The History of Gunpowder – The Epileptic
Genre: Blues, Post Rock, Indie Rock
The theatre is the best way through which someone can understand the world around them. The most important events of our lives simply weigh too heavily for us to be able to properly comprehend them while they’re happening.
It’s through theatric performances that we are able to discern good from bad and bitter from sweet. Best of all, these kinds of performances allow us to see the world as it is without reducing us to a mess of overwhelming emotions.
There’s nothing natural about the way that The History of Gunpowder plays the blues on “The Epileptic,” but all of it may help tilt reality enough to get a better view of it.
Powered by Tom Waits-like vocal resonance, as well as proficient playing and carefully crafted orchestration, “The Epileptic” is natural horror distilled into modern blues rock.
Piece – star cunt
Similar artists: Sonic Youth, The Breeders, Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, Slant 6
Genre: Punk, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
Young rock stars are naturally capable of producing beautiful, rude poetry. It’s only later, when we see the same stars playing their 10th-year anniversary concert that we realize what they could once do and what we lost.
A&R people and managers understand this. But they rarely know how to harness this power. Instead, they do their best to smooth the edges of the art that they’re trying to promote. It’s hard to be poetic and rude when you’re getting trained by your manager or producer.
Piece’s “star cunt” is about as naively poetic and rude as it gets. It’s bratty and arrogant. It’s the kind of music made by a duo that must think that they’re smarter than most bands. And they’re right.
No, none of this is novel musical territory. Piece loves Sonic Youth and Pixies. But it’s a song that stands apart through the way that the dup zap through their lines or the wide-eyed sickly sweet poetry of the words they’re throwing onto the recording like darts at a loved one’s photograph.
