Extra! Extra! – Evil
Genre: Post-Punk
Disco and punk seemed to be the polar opposites of each other. But that was in another lifetime. Back then, disco and punk seemed to rule the world. Pledging and allegiance to either one meant you had to distance yourself from the other.
This was too bad. It left big holes in what artists and performers from either genre could do. For example, the punks were forced to pogo or mosh. Any slicker dance moves would be looked upon with suspicion.
Meanwhile, the disco crew had to stick to a sound that was clean and shiny. This was meant to make people want to dance. It wasn’t supposed to make them want to fight or, worse, talk about the meaning of life.
What about putting the two together, though? While they are not the first to do this, Extra! Extra! with their single Evil prove that they are one of the most fun groups to mix dance moves with a confrontational, spiky attitude. It’s dance music for the punk club’s dance floor. Trust me, at 2 a.m. on a Saturday everyone in the club will be thankful for a good dance tune.
Stevie Zita – Judy Gnarland
Similar artists: The Strokes, The Cars
Genre: Lo-fi Rock, Garage Rock
Essentially, the jobs of a true rockstar and of a working actor couldn’t be further apart. Yes, they both perform. Yes, they make money when enough people decide that they like them.
But, where one is encouraged to be nasty and impolite, the other has to lead a life where they require someone else’s acceptance. Actors are paid to pretend to be other people. They can relax with the knowledge that they’ve done good work only when a casting agent confirms that they did.
An actor leads a potentially fascinating life, of course. Arguably though it’s also exhausting searching for people’s approval. Rockstars, on the other hand, are often rewarded for doing the wrong thing.
Stevie Zita’s Judy Gnarland is a punchy, Strokesy tale about looking to make it as a thespian. The melodies and guitars are easy to like, but the Casablancas-like vocals suggest that the career path described here is best left to those with strong survival skills.
