Headless Relatives – Paddock & Hearth
Strange folk (usually men) claiming to have had some sort of spiritual revelations, throughout history, have been able to take their claims and create religions across the world. Some of those have evolved into gigantic institutions that shape the policies and attitudes inside some of the world’s biggest countries. Some are still called cults.
It was, usually, the spoken word, written down by believers, that inspired the fervent admiration for these people. Some of them still manage similar success. But, is music, not a better format, really?
Music is already, for all intents and purposes, a hypnosis tool. Sometimes we use it on ourselves, other times it’s used on us to sell burgers and holidays down in Greece.
Either way, Headless Relatives’ Paddock & Hearth freakish visions aligned to a folkie guitar phrase could be the start of something. However, judging by the artist’s name and the content of their vision, we doubt they will be preaching about peace on Earth. If we made one suggestion, it would be to invest in some sharper attire. Unless they’re living in Waco, plaid shirts may not do the trick. Think white, think a lot of white.
Melissa Carper – I Almost Forgot About You
What qualifies as alternative-music anyway? I could try and define it by taking a good sample of examples but might be disappointed to find that shallow things like gender, age, nationality play their part in our use of the label. Well, frankly, this would be immensely disappointing, especially considering that the aim of the first punk-rock groups was to liberate music for all those that wanted to participate.
Back in the 1990s, an era oft-mentioned on this website, various retro-styled rockers managed big hits by digging back into the past. There was a newfound interest in swing, rockabilly, and blues. All of them had a bit of rock thrown in for good measure, and most of these hits were performed by men.
Well, there’s no reason why Melissa Carper’s excellent, timeless I Almost Forgot About You shouldn’t give her a chance of achieving similar success. The only thing that may work against her could be that the performance is almost too good. A page right out of the history books of American music, I Almost Forgot About You possess a rare, immortal grace.
