Stripes – 7/week
There are a million bands active at this very moment, or a number in the vicinity of it. Hundreds of musical styles and thousands of lyrical concepts are utilised. Some dress up and some dress down. But very few of them are honest or willing to embarrass themselves while being true to themselves.
Nah, the ones who really want to make it start making changes early. They get a visual makeover and hire someone to counsel them on fashion-related issues. They change their name and give themselves a new life story.
But the few of the groups that anyone will want to hear in a bunch of years’ time are the ones that either don’t have the time, the patience, or the brains to be anyone other than who they are. Armed with this secret weapon that most artists discard, they’re provided a new kind of intensity, an extra gear.
There’s nothing sophisticated about Stripes. And that works perfectly to the band’s advantage. “7/week” sounds like a crazed, dirty lullaby played by a band whose band members have all turned up the amps as loud as they’ll go and want to check if they can walk the audience out of the club by the end of the song. It’s a fantastic piece of music, albeit a disjointed one. And if people still love Hole’s “Live Through This,” I don’t see why “7/week” shouldn’t also survive the test of time.
SORRY IT’S OVER – I Need It
There’s something to be said about bands and solo artists making their first records. The fact is that, for the most part, if you study the careers of successful musicians, their first efforts tend to be their best.
And that’s precisely what baffles the music industry and all the people willing to practice 12 hours a day to be included. Being an excellent musician does not equal being an interesting musician. Excitement, I’m sorry to say, simply does not work that way.
It’s easy to get excited over the sound of SORRY IT’S OVER, both inspire and because of its naivety. That’s precisely where the spark of great music often lies. “I Need It” sounds like music made by someone who might never get the chance to do it again and is savouring getting to tell their truth to the world.
Let’s hope this lasts, but there’s never any guarantee. Imagine any of your favourite rock stars sitting around a recording studio, flipping through demos and saying, “I’ve done that already” when each new song comes on.
On the other hand, SORRY IT’S OVER, with its indie-rock enthusiasm and classic pop-rock hook, is the kind of sound that makes you want to savour the moment, that makes you want to think that this moment will go on forever.
