Sam Vane – professional guilt tripper
It wasn’t just rockers and mods involved in bloody carnage on the beaches of Brighton because of the haircuts they wore or the vehicles they preferred driving. Fans of different music genres clashed for years, and often did it violently. Why, it was even punk-rock fans, post-punk enthusiasts and the usually friendly goths who would come to blows on the streets of Britain.
Yes, until recently, the genre that an artist adhered to said everything about them. It guaranteed placement in a certain section of the music store, on specific web pages and in the hearts of a particular group of fans.
But, for younger musicians, genres mean nothing more than places from where they can pick up ideas and start mixing. Case in point, Sam Vane, an emerging American artist making heavy guitar music that has little in common with the horror-themed metal sounds of the past.
Instead, “professional guilt tripper” is internet-era heavy music. It’s a song inspired by the weight and lushness of shoegaze-styled guitar. It’s a tune that doesn’t shy away from displaying emotion. And it’s a song that defines the present.
Timing Your Memory – mary oliver is gangstalking me
Since the dawn of pop music, there have been those unsatisfied with merely hearing a tune and enjoying it for what it was. Indeed, there have always been those who, under the profound influence of some melody that cut straight through their soul, liked to imagine that a song or a band was more than it was, that it was tied to shadowy organisations, seductive conspiracies, secrets that others, not themselves, knew about.
Not a great deal has changed. Pop music continues to create its own shadowy organisations, people still meet in underground locations to dissect pop songs, and secret pop music languages still emerge. And never forget that you always have the option of creating your own secret world if you wish.
Timing Your Memory tries to do just that. “mary oliver is gangstalking me” is a catchy pop-punk tune designed to reflect pop culture trends, or, perhaps, start one on the fly. The idea that the song is reflecting the spirit of some quirky movement gives the song a particular weight, but it is the melodies and the sense of innocence behind the performance which really help to make it special.
