Pleasure Nature – Kerosene
Similar artists: Nirvana, Bauhaus, Radiohead, The Smiths
Genre: Grunge, Alternative Rock
Doing things differently is bound to get an artist praised by some and misunderstood by most others. But do the same thing enough times, and it will become a staple. And, if the idea is good enough, it’ll start being used by a bunch of other artists with fewer original ideas, or just not enough bravery to try things out first.
It’s interesting how musical ideas by bands like Nirvana or Radiohead, groups who proudly did things just a little bit differently from their more commercial contemporaries, are so famous nowadays that they are just as instantly recognizable as a Chuck Berry riff, or a John Bonham drum fill. Music is music, after all, and if competent musicians hear something often, they’ll be compelled to play it. But how do they turn it into something that is their own?
One path toward originality is by taking your influences and glueing them together in a way that others have not yet tried. Pleasure Nature’s “Kerosene” does this well, finding a way to draw up a map between unlikely locations in the alternative-rock land of strange dreams. That should be enough for you to give it a listen, but it’s not just the style that’s intriguing. Pleasure Nature bring their unique brand of melancholy to this, making a sound all of their own.
Venus Daze – Warlock
Similar artists: Queens of the Stone Age, Nirvana, System Of A Down
Genre: Grunge, Alternative Rock
We’re now in the era where kids playing video games have become much more terrifying than adults in rock bands. That ain’t a good look. Let’s face it: part of the charm of rock music is the opportunity to get in touch from a safe distance with the kinds of characters that you’d avoid shaking hands with or buying a beer when they sit in the supermarket parking lot and ask you.
I am not advocating madness and violence, although a healthy bit of that may not be so bad. All I’m saying is that bands ought to get their priorities straight and stop being so damn boring. You can tell when you hear an interview of these people. The first couple of minutes are dull, the next few are pointless, and the rest is damn excruciating.
Fortunately for them, Venus Daze, responsible for the grunty space-rock “Warlock,” sound like they’ve spent their youth without any neighbours to rub shoulders with and with only the classic rock radio station to offer some comfort. It’s enough to create some weirdness, and that, in turn, is enough to make the group sound like they are on a bizarre mission and have room in the back. That’s the sort of eeriness I expect from my music!
