
Crash Cadet – Knew a Girl
Similar artists: King Gizzard and Wizard Lizard, Beck, Black Keys, Soundgarden
Genre: Grunge, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock
Technically, anyone can make a record nowadays. Releasing music is as easy as starting an Instagram account. Moreover, there are examples of artists that became famous right out of recording music in their bedrooms.
Despite this, music production, generally, has grown to the point where it bares little resemblance to sounds that the human voice or live instruments can produce.
Modern pop music, at least, is obsessed with sounds that are so pristine and dependent on expensive producers that the songs could be made without the need for songwriters and singers at all. A lot of time, it is made that way.
Crash Cadet’s Knew a Girl sounds like grunge music made in someone’s basement. It is made that way. It’s weird and imaginative and displays the talent of the songwriter very well. And it does sound like it’s made on exactly no budget. There is hope for real songwriting still.
Sean Spada – Set Up to Self-Destruct
Similar artists: Todd Rundgren, Randy Newman, Dr, John, Ben Folds, Father John Misty, Harry Nilsson, Man Man
Genre: Alternative Rock, Lo-Fi Rock
Some of the very best rock songs are written by people that don’t look like they should be hanging around rock musicians. They could be doctors, lawyers, or insurance agents. They look smart.
Anybody with any brains would seriously consider avoiding the rock scene. Why it’s made up of a long list of failures? People with little ambition, giant egos, and chemical addictions tend to flock toward it.
Still, the lure of expressing one’s feelings through modern music is sometimes stronger than that of college. The likes of Randy Newman or Leonard Cohen could have done more in a more respectable field. But maybe, they just didn’t have a choice.
Sean Spada’s Set Up to Self-Destruct is a gloriously funny, heartbreaking piano-driven rock song. It’s an ode to failure and to those who are addicted to the feeling of messing up. It’s the sort of tune written for people with too much of a brain and an addiction to screwing up on purpose. You gotta smile; otherwise, you’d cry.