13th Ward Social Club x Mike Slap – Cherrybomb
Similar artists: The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach, Jack White, The Dead Weather
Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
13th Ward Social Club x Mike Slap’s “Cherrybomb” is a convincing piece of sophisticated pop for those proud of owning or dreaming of acquiring a respectable record collection. Furthermore, as retro-embracing as it is, the song is also time-appropriate.
Why have there been so many successful singles in recent years that sound like they belong to a decade far removed from the present? The answer is simple. The only way to even cut a record back then was if you could play, sing, arrange and perform.
As with anything else that technology facilitates, musical abilities decrease when they are given too much of a push. If a modern pop star possesses even one of the qualities mentioned earlier, they are an exception. Rarely do we encounter musicians who have all of those anymore.
13th Ward Social Club x Mike Slap’s “Cherrybomb” is a song built for people who long after the soulfulness of old hits and for the ability of previous generations of musicians. It may be a bit soft in places, but the pristine production and the Eric Burdon-like vocals really power this forward. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to build a vinyl collection in 2023, and this kind of material could easily be added to it.
Pyramid Rose Band – Townie
Similar artists: Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers
Genre: Alt-Country, Garage Rock, Alternative Rock
When Paul Westerberg sang “Here Comes a Regular,” one could be forgiven for thinking that the people the Replacements’ frontman was talking about were not very different from himself. Regardless, there was just as much bitterness as empathy for these kinds of pissed, down-on-their-luck characters.
This was something that many would-be alt-rock songwriters could relate to and opened up a whole new avenue of topics to address in songs. The road is long and wide, after all, and not every kind of punk-rock fan can fall forever into the same songs dealing with hating the government and your parents.
Pyramid Rose Band’s “Townie” betrays tremendous ambitions for rock songwriting. A vignette with guitar accompaniment tells a heartbreaking story of the kinds of people that few want to bother with these days. Luck won’t need to be the only thing going for Pyramid Rose Band. Fate would have it that the band is blessed with an excellent singing voice to rely on, and the band’s strong playing doesn’t hurt either.
