Tracy Jones – That Lonely Feeling
The best actors are specialists, nowadays especially. There’s one who can do a really great scowl, another who makes people laugh whenever he falls over, and a lady who only plays German characters in American movies. They all make a living, and if asked, they’d tell you that they’re rarely inclined to try and branch out into doing more.
Musicians looking to transition from bedroom studios to playing songs in front of paying audiences have to be actors, too. Presentation matters a lot, and there’s simply no way around that. The only difference is that musicians are expected to be faster about it and, of course, to marry the visual queues with musical elements. Ideally, they should let audiences know what they’re about in as little time as possible and then deliver similar things every time. They need to be experts in their particular niche.
Tracy Jones is a student of great, melodic power-pop groups a la Weezer. Even when feeling melancholy, it’s nearly impossible for the songwriter not to bring some of that verve, spunk, and quirk to his music. “That Lonely Feeling” may be a tune about making friends yet still feeling lonely. But what comes through first is Jones’ knack for understanding the dynamics of a good guitar-pop song as well as the self-assured, on-point vocals. My bet is that you’ll know exactly what you think of Tracy Jones’ music from the first moments that you hear it.
Faron Sage – Think Small
What age are modern musicians living in? Well, not the modern age, judging by the sounds and words captured on record. If you’re a rock fan, you might just think that we’ve been stuck in 1972 for decades and that anything except for the electric guitar has been banned for our benefit. If you’re into pop music, the needle got stuck somewhere in the 90s. And if you’re a hip-hop fan, you might just think our time machine has sent us back to the last days of Ancient Rome.
But before you call someone in to fix that damn time machine, consider resetting your expectations. Why not look at children for inspiration? They are, after all, the one segment of the public that is hardest to fool. They want small, modern sounds that talk about small, modern problems that can be solved. They want their own world and their own music. And they should get it, too.
Faron Sage’s “Think Small” is an anthemic pop tune that ends up being a melting pot of sounds and philosophies. Musically, Sage is intentionally hilarious. He sounds like one of the lads involved with chap-rap and seems intent on taking these sounds to the market of children’s music.
Philosophically, Faron Sage sees his target just as clearly. We all suffer because we desire too much. Ain’t that what the Buddhists figured out? Isn’t it what neuroscientists are telling us, too? “Think small” and lead a happy life! The children know what it’s all about, and they want their future, not our past.
