Nothingheads – Blind Spot
There’s a party going on inside the palace gates. You’re not invited. That ain’t nothing new. People like you were never invited. People like you never mattered. Unfortunately, now you can vote. But that doesn’t mean anyone is going to ask what you want. Just choose “A” or “B.” It doesn’t matter. Someone did the math way before you showed to rubber stamp your choice.
That’s the obsession of many modern people. And, while they may one day find that they’ve wasted a good portion of their life on something that is beyond their ability to change, it is easy to understand such interest and the rage it creates. The folks in charge are more concerned with the common man than ever before if you go by their speeches. But the common man doesn’t feel included.
It’s the idea that brought post-punk music back into the limelight. And it’s no coincidence that more than 90% of noteworthy post-punk bands come out of Britain. Like the very best of them, Nothingheads’ “Blind Spot” is a song featuring angry barked vocals, gallows humor lyrics, and slightly dissonant music that suggests an interest in both punk and modern experimental composers. It’s enough to get you angry. You should do just that, but also remember that it’s gonna be us picking up brooms and tidying everything up once it’s all over.
No See Ums – Weekend
It’s easy to get envious of people. It’s especially easy to do it if those people happen to play in bands, have cool haircuts, and have had the luck of the draw of being born in one of those rich countries whose football players seem perpetually arrogant about their abilities. But, recently, life has conspired to make it so that these are some of the people saddest about.
The extremists are winning elections left and right. People are unhappy. Most of these people were born in some of the wealthiest places in the world. They try and think of the reasons why they would be so unhappy. They determine that it must be because of international politics or because of foreigners conspiring against them. It’s an anxious time. No wonder modern post-punk music has become something of a soundtrack for countries like England.
The first thing to notice about No See Ums, the band behind the excellent single “Weekend,” is that they’re miserable. Secondly, they’re post-punks from merry ol’ England. Thirdly, and most importantly, they’re immensely funny in a way that most of their compatriots and genre-mates simply are not. It’s music for doom and gloom times, but, boy, is it charming and hilarious.
At the time of writing this, England is still in the footy Euros. But I suggest that this will make a wonderful anthem once, inevitably, that adventure comes to a premature end.
