Surf O Rays – God Bless The Breakdown
There are people who, unlike the early rock n’ rollers or the punks, have gone to school and made sure to study music to the point where no song can ever surprise them again. While that sounds awfully boring, it’s still something worth taking note of.
These people, through arduous work, of course, will be able to decipher any piece of music for you. They’ll know why a certain chord fits a particular progression, what tempo everyone should be playing at and whether the guitar strings need tuning.
Still, if you listen to these people’s bands (typically prog-rock or mathcore groups), the one thing that they never explore are … melodies. Sweet, mysterious-sounding melodies remain the area of expertise for The Beatles, The Beach Boys and the modern bands who truly love them, like Surf O Rays.
Maybe gorgeous, sun-soaked melodies are the closest route for music to travel to some celestial plain. Perhaps this is why few artists seek them out. Surf O Rays have discovered a few beautiful ones for the shimmering “God Bless The Breakdown,” and they’re not letting go.
In fact, the band sounds energised on this quest, knowing that even greater things may be just around the corner and that few others would even dare to make the discovery.
God in Therapy – Talking Trees
Much like actors on a poorly cast sitcom, modern musicians have one terrible secret that they’re badly trying to hide. They desperately want you to like them, and they’re willing to do just about anything to win your approval.
The payoff, in terms of finances and fame, may sometimes outweigh the demeaning nature of the work. But make no mistake about it, none of the people who are so willing to please will ever have books and music blogs written about them.
Ironically, it’s always been the people who don’t much care about doing anyone favours who attract attention. The world is fascinated by Nick Drake, Syd Barrett and Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten, largely, against their will.
The world will fall in love with the members of God in Therapy, most likely. But it’s not like they care. The band’s mix of psych and alt-rock heard on “Talking Trees” is used to describe a world pathetically coming undone. The Swiss musicians have no solutions and don’t see much use in even trying to alter the trajectory of the world at this point. Instead, “Talking Trees” feels like the bonfire that gets rid of the old. Yeah, the world will take notice!
