian Death visit Rose and the Vatican on Summer holiday. Slayer fans with tattoos on their heads are sitting in line at the salad bar.
It’s all a gentle negotiation between ordinary and otherworldly. And that’s something that Magnum Dopus balances in their excellent-sounding “Vampires in Memphis.” Goth-tinged, but also humorous, this is music for people forced to deal with the human condition when, really, they’d deserve better.
Listen closely and you’ll hear traces of country and psychedelia in this melting pot of alternative music styles. Fans of Nick 13 of Tiger Army will also be able to find some joy in the brilliant singing heard across this track. “Vampires in Memphis” is a great song from a band stuck in between worlds.
Tsara – Offline
People who keep a diary of their dreams by their bed tend to give up after a couple of weeks. Yes, some are discouraged by the work it entails. But the vast majority simply get fed up with having to admit, in writing, to the thoughts that their minds produce.
It is an investigation worth the effort, the doubts, and the stress. With people casually denying their instincts in order to fit into this world, wouldn’t they want to know what really lurks inside their imagination? Music like the one produced by dark-wave’s Tsara may help on that route.
Any great mystery must be soundtracked. Any great moment of revelation can be immediately summoned back by remembering the sounds that were playing in the background. And all of these must help grow that mystery, not spell it out.
There’s not a lot of information that Tsara’s “Offline” offers listeners. The goth/dark-wave arrangement is minimalist. Melodies drip like water off the ceiling. The beat has an almost trap-like groove, and vocals barely make an appearance other than as a whisper. But it’s what the artist leaves out that really makes the song interesting. It’s everything that you can imagine might be happening. Just like being caught in the middle of a Summer storm, “Offline” stimulates the senses in a way that a mess of noise cannot.
