In Rotation, a listicle for music lovers, and seekers of new and different things to listen to. So, if you’re looking for new music, something different, or maybe music to suit your mood this week, here is the place to get a diverse offering each week.
In Rotation this week, we have a Canadian/Alternative Rock/’90s Alternative band, a hugely influencial Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental artist, a rebellious Russian composer, the newest entry from the Shoegazing godfathers, a one man Indie band, the godfather of Horror Rock, and an exceptional band that sounds more than a smidgen like Brand New. Ready. Set. Spin.
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1)
Band:Treble Charger
Album: Wide Awake Bored
Treble Charger is not a band you are likely to gave heard of. That’s as good of a place to start as any. Their music can be described as Canadian “’90s alternative”/pop punk, and they are probably barely known in Canada. Stand out tracks are “Brand New Low” (my personal favorite song of there’s), “funny,” “I don’t know,” and “Another dollar.”
It ranges from melodic alternative rock to a little edgier pop punk, but it’s not generic in any way, so you should give them a chance.
2)
Band:Link Wray
Album: Rumbling Guitar Sounds Of…
Link Wray is one of the most influential rock guitarists in music history, but also the most underrated and oft ignored by the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame and others. This is even despite the fact that he created the Rock chord and modern distortion. The music heard here is an exceptional offering of his Surf Rock/’50s-’60s classics. Though there are many more albums out there, this is a good starter kit, and greatest hits sampling.
If you love Rock and/or music, you must own this album.
3)
Band: My Bloody Valentine
Album: MBV
My Bloody Valentine has been in the Shoegazing music business for at least three decades, and it has taken more than half of that time to produce their most recent work MBV. Sadly, despite the time and prestige that came with the long wait for fans of their music, there is not many unique or groundbreaking pieces of music here. However, it is a nice addition to My Bloody Valentine’s already storied Shoegazing collection. They continue to be the epitome of the music genre they invented.
This would be highly recommended to fans of Shoegazing music and My Bloody Valentine fans.
4)
Band: Republic of Wolves
Album: His own branches
Republic of Wolves can easily be mistaken for Brand New, in their later records, and on this particular record. The dissonant, reverb laden, but not quite shoegazing, vocals flow from quiet doubling to screaming, as the guitars go from distortionless plucking to dirty, muddy, grungy distortion very quickly at times.
If you love artists like Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, or the alike, you should at least check this album out.
5)
Band: Say Hi
Album: Oohs and Aahs
Say Hi, or the formerly Say Hi To Your Mom, is generally a one man show and his Fender Jazzmaster. That man is Eric Elbogen, and he writes and records all the music and sounds heard on Oohs and Aahs. Say Hi’s music is a little hard to pin down to exact specificity, but Indie Rock/’80s/Acoustic/Piano Rock, and so many more things accompany Elbogen’s dissonant vocals and unified musical structure that comes from being a solo music act.
The album opens like a carnival, and ends on this dark, echo-y, somber Beatles-esque note that sandwiches this intriguing collaboration and its unique filling. You must give this one a spin.
6)
Band: Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Cryptkickers
Album: Monster Mash
Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett (and the Cryptkickers) was the granddaddy of Horror themed rock and all the subgenres, most notably #horrorpunk . The record is certainly put together more seriously than it was taken, or that even Bobby Pickett meant it to be. Just before or around the time of another early horror musician Screaming Jay Hawkins, most people assumed the Monster Mash was a one hit wonder, but this album and his monster rap song in the ’80s proved otherwise, and obviously bands like The Misfits proved the genre would later become something bigger.
No CDs have ever been released, but YouTube has it, unless you’re lucky enough to track down and afford the record.
7)
Band: Dmitri Shostakovich
Album: Symphony No. 4
This writer isn’t exactly an authority on Opera or classical composers, but when one strikes a chord, they get added to the list. Dmitri Shostakovich, besides having a wickedly cool Russian last name, was quite the unique composer. In this piece entitled Symphony No. 4, you get the ’30s version of a rebellion tune in, defiance of Joseph Stalin. Also, perhaps, a classical music equivalent to a hardcore song. If this sounds intriguing, or you are just curious about music outside of popular radio, you should give this a spin immediately, like right now.
This concludes this week’s In Rotation music listing, and come back next week for another eclectic helping of the new, the old, and the weird in music.
[Images Courtesy Of The Respective Bands In This List]
