Ludettes – Rock n’ Roll is a White Lie
You might end up in the loony bin for telling people about believing in tiny creatures watching you at all times. You won’t get as much as a look of disbelief and pity from people once you tell them that you believe in rock n’ roll. Just add that “Bono was right all along”, and fist-sandwich might be added for good measure.
Let’s face it! Rock’s sold us some amazing stories before the people in charge for keeping it in its cage killed, sold us down the river, and offered Coldplay and Maroon 5 as replacements to those still paying notice.
Ludettes’ Rock n’ Roll is a White Lie is a tender, lo-fi rock number built on those illusions. It’s a gorgeous ode to disappointment. It’s the last cigarette before the final bus back into town. Ludettes sure know how to crush our dreams, but they do it well.
Reckonhighs – Echo
Somewhere around the 1990s, it became a badge of honour to be able to play only the absolutely fundamentals on the guitar. Power chords were fine, and the occasional Sabbath-inspired riff worked. Nothing more, though. Guitarists that could run through intricate riffs and solos were seen as a remnant of the past.
Those that still wanted to show off or just showcase all the knowledge they’d accumulated were, largely, forced into hiding into the realms of jazz and prog, where musos are always welcome.
There were some folks, though, that were able to integrate complex instrumentation in a modern rock setting. Bands like Muse or Tool seemed to belong to the world of prog, yet they were clever enough to stay away from the genre’s worn-out cliches.
Russian rock project Reckonhighs exports the fluid playing of Matt Bellamy and the ambitious orchestration of a band like Faith No More, yet keeps the production fresh and modern. There are plenty of ideas knocking about here. Perhaps, the artist himself hasn’t yet settled on a direction but watching his experiments, and the ease with which he carries them is inspiring nonetheless.
