Surely Tempo – Lies
Surely Tempo are the proverbial old leather-jacket that, while torn and tattered, still fits better than anything else you got lying in the closet. It’s a testament to such a tried and tested garage rock sound, that decades later from its inception, artists would still be interested in investing their young hearts and souls to making this kind of music.
For you see (and hear), Surely Tempo sounds a lot like the Strokes. Now, that’s obvious. But, sounding like the Strokes is not such a bad thing. Judging by the kind of music we often receive here at Alt77, it’s not viewed as much of a novelty either.
Keep in mind that Julian Casablancas’ band, when first let loose on a world unprepared for such a large scale PR assault, were often accused of ripping off Lou Reed and Television, crimes for which they have in time redeemed themselves.
“Lies” finds the group sounding energized, punchy, ready to play all the rock joints in town, were they not closed in 2020. Their arrogance mirrors that of their musical heroes, but their budgets are not balanced by the same kind of fat wallets. We’d love to see what they could do on a big budget.
Tritonic – Realpolitik
Realpolitik (noun) – a system of politics or principles based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.
Now that you know, let me start by saying that Tritonic sounds like the kind of artist(s) that would scoff deficient reading habits, poor taste in fashion and a tendency to watch footy on the weekends.
With that being said, much like Morrissey’s early work, Tritonic is a barrel of sardonic laughs. But, their contempt is not limited to others, no. Peter Jewkes, the project’s mastermind, has reserved the biggest criticism for himself.
It’s a kitchen-sink drama of John Osborne proportions. “Now I’m looking for work and trying to get hired as my parents are old and retired” Jewkes confesses in between rounds of melancholy-picked guitars and rock salvos.
Tritonic has got plenty of stories to tell, and Jewkes is trying to fit them all into less than four minutes of pop-music experimentation. Thinking man’s rock, but we like it too.
