
JARKO – Crooked County Fair
Similar artists: KGLW, Dead Kennedys, Primus
Krautrock, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock
The people who first heard The Ramones must have felt like they’d just stuck their fingers through an electrical socket. Who could be so smart to make music that was this dumb? Who were these kids that just understood that rock n’ roll was most certainly a laughing matter? And, most importantly, how come we’re back to where we were prior to their music being released?
Yep, music should ideally fill like electroshock, or at the very least, as if you’ve just ingested candy that is made with the strangest flavor you’ve ever tasted. It’s particularly powerful if, like the candy in question, you aren’t entirely sure if you like it or not, and so you’re forced to give it another try.
JARKO’s Crooked County Fair sounds like music made by a demented comic book villain. The verse parts swirl like a malfunctioning rollercoaster, while the chorus recalls Jello Biafra at his most mischievous. There’s a sense of glee about attacking music this way, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
Ringfinger – Familiar Placement
Genre: Post-Punk, Gothic / Dark Wave
Similar artists: Depeche Mode, Twin Tribes, She Past Away, Sisters Of Mercy, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Actors, Bauhaus
Maybe the people who listen to the same kind of music for the entirety of their lives have just been lucky to find what they needed early on. Perhaps it’s like people who fall in love with their high school sweetheart and end up staying married. It doesn’t happen often, and their peers are naturally suspicious. But, when it does, it’s hard to replace it with anything else.
The music that you positively love throughout your life, generally, does either one of two things. Either it provides the backdrop to let your imagination run free, or it provides the backdrop to let your body run free. A person that is encouraged by music to do one of these things has no reason to become anything less than a devoted fan.
Ringfinger’s Familiar Placement is a slow dance, a goth-rock song that plays upon the kind of imagery that suggests a darkly romantic fantasy. By the sound of it, the song is crafted as a genuine homage to the genre’s luminaries like the early Sisters of Mercy, or Bauhaus. It’s theatrical and playful and might require you to fix your hair if you’re planning on seeing this group live. But, most importantly, if it’s caught you under its spell, it’s unlikely to leave you.