Mickey 9s – Full American
Oh, I just love people that make it clear that they do not desire any kind of career in “the land of opportunity“. Not since Mario Cotillard took to insulting the people that presented her with the Academy Award, has anyone shown such a disregard for the famously short fuse of our friends from the U.S.A.
I, on the other hand, am not so brave, and I’d like our corporate overlords to know this. I will, however, remark that Americans are not without humour, on the contrary. Their media, especially through the years has been full of hilarious representations of East European, Asian, or African people. They just seem to have a problem with people making fun of them.
That is, I think, the point of Mickey 9s’ funk-punk odyssey of Full American, besides, obviously, hoping to rattle a few cages. The tune works, especially since the group sounds genuinely angry and energized by the fact that they’re most likely getting themselves into trouble. Oh, well, rock’s supposed to step on a few toes once in a while. Besides, the Brits used to own that plot of land, y’know.
The New Preservation Society – Could’ve Had Me
No golden formulas actually exist, I hear you say cynically? I hope you’re right. Because if you are not, then Ray Davies has figured certainly the one that works on me and might start using his magic to walk me around town quacking like a duck or barking like a dog.
Writing formulas exist for certain. The best writers apply them. Why don’t the bands desperately searching for a hit just make use of those then? Well, head on over to YouTube to hear a computer AI write a Beatles song, let the worries wash over you, and you’ll know why not.
It takes a good deal of understanding of what the music greats have done before you and just what you may be able to add to the craft in your own right to truly get a song moving. This is what The New Preservation Society does on the excellent Could’ve Had Me. The song is a rich feast of sugary power-pop melodies that work to suspend reality and make you wonder if your years of resentment and cynicism couldn’t have been a bit of overreacting after all.
