Sixes & Sevens – In My Head
Similar artists: Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal
Genre: Punk, Alternative Rock
There was a time, not long ago, when not having at least, one guitar with you on stage at all times meant that no venue would risk hiring your band. It was worse than making instrumental music or holding 10-minute speeches about the election in between songs. It was assumed that people would just be bored or, even more likely, confused by a guitarless musical unit. That was a fair point!
Now that the role of the electric guitar has decreased so much throughout pop music, how exactly should it be used on stage? There ought to be some clear regulations. For example, the often repeated mistake of singers merely strapping guitars to their necks and not playing them ought to be banned. Certain limitations should also be placed on guitarists who merely use their six-string as a controller, letting their pedalboard do all the work.
No, if you’re going to insist on having an electric guitar on stage, it ought to make an impression the way that it does on Sixes & Sevens’ “In My Head.” Here, the guitar riffs are the song as they come in confident, humorous, and ready to grab your attention. These riffs are not mere decoration. They tell the story and allow the listener to ride shotgun in a musical vehicle that is just zooming past.
Alejandra O’Leary – Wires
Genre: Shoegaze, Alternative Rock
For many people, adulthood is a long, hard, boring process of trying to put themselves back together. It involves taking stock of bad decisions and coming clean with the harm that others may have inflicted upon you. All of the people looking for this kind of healing use various strategies, but music, humour and the warm tinge of nostalgia are as good as anything for coping.
Whenever you get lost, it is best to track back to the last location that you can recall. Once there, provided you have the energy, it’s up to you to start again. Some familiar elements might be needed on your journey. For many, musical styles that offered them comfort works like a safety blanket. Surely, there are many who remember the importance that guitar-driven alternative rock must’ve had on their lives and who don’t want to lose that connection.
Alejandra O’Leary’s “Wires” sounds like a love letter to 90s alt-rock itself, but also one to the very act of untangling one’s life and going on a search for normalcy. Naturally, that might all be a little too heavy on the psyche, but “Wires” cleverly balances things out with beautiful melodies and lush orchestration. It’s an established formula, but it works excellently because it can easily house road-worn souls trying to put themselves back together.
