Simitree – CUDITB
Similar artists: Caribou, Radiohead, Clark, Björk, Tame Impala
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Indietronica
Who wants to be a guitar nerd now anyway? Who wants to play as fast as Malmsteen and as precise as Stevie Ray Vaughn? Nerds, for the most part. These people certainly managed to push technical proficiency to the extreme when it comes to classic rock instrumentation. But they’ve also played a hand in making it all seem terribly uncool.
What are the cool kids doing nowadays? Well, most of them aren’t playing music. And the ones who are willing to invest their time and imagination in it aren’t looking at the guitar as a tool to play fast solos. They’re investigating modern gadgets, production trickery, and sonic textures to create sounds that reflect the techno-utopia that we are supposedly moving toward.
Simitree’s “CUDITB” is a modern prog-rock, really, where the electricity pulsating out of the wires provides the dance beat, and the words sound like a murmur coming out of the power lines. There’s no jazz theory here and no wasting time with acts of pointless virtuosity. This sounds like the world feels – fascinating, frightening, and confusing.
Turtle Skull – Heavy As Hell
Similar artists: Ty Segall, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Kikagaku Moyo, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Pond
Genre: Stoner Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Mystery can be an incredible ingredient when it comes to creating the reputation of a musical artist. It’s always been this way, and modern publicists are just as aware of the impact that a bit of uncertainty can have on potential fans. The only problem is that, for the most part, the wealthy and well-dressed pop stars of the time are as dull as a can of white paint.
Maybe they ought to take a hint from the past, especially the glorious 1960s. Sure, many people will instinctively think of the hippies when trying to recall what was happening in the U.S.A. during that period. But many sinister forces were also about. From Black Sabbath to the Manson Family, artists who looked like they were part either part of a cult or the leaders of one, were many.
The horror films and horror news stories that created a shock and a stir during the 1960s inform the Turtle Skull’s “Heavy As Hell.” Like Uncle Acid & The Deadbets, Turtle Skull are merely interested in making you think you accidentally dropped in late-night party at Roman Polanksi’s house. They’re also committed to creating the kind of sound that a band playing at that party might have had at that disposal. It’s that kind of attention to detail that you have to appreciate.
