The Butchers – It´s not my fault
Similar artists: King Buffalo, Greenleaf, All Them Witches
Genre: Stoner Rock
Most record labels, of the ones still stubbornly loitering around, do not sign bands and draw up their career path based on the power of their sound. That’s one terrible mistake that may be too long in the making to resolve. The Butchers’ riff-heavy cascading Rock sound proves this. It ought to show the record label execs that they have been living too much of a sheltered life for too long.
It didn’t always used to be like this, of course. Back when Dave Davies figured he could use a razor to cut holes into his amp and generate guitar distortion, kids were going nuts. Page, Blackmore, or Iommi rode the wave of this powerful sound to arena-filling glory. And even in the 1990s, tens of thousands of listeners were forgetting about themselves and their lives to the sound of grunge guitar. The formula has been proven to work.
The Butchers are among the few not blinded by the allure of recent trends and the promise of fancy technology. “It’s not my fault” is a song built on pure, unrelenting power. It’s the kind that no math genius or AI will be able to convert into a simple equation. And it’s the one that still keeps the fateful searching and hoping.
Calico Mantra – Life’s an Illusion
Similar artists: The Beatles, Oasis, Yes
Genre: Classic Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock
The rock n’ roll greats were on a quest. And, we can safely say that they never stopped looking for that thing that was supposed to set them free, to break down the doors of imagination, to give meaning to life. But what if they found what they were looking for and didn’t even know it? Calico Mantra’s anthemic retro-rock is built on the presumption that they did.
When trying to learn, it’s best to do it from the greatest ones. When it comes to popular music, that would be The Beatles. The Liverpudlian foursome took acid, played in German pubs, travelled to India to learn meditation, proclaimed that the truth was “love”, and then divorced each other. They kept on looking for the truth. But some think that they found it in the Oriental, love-filled rock tunes that they provided the world.
Calico Mantra make love songs destined to be played loudly and in front of as many people as possible. “Life’s an illusion” may be a title you’d more likely associate with a Yogic text, but it is one also very fitting to rock n’ roll. It’s hopeful and embracing of the unknown. And, if it really tickles your fancy in the right way, you can play it at considerable volume and sing along with it.
Calico Mantra make love songs destined to be played loudly and in front of as many people as possible. “Life’s an illusion” may be a title you’d more likely associate with a Yogic text, but it is one also very fitting to rock n’ roll.
The post Somehow Hopeful: Calico Mantra and The Butchers Reviewed appeared first on Alt77.
