Soyboy – Slap!
Growing up, I always thought that sexual deviance, narcotic use, and activities that endanger your safety would just be a little … ehm … more exciting. At the very least, I imagined that, should you choose to partake in any of these, your reputation would be enough to get you cut off the list for respectable dinner parties and kicked out of yoga-centric WhatsApp groups.
But, no. Everyone’s doing it. And, worse still, everyone’s awfully nice and boring about it. The people in alternative lifestyles give “debauchery” a bad name as they quit their jobs as marketing assistants and computer programmers to go get tied up in some old lady’s basement on the weekend. Still, as you listen to something like Soyboy, you earn some of your hope back.
“Slap” by Soyboy sounds like a party band that few would like to hire and that Australia would never dare send to the Eurovision (prove me wrong!). Looking back and taking a cue from the likes of !!! or The Rapture, Soyboy sounds like the kind of party that makes you question your life choices. It sounds like music that people don’t want to spend the time trying to sit around and understand because they fear they’ll end up like the people playing it. It’s the kind of band that, in 12 months, you might get in trouble for publicly admitting you supported! Wonderful! Horribly good fun!
Cosmic Madness – Can’t Follow
Most of the best rock n’ roll stories are just that. They’re a myth. Did Dylan really fall off his motorcycle, thereby breaking one of the greatest runs of releases of all time? Did Lennon really trip so far out that he believed he was God, and upon returning to Earth, decide to break up his band? Did Elvis really get drafted and made to travel overseas by Uncle Sam, and was never the same man again?
Those all could’ve happened, but, frankly, there is not enough visual proof of it. All of these tales add to the myth of rock n’ roll, as do stories about fantastic concerts. Unlike Woodstock, you’ll never actually hear or see the best live bands at their very best. All that happened was that energy got passed from one person to another. All that we’re left with are all the stories that those in attendance have been telling for years.
The members of the Spanish group Cosmic Madness are crying over a world they never really got to know. And why shouldn’t they? The lyrics for “Can’t Follow” describe modern life as a series of kicks and distractions we all get from a device perpetually found in our pockets. But the groove, on the other hand, tells the story of people finding themselves out on the dance floor on long warm nights. It’s a song about disconnection and the only way that we can possibly repair it. And, still, the greatest musical moments will never be properly documented. That’s just how it works!
