This week's assortment of songs has much to discuss:
Jules & The Howl - Bow Down
If ever there was a time for a resurgence of the 'riot grrl' movement, it would be now. We have apparently reached the tipping point where equality became too real for some people, and the backlash is in full force. The weakest among us are trying to roll the calendar back to the days when the phrase 'all men are created equal' was not just a remnant of grammatical history. Women have to continue to fight to be taken seriously, to be respected, and sometimes just to be heard at all.
With this new song, Jules is embracing a sound akin to 'riot wave', where her music merges the dirty chords of punk with synth lines that wrap the medicine in a layer of delicious cheese... in a good way. She delivers a message of standing up for herself, being unwilling to bend the knee to anyone who would treat her as a stepping stone rather than a whole person. The frustration with not being heard, and the defiance at not letting those people win, builds through the track until she lets out the signature howl at the end. It's the grit in that scream which shows there's a deep well of resolve the opponents will struggle to ever drain.
What's great about Jules' recent music is that unlike so much of what we end up hearing, she is writing songs about important topics, and how we can get through these chapters of our lives without falling apart. The whole point of artistry is to say something, not just make pretty noises, and Jules using her music to tell her story is a prime example of that. I don't know if that makes a song an anthem, but it does make it a real, true human connection.
Ghost - The Future Is A Foreign Land
My relationship with Ghost is quite complicated. They are perhaps the best example of a 50/50 band, wherein half their music is bloody amazing, and half of it makes me wonder if it's even the same band. After the singles they chose for the last album were the worst songs of their entire career ("Twenties" is flat-out awful, sorry), they return with this one-off from their movie that is entirely different. This time, they dig more into the older, almost surf sound of Tobias' prior band, which is a decision I am entirely on board with. Ghost is best when they're being a pop band, and this is as pop as they can get. The sunny disposition of this song is pulled from 60s rock, and it's not being so metallic that lets the Ghost gimmick and subversion sound even sweeter. This one probably won't blow up the way "Square Hammer" did, but I might like this even more.
Yours Truly - California Sober
Music is more about timing than we like to admit. Bands that should have been huge don't break through because their sound doesn't match the cultural ethos, or they put out their record when something else eclipsed them. There's also a case where a band who is great doesn't connect with us because WE aren't at the right time. That's what I feel is happening with Yours Truly, especially as they put out this song talking about the casual non-sobriety that passes for being sober these days. It seems to have gotten in the way of the band going where they wanted, but I am too old to relate to this new reality. My only experience with those clouds of smoke was decades ago, and even then I was as far removed from it as possible. Yours Truly is talking about what life is like for them at their age, and the generational divide is a bit too much for me. I think these singles have shown me enough to say their record is one I'm sure I would love if I was 20, but I fear I won't understand since I'm 40. That's a shame, but it's the truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment