Sonja Midtune – Falling UP
The record stores (few that still exist) have all but given up on a genre-based system of sorting music out. They’ll just do it alphabetically. They’ll just highlight a couple of the records that they know the vast majority of people will want to buy.
Who killed the music genres? How long before a genre-bending artist like Sonja Midtune came along did all happen? I ain’t no historian and can barely remember breakfast, but I assume that it was the law-breaking of 1990s bands and artists that did it.
Back then, for a short while, alternative artists were on the radio and MTV. Playing Black Sabbath riffs and yelling at audiences could only work for so long. Pop hooks were needed, and production tricks that either made the songs sound like they were from the future or out of time entirely.
There’s a lo-fi beat to “Falling UP” that reminds me of the great sleeper pop hits of the 1990s, of songs that achieved fame without being too fussed over by record labels. Sonja Midtune blends pop, indie and lo-fi elements seamlessly here. But the objective isn’t the mix itself, but getting listeners grooving along to it in a trance-like state. Get this to whatever radio stations can still influence public taste, and the song should be able to do the rest.
Niño Fantasma – Bienvenidos
Pop culture is really good for a lot of things. But it doesn’t allow much room for different ideas to be shared through it. What pop culture does well is to offer all of us one language and one set of symbols that we can understand. Cool!
Now, in order to do that, you need a few nodes from which all pop culture information can be disseminated. Anglo-American music, films, and symbols have been the dominant force in this world for a few decades. But Niño Fantasma dream of a different world.
In this world, people who have only been fed burgers, fries and American pop music are anxious for something else. They want to be invited to a wedding by their Latin neighbors. They want to join the Eastern European barbecue party. And, they’re open to hearing Persian, Indian or Chinese music. Oh, what a world this could be!
For now, Sweden’s Niño Fantasma takes care of the Latin wedding party vibes and is part of the equation on “Bienvenidos.” If you’re a rock fan accustomed merely to the Anglo-American sounds provided by the radio, you may feel weary at first. Don’t worry! That’s part of the deal. Just let yourself go, feel your body moving, dance and chant. You’ll get it eventually! And, once you do, you won’t just want one single flavor of pop music ever again.
