My Son The Doctor – King of the Zoomers
Genre: Punk, Post-Punk, Indie Rock
There are some bands that are destined to sound like the work of people that weren’t quite meant to be in bands, yet don’t exactly seem fit for anything else. These are the rare examples of folks that make music as naturally as drinking a glass of water. Yet, they also infuse all of their work with so much dread and anxiety that it’s hard not to feel for them.
The likes of Spoon and Pavement turned their brainy anxieties into an art, and so many others eagerly followed. It’s not only for the fact that these bands managed to create clever, unique sounds. It’s also because, whether intended or not, they represent groups of people who had never really considered the possibility that their poetry and guitar playing could be turned into a full-time job. And, it shows.
My Son The Doctor sounds like one of Stephen Malkmus’ bad fancies, where he is forced, for eternity to write Pavement pop tunes for a mean corporate boss. He’d do a better job than most, and since he’s not really doing this at all these days, we can rejoice in the detached cool and storytelling of My Son The Doctor’s King of the Zoomers, a kind of soundtrack to an imagined low-budget epic adventure epic shot in somebody’s living room.
Megan and Shane – Little Birds
Genre: Folk, Americana, Acoustic
The thing about rock n’ roll is that everyone that really loves it, wants to kill it. It’s not mean intended. It’s just the way it’s meant to be. Anyone looking to develop new sounds, new ideas, or a new philosophy feels inclined to try and destroy the established order.
This is all well and good. There are cities that have been erected as experiments for living outside of regular norms. Most of these have been a success. Similarly, there are numerous musical genres created as experiments that have to do with doing away with old music ideas. A lot of them can be a success.
However, truthfully, they can’t go anywhere without the basic tools of songwriting. Megan and Shane live and die by the basic tenets of crafting songs. Little Birds keep the spirit alive with beautiful harmonized vocals, a tender acoustic guitar-driven arrangement, and a powerful foundation the existence of which listeners will, no doubt, be convinced.
