
Johnny Hart and the Mess – Neon Eyes
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock
Johnny Hart and the Mess make room for theatrical pop on their single Neon Eyes.
The really great rock singers aren’t many, and they have the best job. Not only do they get to make music on a daily basis. The quality of their singing voice allows them to transport people. They receive praise and all sorts of favors. Many of them are draped in great financial rewards too.
You would think that this would be enough. But, even for the best singers, doing the same things every day can get tedious. This is the reason why everyone from Freddie Mercury to Chris Cornell, eventually, ended up recording pop albums. It’s only natural that you’d want to hear just what that voice can do.
Johnny Hart and the Mess sound to be in a similar predicament here. Neon Eyes finds the rock group experimenting with commercial pop. Can a towering singing voice cut it here as well? Sure, it can. A great rock tenor voice can sing the phonebook. Johnny Hart and the Mess are lucky to be able to depend on that kind of singing voice.
The Moving Stills – Truthfully
Genre: Indie Pop
Similar artists: Methyl Ethyl, Dayglow, Wallows, Prefab Sprout, Teenage Dads
The Moving Stills aim their sights on pleasing the pop faithful on their single Truthfully.
Trying to earn a living while playing rock music is a lot like wearing really long hair and a long beard. Most of the people who do get sideways looks. Most of them look like they’re about to join a monastery. The vast majority of them are liked by a select few.
The ones that get talked about in polite company are the ones that know when and what to compromise. A nice trim. A pleasing smile. A compliment issued to your neighbor or co-worker. These are the things that make people like you.
The Moving Stills sound like they could be excellent neighbors. They care about what others think. The proof is in the single Truthfully. It’s a well-played, guitar-driven song. It is, also, tailor-made to be very pleasing to the ear of even the most casual music listener. The Moving Stills would make an excellent dinner company. It’s polite pop.