Spiny Norman – Dune
Nothing gets done without a story. Nobody naturally feels a kinship with anybody else. Civilisations don’t develop and grow into superpowers before falling back into oblivion. Without it, nobody would feel inclined to get out of bed on the weekend to take part in a march, a secret society meeting, or a drink with the boys where ideas of bloody revolutions are discussed.
Nothing happens without a compelling story, from the smallest things to the most grandiose ideals. The natural world has been clever about it and left us all with nearly a blank canvas on with to project our dreams, fears and desires. But, the first step to acquiring a tale worth telling is to step outside of the regular pace of life, outside of the stories we’re told every single day, and to find something strange, new, unusual.
Spiny Norman’s “Dune” is music written for those setting out on an exploration. This could be a journey in which topographic drawings of a new planet will need to be executed or merely a trip by the lakeside. That part is less important. What is vital to remember is that Spiny Norman use these psychedelic-rock elements blended with a shiny, modern production with the intention to get you dreaming. What you see and how you’ll use it will be up to you.
A Place To Bury Strangers – Disgust
Once you describe yourself as “The Most Extreme Person to Every do X Thing” you’re in for a ride. How do you ever dial things down and what will your supporters do to you if you do? Can you ever relax, or will those who know you as a danger exhibitionist accuse you of losing the plot? Those who have attempted these strategies in the world of music quickly learned there’s no time to relax.
Music festivals are typically so loud that they can be heard on the other side of town or in the forest in which the stage’s been set up. Berlin venues advertise their sound system as something that will make you grow delirious. And people like Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister were, like Beethoven, deaf for the better part of their musical career. Do you think “Ace of Spades” was an accident? It probably was.
This is what A Place to Bury Strangers are up against here – a world that’s desperate to see if they possess the same desire to blow minds, ruin speakers, and produce hearing loss. Yes, there’s nothing that they’d like more. The NYC, by way of Berlin, group is still treating rock music performances as a kind of terrorist takeover of a rally. The band hasn’t mellowed, and by the sound of “Disgust”, they’re not saving anything up for any comeback tours.
