Yard Art – Folk Song for the Flood
Similar artists: Phish, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Grateful Dead, The Velvet Underground, CAN
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Yard Art follows their muse down narrow alleyways and into the strangest part of their town on their newest song.
People love a good experiment, especially when it presents some kind of risk for the ones involved. The original psychedelic bands did science on themselves. The risks were obvious: madness, physical harm, and death. The rewards weren’t as clearly spelled out. Perhaps they would get some good songs out of it.
Most of the time, they did not. Many of the most extreme psychedelic preachers of the 70s exist through strange anecdotes and because of their eccentric behavior. But, still, the potential reward was and remains glorious. These bands could create things that nobody had ever heard before.
Yard Art’s “Folk Song for the Flood” is music that finds itself. The musicians are merely explorers uncovering the treasure, dusting it off, and showing it off to the world. But Yard Art’s actions are born out of bravery. Their folkie psychedelic music always seems just about ready to give in, give out and lead them astray. Worth the risk.
The Jack Knives – San Juan Radio Blues
Similar artists: The Gaslight Anthem, The Menzingers, Social Distortion, Bad Religion
Genre: Punk, Pop Punk, Alternative Rock
The Jack Knives are determined to show that, in fact, nice guys do play rock n’ roll and that being nice doesn’t help them avoid having things weigh down on their minds.
Hollywood, the evening news, and the few newspapers still in print all love a good cliche. Punk rockers, for example, all wear leather jackets, sport mohawks, and love nothing else than to spend their Friday nights involved in some kind of act of atrocious violence.
But in recent decades, a more frequent depiction involves punk rockers that care about their communities, that treat their bodies with respect and are driven by optimism, not nihilism. Modern punk rockers have more in common with Bruce Springsteen than with Johnny Rotten.
The Jack Knives’ “San Juan Radio Blues” is workingman’s rock’ roll. It’s punk-rock for people that sort their trash and live their lives with hopes of seeing tomorrow. Just like songs by The Gaslight Anthem or The Merzingers, there’s a familiarity with the melodies or chord sequences that they use. But by quoting l;ines from the past, they are writing their own script for the future. Can’t ask for more from your punk rockers, can you?
