Vague Lanes – Here:: Now
Genre: New wave, 80s Rock, Gothic / Dark Wave
Similar artists: The Cure, Lowlife
Vague Lanes draws upon goth-rock original sonic blueprint to good effect on the single Here :: Now.
In many ways, goth music is a form of guided meditation for people with distrust of religious organizations and with a snappier sense of fashion than most. It’s the sound of slow trembles. And, it’s an active exercise in learning to gain control over one’s environment.
The original punks were preoccupied with playing faster and louder than typical rock groups. This lead to the invention of hardcore and various form of heavy metal.
The goth bands were preoccupied with making sure you’d taken note of the scenery that they were trying to describe. This lead to bands playing slower, confronting audiences directly, emphasizing words to ensure that meaning does not get lost.
Vague Lanes’ captures the same kind of confidence on Here :: Now. This is not a band trying to disguise their song with volume and speed. They sound like a group making music in an abandoned mansion built in a deserted cave, and, by golly, they want you to take in every nuance of their playing.
Pearly – Julianne Moore
Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
Similar artists: chromatics, sleigh bells, sonic youth
Pearly sound perversely merry and terrifying all at once on the single Julianne Moore.
There is still a giant market for horror movies. Similarly, there exists a large audience for angry rock music. Both things appeal to a certain niche audience. Both of them, ultimately, are consumed with the purpose of scratching an itch.
It’s better for everyone that the people who love this kind of music perform their psychodramas inside the concert halls or movie theatres, and not bring it to the street, I guess.
And, while many people attempt to make the most frightening music they can think of, chills and in short demand. Most of the time, an audience shrugs. They’re blase. They’ve heard and seen it all.
Well, Pearly’s Julianne Moore is a surprisingly ghastly piece of music. It’s reminded this writer of Nine Inch Nails’ The Downard Spiral. It’s simple, clever, and genuinely sounds unhinged. It’s hard to argue with a sick mind, and this writer will be on the lookout for more from Pearly.