Nervous – Don’t Call an Ambulance
Genre: Post-Punk, Alternative Rock
Can you make angry rock music without utilizing the tried and tested powers of electric guitars and drums? Probably. But, the choice itself of ditching these sonic elements used across the vast majority of songs is enough to draw attention to the music. Certain standards exist because they’ve been proven to work and also because nobody thinks that they’re allowed a chance to ditch them.
There was once a time when using an unusual instrument on a rock song was enough to make global headlines. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones introduced the sitar to pop songs, and the Western world became obsessed with India. Jean Michel Jarre harnessed the power of the synthesizer and suddenly, every pop band wanted to own one.
Nervous’ decision to build the song “Don’t Call an Ambulance” around the sounds of an accordion and an electric guitar is a brave one. It’s also not merely a gimmick but a real attempt to create an unusual sound. Mixed together with honestly pissed-off post-punk vocals, “Don’t Call an Ambulance” works more than just as a simple oddity. It’s a memorable sound.
Jol – Mother, Please
Similar artists: The Hives, The Clash, Cage The Elephant
Genre: Punk, Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
You always have a chance to turn things around. Remember that. Especially when things get rough. Luck’s just around the corner, and waking up to this fact requires almost as much courage as getting ready to acknowledge a potentially terrible defeat. Get ready for success, and you might not be too surprised when it finds you.
Just take a look at rock bands. There are plenty of stories there meant to inspire you. There are plenty of musicians whose lives were changed by the right song. There are instances where the right three-chord sequence turned some songwriters into rich, respected figures. It might never happen. Sure. The odds are stacked against you. But it has happened before. Ain’t that enough to make you want to hope?
Jol’s “Mother, Please” is a punk song, sure. But it is in the tradition of great punk songs; it’s also a pop song masquerading as something angry, unwashed, and ready to throw the first Molotov cocktail. No, just like The Clash, there is a great reference point for Jol; hooks matter, and more people tapping their feet means more people are working for the revolution. Jol can get you rocking and, yeah, tapping your feet as well.
