Make Believe Love and Royne Berget Reviewed
Make Believe Love – Organic Growth
You’d hear stories, I suppose. There would be whispers about some guy who could play the guitar with his teeth, and you’d feel inclined to drive the whole day to a concert inside a shed somewhere just to see if it was true.
You might hear of a folk singer with perfect teeth and lyrics about French poets and clouds, and you’d be told that hearing the songs in the right mood might get you to connect to some Ancient divinity. And could you do but get in your car and see if it was true?
And what if you were the special person delivering the exhilarating artistic thrills? Well, you’d just have to wait for someone to drive all the way up to your shed and see for themselves. The digital age? A bunch of sheds that are shown on the map if the algorithm deems them worthy enough, as Make Believe Love keeps telling themselves.
The jokes write themselves for “Organic Growth,” but frustration with the internet and our own shallowness aside, Make Believe Love, it has to be said, are power-pop maestros of the Teenage Fanclub variety. They can carry the message and carry a tune. Their melodies are sharp and, judging by their lyrics, their fuse is short. But there’s a tiny little shed somewhere, and I’m sure that if your car can make it all the way up that hill, you’ll be in for something special.
Royne Berget – Wish I Was A Teenage Rebel
“Why don’t you get together with your old friends and just sing that “Stairway to Heaven” song?” That’s, I’m sure, what Robert Plant gets asked every day as he strolls through the Welsh hills. And, I’d like to believe that upon hearing the question, Mr Plant smiles, walks on and doesn’t let a thing he did many decades ago affect the experience of his present life.
Even rock stars are forced to live in the past. So, what hope do the rest of us have? The past sneaks up on you and is always ready to deliver some sad tale about embarrassing mistakes and disastrous failures, before running back off and leaving you confused.
Still, remaining a slave to past glories or old failures is no way to live. It’s a wasted opportunity. Royne Berget would just like to get rid of it all. And for that purpose, the songwriter lays it all on the table for “Wish I Was A Teenage Rebel.” The drunken nights, the lingering doubts, the romantic feelings are all here. And, once in the light, you get a sense that Berget is a little lighter, a little less spooked. It’s a charming, jangly tune and a recommendation for us all.
