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The Interlaken Tapes and snake eyes Reviewed

The Interlaken Tapes and snake eyes Reviewed

The Interlaken Tapes – Warnweste in Grau

Do you know what brand new rock bands made up of brand new musicians typically worry about? It’s not whether or not they’ll find gigs or whether people will like their compositions. Few of them actually think so far ahead that they consider a career in making music. Contrary to popular opinion, not all of them are concerned with their state of clothes or their haircuts. 

What most beginner musicians worry about is whether their playing is good enough. That’s a noble thought but usually an irrelevant one. Blame it on online bullying by 50-year-old musicians who’ve never left their bedroom or on the existence of Yngwie Malmsteen instruction videos. 

It’s all bizarre when you consider it, especially because some of the best, most soulful music ever produced does not rely heavily on pristine technique. There’s no better example than post-punk.

Joy Division-inspired post-punk is one of the styles of music that has travelled furthest around the world and which has touched the hearts of many. How has it done it? Usually, it is due to the strength of the bass riffs and some anguished baritone vocals. It’s a formula that German group The Interlaken Tapes gladly taps into for “Warnweste in Grau.” 

But since it is simple to comprehend the formula, it means that it can also be twisted and manipulated, another thing that the German band is comfortable and competent at doing. The result is a misty, dreamy sound in which every break, every opportunity to play a note that has been ignored, adds something to the overall result. 


snake eyes – hottest day on record

When was the last time that a single featuring loud guitars and sounding like people playing in a garage was successful on the pop charts? It’s been a while. Sure, from Bring Me The Horizon to Poppy, modern heavy metal elements have been brought to successful pop hits. But, let’s be frank – modern metal sounds pretty tame. 

Why have angry songs that utilise the guitar as the main instrument fallen off the map? Well, we wish music magazines would tell us that Swedish pop producers are simply too good nowadays or that the bands playing in the garages simply don’t have enough good songs. While those things might not be completely false, could it also be that in general times of trouble, radio and playlist programmers have stood so far away from this kind of music that it feels dangerous to return to it?

What we need is a bit of entertainment to get things back to normal. snake eyes sound angry and frazzled on their latest single, “Hottest Day on Record,” like English football supporters returning to Europe on the ferry. But their anger and bravado are also turned to comedy and musical hooks. This is, for all intents and purposes, a pop tune. Sure, it fits within the template of shouting post-punk Brits, but there’s no reason this shouldn’t be on the radio, especially with how things have been going for the island this Summer.  

The Interlaken Tapes - Warnweste in Grau

8.0

snake eyes - hottest day on record

7.5

Pros

Cons

About author

Eduard Banulescu is a writer, blogger, and musician. As a content writer, Eduard has contributed to numerous websites and publications, including FootballCoin, Play2Earn, BeIN Crypto, Business2Community, NapoliSerieA, Extra Time Talk, Nitrogen Sports, Bavarian FootballWorks, etc. He has written a book about Nirvana, hosts a music podcasts, and writes weekly content about some of the best, new and old, alternative musicians. Eduard also runs and acts as editor-in-chief of the alternative rock music website www.alt77.com. Mr. Banulescu is also a musician, having played and recorded in various bands and as a solo artist.
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