Mouth Culture – Sharkbait
Similar artists: Wayside, Shangrila, Parting Gift, Tropic Gold
Genre: Alternative Rock
For all the yelling and protesting that the punk bands did, the classic rock bands have remained the standard bearers when it comes to guitar music. Decades later, little has changed. No, the classic rock bands don’t enjoy many singles in the Top 40, and few kids younger than 20 years old know who they are. But, an entire industry has been built around them, and it includes shows, radio stations, merchandise, and, occasionally, records, too.
That’s just perfect for anyone still doing something different to that. Mouth Culture’s reference point is 90s alternative rock. And while time has passed and even wilder things have reared their ugly heads, alt-rock strategies continue to be seen, rightfully so, as a way to purposely avoid being part of that large business machine built on the work of even older, famous rock groups.
Mouth Culture’s “Sharkbait” is an alt-rock song that leads listeners towards the chorus like a children’s rebus. Everything else here is bait. It works to create tension. It is sung in hushed tones, and the lyrics merely allow the listeners to scratch the surface of all of the rage that the group has cooked up. Once the chorus is hit, the distortion pedals light up, and the drummer lets loose. That’s when you hear the real measure of the group. All these years later, 1990s alt-rock dynamics still do a job and still exist as a means to contrast with all the groups favoring endless guitar solos.
Alastair Ottesen – Out Of My Senses
Similar artists: Drugdealer, Sam Evian, Benny Sings
Genre: Lo-fi Rock
What are you gonna do today to make the world a better place? Probably nothing, and it’s unlikely that you’ll even try. Nah, you oughtn’t feel ashamed. It’s what most of your peers will be doing, too. And, after all, just getting by and going through this thing called “life” ought to be enough. Everything else is purely elective. But, just so you know, there’s extra credit in it if you want to give it a chance.
Still not interested? Well, thankfully, the world can depend on folks like Alastair Ottesen. No, as far as we know, they have not volunteered to lead a neighborhood watch or to clean litter from the children’s playground. It’s nothing that noble, no. What Ottesen could do, theoretically, is create wonderful music every time he sits near a functioning musical instrument.
Alastair Ottesen’s “Out Of My Senses” sounds like the real-time depiction of a songwriter coming up with a sweet, Beatlesque arrangement. There’s something rather glorious and magical in that. So much so, in fact, that Ottesen doesn’t feel the need to weigh it down with needless production tricks. It’s pretty, and it’s Lo-Fi. And it certainly isn’t making the world a worse place. In fact, it made my afternoon better for having heard it. Plus, who doesn’t like seeing Vincent Price as frequently as one can?
