This edition of LITM Rock Picks brings to you guitar driven tracks that scream the 80s and songs that weave a story for you to picture vividly in your minds. The list features artists Rejection Ratio, Electric High, Matthew Stenroos, and more.
Rejection Ratio - Love is like Heaven
Opening up with a fantastic layering of guitars, ‘Love is like Heaven’ by Rejection Ratio brings back the brilliance of guitar bands that were all the rage in yesteryears. The guitars are fast-paced, giving off a restless, urgent energy that for sure will rub off on you. The instrumentation adds and removes layers which increases or lessens the intensity of the track. The vocals in the track are playful, almost flirty even, which adds a nice contrast to the intense, mysterious instrumentation in the background. If you’ve been missing authentic guitar brilliance in current music, then this is the track for you. Check out their website here!
Electric High - Thick As Thieves
Starting off with fiery electric guitars, ‘Thick As Thieves’ by Electric High will have you headbanging into the air from the very first second. The vibe the song gives off is playful, easygoing, and yet raw and intense at the same time. The vocals in the track elevate the song to a whole another level, with the layering of the high-pitched and the low-pitched vocals, the howls and screeches. The guitar solo towards the end is simply mindblowing and will have you rewinding the track. Good old rock sound possesses this track, and fans of that sound are in for an absolute treat.
Matthew Stenroos - I Can’t Love Away Your Hurt
Starting off with an intro that leans towards pop, featuring synths and piano notes, ‘I Can’t Love Away Your Hurt’ by Matthew Stenroos is a deeply vulnerable track, and it might just have you reaching for your tissues. The song starts off slow and builds gradually, and the build is so very smooth and natural. The song is almost meditative, and has every ability to transcend your senses. The song might remind you of Radiohead’s work, due to the similar tonalities. Lyrically, the song explores how love may not always be enough to save a person, no matter how hard you try to love someone.
World of Mist - Heaven Is Too Quiet
A sombre, introspective guitar riff opening up the track, ‘Heaven Is Too Quiet’ by World of Mist provides a different perception to what rock could mean in contemporary times. The instrumentation takes on classic alternative rock elements, and maintains a consistency in the mood it gives off. The vocals however, take on editing, which gives it a sound that echoes the chaos, the confusion, the melancholy that the lyrics seem to hold within them. They manage to release the sadness within the song beautifully. Unique in its different approaches to the rock sound, the song is both musically great and thematically full of depth.
The Snow Ponies - The Long Way Home
With shimmering guitars opening the track, ‘The Long Way Home’ by The Snow Ponies goes far deeper than shimmering with regards to its themes. The song quickly takes on a country-rock sound that is clubbed beautifully with a storytelling form of lyricism. Vivid images will spring in your mind, as you listen to the track due to its wonderfully descriptive, detailed language. Story wise the song is about choosing that one someone and deciding to go “the long way home” with them, no matter what comes their way, and they go “hand in hand forever.” If you like songs that come with a vivid story, then look further than this one.
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