
The Road To Ruin – Original Cynic
Similar artists: The Beatles, Big Star, Elvis Costello, Fountains Of Wayne, Squeeze, Badfinger, Blur, The Who
Genre: Bedroom / Lo-fi Pop, Power Pop, Indie Pop
“Dylan couldn’t sing either! And, did you ever hear Leonard Cohen’s cover of a U2 song.” Those are valid arguments when trying to defend your own vocal shortcomings. But, they don’t add a critical part. And, that’s the fact that both Dylan and Cohen were writers who took the easy way out and sold their poems to the beat of a tambourine. Patti Smith can sing, but that’s not really important. She would have fronted a band and performed her poems even without that. And, Lou Reed could sing to begin with. He later became an expert at reciting his poems.
But, not really being able to sing can be an investment in the future. Did you ever hit the notes to Livin’ on a prayer in karaoke? Falsetto doesn’t count. Well, the guy who sang it could. But, then he got old, had to change the key of the song and now nobody will let him forget it. It’s usually the same story for all of the hard-rock and metal bands of the 1980s that possessed singing voices that could climb to the high heavens.
As for the songwriters without those golden voices, audiences have no reason not to focus on their words. That suits The Road to Ruin just fine. Original Cynic is the work of a clever man, a poet, a comedian with a wry sense of humour, and a dude that could sing the Live Aid song only if he were to do Dylan’s part over and over. But, that hardly matters. The fact that this writer doesn’t get to produce scripts for big-budget adult-oriented cartoons is a crime.
The Kids Born Wrong – Mermaid Blues
Genre: Punk, Southern Rock / Red Dirt, Garage Rock
Similar artists: Hazil Adkins, The Gories
Who says that music has to be pretty all the time? Where is it stated that musicians actually have to learn to play their instruments with great proficiency? Sure, if you want to start a jazz combo. But, that’s akin to joining a convent. You’re giving up on your life and liberty right there.
In that sense, punk-rock was a movement of liberation. No longer were we to be subjected to the whims of good taste and the standards of quality music. The nastier the better, the louder the better.
It’s a philosophy that has stuck around in theory. The punk bands, most of them who offer a large carving of sugar with their music, get on the radio and play festivals only when their sound is pristine. Over-production is a real problem and it has eaten into the quality of your record collection for too long.
The Kids Born Wrong’s Mermaid Blues don’t believe in any of that. Listen to this nugget and don’t tell me that they didn’t ask the producer to tune their guitars before recording? Did they even have a producer? This is an ugly, ugly sound and it’s fascinating. You can’t just dare to sound bad, you have to have a certain talent for it. The Kids Born Wrong are as natural at playing rock like the Ramones. Never let the world change you!