
Stirling – I Came Late To The Party
Genre: 90s Rock, Alternative Rock
Stirling sounded like alt-rockers who stumbled across their parents’ record collection. And we are all the better for it.
It’s easy to befriend someone whose floor is littered with vinyl that includes Sex Pistols or The Velvet Underground. It’s not hard to imagine that they’d be cool. It’s easy to think that they might just share some of their knowledge or help you get in with similarly cool crowds.
However, to really understand the worth of someone’s record collection, one must check if “Nevermind the Bollocks” is peppered with some Philly Soul, 80s synth-pop, or even some 1950s crooners. It’s nearly impossible for people who’ve spent a lot of time collecting records to not, one day, grow affectionate over terrific music that has never been deemed cool.
Stirling’s “I Came Late To The Party” is a smooth pop song in the interpretation of a rock band. They didn’t arrive at these ideas merely looking to score a hit. No, they recognise the power of this sort of songwriting. And Stirling was also clever enough to know that their singer’s resonant baritone could work well with this kind of material. Call this oldie music if you must, but most record collectors are on the search for something just like this.
BabyJake – Aren’t We Ever Gonna Be More Than Friends?
Similar artists: The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Animals, Greta Van Fleet, The Struts
Genre: Classic Rock, 80s Rock, Garage Rock
With the rock world obsessed with being politically correct and presentable, BabyJake is running in whatever opposite direction there is.
There’s plenty of dumb rock music being made at the moment. But it’s not smart dumb. It’s just obvious. And, clearly, it is made in a way so as not to cause too much offence, not ruffle feathers or have anyone send an angry worded e-mail to the record label fronting the money.
It’s all rather boring. And it’s not in keeping with tradition. Bands like The Ramones or Blondie were smart dumb. They knew how rock songs worked and used the simplest formulas they had available. They knew what they shouldn’t talk about, and they did. And they had the guts to present their work in front of a potentially dangerous audience.
BabyJake’s “Aren’t We Ever Gonna Be More Than Friends?” is a brilliantly silly rock song. From the lyrics to the music, this is as direct as they come. The memorable video presentation looks like the first idea presented to the director. And it all works. Because, at the end of the day, rock music, much like most thrills, was never about showing off or being clever. It was about being exciting, and BabyJake’s music achieves that.