Men Quoting Milton – Nobody But You
Similar artists: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, John Cale, Bob Dylan
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Modern folks have become masters at ignoring the more difficult aspects that have to do with life and, especially, death. Music audiences can’t be much different. The public’s desire is, by and large, to dull the pain. It’s one of the reasons why you’re unlikely to hear modern radio promoting songs that promote anything outside of common distractions.
However, good songwriters are a thorny bunch. You can’t go on expecting they’ll write tunes about cars and hamburgers forever. When it comes to love, life, and death, their muse always tempts them into deep waters. The artists have the habit of getting their audiences to join them in those murky pools.
Men Quoting Milton’s “Nobody But You” is music meant to sound like someone delivering an uncomfortable truth over breakfast and coffee. It’s meant to feel unavoidable and to make your stomach twist.
The lyrics in “Nobody But You” take center stage. But as in Nick Cave’s early works, the words are delivered with the gravitas of an actor playing Hamlet and with the same kind of rage bubbling underneath the surface. Men Quoting Milton make it so that they’re hard to ignore.
The Attic – Insanity
Similar artists: blink-182, Sum 41, Billy Talent, Foo Fighters
Genre: Skate Punk, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock
Motivational speakers manage to get crowds chanting in unison and get paid the big bucks. Modern preachers raise folks to their feet and get them to dance willy. They’re also richly rewarded. Even Instagram influencers who manage to convince their followers to all click on their photos earn great wealth.
Why should it be any different for a rock band? And why should we always neglect to mention how impressive this is? The bands that can infuse their music with the energy and charisma to make people in crowds forget about themselves for a few minutes and chant ecstatically are the artists upon whom the whole “music business” has been built.
The Attic’s “Insanity” is a clever pop-punk single, the kind that is designed to make an immediate impact. Catchy and robust, this is music made to encourage audience participation. But there’s nothing cheap about the music. In fact, it’s the strong playing and the effortless vocals that really sell the tune. So, if you should find yourself being drawn to hum along to The Attic, don’t worry and go along with it.
