Matt Palka – Kerouac, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pass That Old Jug of Wine
They sell by the millions, and new ones are written every single year. But the trouble is that all of the biographies of famous novelists all seem to tell the same story. Don’t believe me? Just grab a few and lay them side by side.
Maybe it’s fate, or perhaps it’s just the only story that can work. Much as Behind the Music documentaries all had the same beginning, middle, and ending, a novelist’s existence includes ambition, boredom, plenty of drinking, and, more often than not, a tragic demise.
Still, there’s no denying either the talent that some of those people possessed, nor the fact that their charm alone makes them the kind of company you’d enjoy having. In his darkest hours, Matt Palka dreams of hanging out with North American literary greats.
The only trouble is that they’re always drunk, and Palka, by contrast, has a life to live. “Kerouac, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Pass That Old Jug of Wine” is a lovable, inebriated sing-along. Like his heroes, Palka knows his way along a strong phrase. But, unlike them, and fortunately, he’s got enough good sense and humour to know when to call it a night.
Fuar – devil on my shoulder
Rock music, in either of its varieties, is the soundtrack to bad decisions. It’s the thing played in the background while you entertain dubious relations. It’s something meant to stand in stark contrast with the feeling of relief.
Everyone knows that. It’s such an oft-established fact, of course, that rock songs are always the thing that’s being played in scenarios of people play-acting villains. What’s the song being played when a bad guy walks through the door? Something with guitars, of course.
But what if the villain is beautifully seductive? And what if your intentions are even more villainous than theirs? That’s what Fuar tries to prove a song for with “devil on my shoulder.”
The track is built around a playful, bluesy chord sequence. The lead vocals slide smoothly over the acoustic guitar chords. They whisper of poor choices made in bad company. It’s a subtle-sounding version of rock n’ roll, but one that, as is customary, is about heroes and villains.
