Doris Club – Seraphina
Genre: Indie Pop, Alt Pop
It’s often the people who are employed in the harshest work environments who have the greatest appreciation for sweet, lovely, sophisticated things. It’s the working classes who truly love art, wish to learn to behave properly, or change brutality for gentleness. This is a good way to understand the pop music of Doris Club.
The fact of the matter is that “pop music” has acquired a bad rap over the years. It’s brought most of this on itself, of course. But there is more than one way to skin a cat. There are some who adhere to pop music because of its shy, polite, gentle nature, not merely out of an attempt to please as many listeners as possible.
Doris Club’s “Seraphina” is a gorgeous little alt-pop number. It dares to invest all of its energy in creating a warm, safe, nurturing place. This is not unlike visionary pop artists like Kate Bush. It’s a welcoming sound that is both poetic and constructed to be heard by the masses. And, once in a while, we all need that call back to our quiet place.
The Future Babes – Every Step I Take
Similar artists: Weezer, The Black Keys, Modest Mouse, Pixies, The Breeders
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Alt Pop
It’s a time for the everyman rockstar, and I, for one, welcome the change. But where did the old, larger-than-life characters sneak off to? Maybe people just got sick of hearing how many fans they bedded and how hard it is to store so many luxury cars. Or, maybe people got sick of the mysterious stars always trapped in some kind of life-threatening tragedy.
The Future Babes use bittersweet pop-rock hooks and an average guy charm to drill the point about their music home. It feels very appropriate, though. After all, some of the biggest stars on the internet are folks who play games online or just take pictures of their cat. At least, this is what we’re made to believe.
The Future Babes’s “Every Step I Take” is quite a single. It unashamedly basks in the glory of its pop-rock hooks. It recalls that breezy artefact of a different era that was The Zutons’ sole hit. And it comes equipped with one of the best music videos you’re likely to have seen in a long time. If memorable hooks, personal charisma and an every-guy appeal aren’t enough to make this successful, you just have to wonder about who is setting up the stakes.
