
TIFFY – Mirror
I know that the quirky comedy sitcom you keep watching might have taught you differently, but most people go through life without much power to change things. Worse of all, they are given very few opportunities to make any significant changes for themselves. There aren’t many people willing to help. And, frankly, with most humans taught to view their peers as competition, nobody wants to help unless there’s something in it for them.
That’s why pop stars that somehow manage to get pass the censors and represent something that plenty of people can relate to are so valuable. They build a community of fans by showing their supporters that they, too, matter. This may sound like a small thing, but it is not. In fact, one only needs to crack open a history book and see how many countries of millions have been led by people who didn’t represent or weren’t part of the community being led.
Representation is important, and TIFFY’s “Mirror” manages to be the sort of single that will make many listeners feel an immediate connection with the performer. There’s also nothing forced here. This is, ultimately, an alt-rock song about individuality, about the perils of defining one’s personality through the association with another. It’s also a reasonably rocking, determined performance from young performers, and listeners will be happy to know that they are more like them out there.
Peasant – Damien DeRose – Overpass
There’s a thing about nostalgia – it puts things into perspective. It makes everything quiet for a while. All the details become visible. There’s no reason to strain in order to understand the importance of something. Nostalgia does what most men brag about but cannot achieve – it makes everyone wise and willing to make promises about how they’’ embrace the future.
Loss is a terribly efficient teacher. It shows how knowledge doesn’t reach those who need it most when they need it most. The truth is that great artists don’t usually reach the success they deserve when they need it most. The truth is also that the timing for great musical releases is often wrong, not in pace with the rest of the world.
Damien DeRose did achieve some fame and recognition during his early teens. His music was pleasant, fragile, and dealt with sensitive topics in a way that audiences of all types might find alluring. Sadly, “Overpass” is a posthumous release. It carries the weight of a recording that could not be delivered at the time for which it was intended. It also is imbued with the touching admiration of the producers working to finish DeRose’s music.
The most curious thing about “Overpass” is that it hits with the tender left-hook of nostalgia even without much prior knowledge of DeRose and his work. It’s music that hints at possibilities and secrets, at beginnings and endings.