Van Berg – Obnoxious
Genre: Indie-rock
The arc of a rock n’ roll band, for the most part, is bizarrely predictable. Make some music, pour your heart into it, try and make some money, end up losing your enthusiasm and fans, get fans, and break up. Now, don’t let that make you sad. There are, certainly, thrills along the way, many of which can be replayed through the form of recorded music.
The point of it all is that regardless of the style of music being adopted, enthusiasm is the thing that the whole business model works on. Bands get it when they’re young and, normally, lose it by their third album. This is the reason why every movie biopic shows grizzled, frazzled, and rattled rock n’ roll characters in the third act. They just want to cash their checks and eat their Sunday pudding.
Now, Van Berg show no signs yet of this happening to them. Cynics may scoff all they want at their ebullience, but this Australian quartet sounds like the real deal. Their single Obnoxious feels like the work of indie-rockers who’ve not known much woes throughout their lives. We hope it stays the same. There are enough wise men peddling depression as an art form as it is. How about some kids that sound like they’ve been attending non-stop birthday parties in between recording songs for a change?
The Radioactive – Be My Queen
Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock
There’s magic in fitting just the right three chords to the words of a rock n’ roll song. It’s magic that can only be amplified when the tune is performed in a small place full of people showing the same degree of enthusiasm for the work as the folks performing the music.
It’s one of those thrills that’s hard to explain and that can get overlooked. It’s like having sex or eating an ice cream sundae. People tend to omit it when they mention all of the great things that have happened to them. Not enough will devote time to them. But, take them away, and, for many people, the structures that held their lives in place simply vanish.
The Radioactive, blooming French rock group, understand this perfectly. On their single, Be my queen, they manage to sound like Muse having a good time. The garage-rock tune comes complete with convincing wailing vocals and tales of lust and longing. There’s magic in those chords and The Radioactive are out to find it.
