Ian Deaton – Palindrome

It takes a lot to creep people out these days, especially if you want to do it through the medium of modern music. People have painted their faces, spit fake blood, dressed as killer clowns, and even murdered their own members. A gimmick can only work once. 

What about though if the record labels hire artists that genuinely sound like freakish, unstable, threatening characters. I should pitch this theory to a big record label. I can’t believe they wouldn’t want to go with it. Hell, they signed Butthole Surfers, and those weirdos produced a couple of bonafide hits. 

Inspired by a number of great, brash punk rockers, especially the under-praised Screamers, Ian Deaton might just be the man we’re looking for to add some spookiness to modern music. Palindrome sounds like being chased around a warehouse by killer robots. Exciting stuff!

French Mouth – Blacktop

Like it or not, U.S. rock has always tended to dictate the pace that the rest of the world has followed in terms of style and trends. It’s opened up blues, rap, metal, and even proto-punk to the world. It seems strange, though that the tastemakers of the nation would be so stuck in their ways, virtually ignoring all the rock music that has been made after the 1990s. 

Surely there are bands of tremendous talent and conviction applying themselves to making fresh music. And, certainly, it is better that we listen to their voices now that they are in their prime and willing to put themselves on the line for their art. 

It’s hard not to be on the side of a band like French Mouth, an excellent, earnest rock group from L.A. They, unlike most of their contemporaries, do not have a gimmick. They play rock music, go light on the cliches, and involve their hearts and souls in their writing and performance. It may not sound like a lot, but with Blacktop, this little band could just turn out to be a life-long passion if you give them a shot. 

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