Ramsey Thornton – Find Out
Similar artists: Pinegrove, Big Thief, Andy Shauf
Genre: Indie Folk, Folk
If you had a nice upbringing, you might have been told about the virtues of being modest. And, if that made any impression, you may have spent your formative years avoiding bragging or sticking out too much out of a sense of courtesy for those around you.
That virtue, however, is rarely found in performers. Considerable success rarely happens by chance, and global fame is never achieved by some sort of trick of fate. All of those who say otherwise know that lying might be the strategy in their position.
From the Spice Girls to Nirvana, the people on stage and those running their errands off it did a lot of work to ensure that the product arrived in front of as many people as possible. Modesty rarely came into question. Still, some artists can’t help but shake their upbringing.
Ramsey Thornton’s Find Out is a banjo-favoring folk number about the cursed imposter syndrome. It’s a song that represents all artists fearing that they might not be good enough. Ironically though, it is performed with great class and in a way that reveals immense musical ability. Thornton may not have anything to worry about, but these ruminations are enough to produce some great music.
The Blusterfields – Cautionary Tail
Similar artists: XTC, The Kinks, Fountains of Wayne
Genre: Jangle Pop, Power Pop
The legend goes that Big Star didn’t sell any records, but all of the critics that saw them play dreamed of growing their hair long and being in a band.
Plus, with all that overflowing love and hate from the people that used to sway public opinion about pop records, Big Star did, eventually, reach a considerable level of fame.
This style of music, most often labeled power-pop, is much like a high-maintenance pet. Sure, it’s fun to show it around to your friends once in a while. But it has the owner working their head off.
It would be much easier to venture into the less shallow waters of metal, punk, or electronica. Still, music critics, what with their big brains and all, aren’t really afforded that opportunity. They need to play or embrace something like power-pop, something that The Beatles might make had they been born at the wrong time.
The Blusterfields’ Cautionary Tail is, first and foremost, a really pretty pop tune complete with jangly guitars and clever melodies. Secondly, it is the work of musicians forced to do their work by too many ideas lounging around in their heads: religion, jokes, and the thoughts of blending together numerous styles of music. For the most part, they do coalesce, all while sounding like music critics who’ve finally grown their hair out and started a band.
