Pop music sounds great nowadays. In particular, everything sounds pristine. More specifically, every sound is tuned to perfection. And, in actual fact, it’s all a terrible and complete bore. Pop music is an industrial-sized attempt to get your ears and everything in between them to do as little work as possible.
Can we really trust music made by people who are so anxious to please us? Can we really respect modern artists who have such an overarching desire of never making us feel uncomfortable? Of course not! Not all music is supposed to work as therapy. Not every sound you hear is supposed to help lull you to sleep.
Imaginative, psychedelically-inclined and with just a little bit of sadism powered up Ravetank’s “Mid Life Crisis Paul McCartney (Rick’s Version)” sounds like what The Beatles would’ve done if they’d tied up George Martin in the bathroom and replaced him with Yoko Ono.
This is lo-fi rock made to sound this way as much as a statement as for the simple pleasure of hearing beautifully untamed, and unfinessed rock music. “Mid Life Crisis Paul McCartney (Rick’s Version)” may well sound to you like the first time in years that you’ve popped a demo cassette into the machine. Ain’t that a nice feeling?
This ain’t no one-two punch either. By the song has fully staked his claim, and while you’ve been busy focusing on the song’s undeniable hooks, you may well start to distinguish a clear structure and direction to this retro-psych tune. Play it a few more times with the same kind of intensity and who knows exactly where your imagination will end up.
What was middle-aged Paul McCartney doing? “Band on the Run,” probably. But that’s a piece of information that routinely depresses musicians of all ages and types.
But, I’d like to think that the always adventurous former Beatle, would also get a kick out of this sweet, but manically distorted sound. This single’s B-side, “Burrito Babe,” features the kind of melodies and chord progression from which 60s bands certainly learned their trade.
It’s a quirky ballad of love and loss that rises in intensity to a point where the instrumental sounds very like a jet plane. It’s an extreme musical strategy, but you get the feeling that Ravetank has taken the role of Protector of this extreme lo-fi sound seriously.
Where does it leave us? Well, just like the best psychedelic songs of the 60s, Ravetank’s music leaves you dazed, powerless and whistling all those sweet melodies. It’s still a powerful combination!
Social media links
