This edition of LITM Rock Picks brings to you gritty, raw rock, country rock tracks, and more. The list features Terry Dammit, Street Legal, Stevie Lee Woods & The NRL Band, and more.
Terry Dammit - Dear Bunny
Broody and magnetically intoxicating at the same time, ‘Dear Bunny’ by Terry Dammit will help you realise the evergreen impact of rock music. The instrumentation balances emotion and gritty energy in a manner that very few songs are able to do. The song leans towards a 90s grunge sound, and will make you think of bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam. Lyrically, the song, keeping in touch with the grunge sound, is deeply vulnerable and confessional. The vocals are simple spellbinding, with their immense ability to relay the grit that is woven into the sound of the song and the rawness that is embedded in the lyrics.
Street Legal - The Barassi Line
Capturing an alt-rock blended with punk elements, ‘The Barassi Line’ by Street Legal is intense, it is magnetic, and it will have you wishing you were in a big stadium listening to the track. ‘The instrumentation strays from conventions and breaks barriers by not being afraid to employ a sound that really asks the listener to sit with it. With shifts you do not see coming, with guitars that are fiery and gritty, with drums that sound like thunder and lightning, the song is built in a way that will capture your attention within seconds of its start. Imagine Green Day meeting a more contemporary alternative rock band, because that is the energy that the song gives off.
Stevie Lee Woods & The NRL Band - Welcome to the Southland
Capturing America in 3:07 minutes, ‘Welcome to the Southland’ by Stevie Lee Woods & The NRL Band will fire up your moods with its country and rock and roll blended sound. The instrumentation captures the classic country sound through the use of the banjo and the rock and roll sound is brought into the picture through gritty, soaring guitars and driving, dynamic drum patterns that do not shy away from shifting around. The vocals in the song capture that typical country sound that does not fail to get a crowd movin’ and groovin’. Give it a listen and you will find yourself wanting to rewind the song the moment the last note plays out.
Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends - Happy People Won’t Hear
With melodies and vocals that will lift your spirits right up while giving you very real ideas to carry with you, ‘Happy People Won’t Hear’ by Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends is structured through contradictions. The super bright, vibrant instrumentation of the track is simply a disguise for the song is about something much less bright or vibrant. Lyrically, the song is a sarcastic commentary on how the rich and well-off are deaf to the cries of the people who are not privileged like them. They live in their own little bubbles and don’t bother with things that would shake their conscience.
Mark Winters - Can I Rise
Built through reflections and introspections, ‘Can I Rise’ by Mark Winters weaves with vivid images a story that you will want to carry with you long after the last note of the song has played out. The instrumentation leans towards a warm, soft rock sound, allowing the emotions to simmer slowly as the instrumentation builds in a gentle manner. The song asks questions that have no definite answers, because at the end of the day it is up to us to figure out the answers for ourselves. Mark’s rich vocals feel like a guide that is helping us dissect the questions and find ourselves within its layers.
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