This edition of LITM Rock Picks brings to you romantic pop-rock, Southern gothic, psych rock, and more. The list features The Snake Preachers, MatAre, J.S. Spenner, and more.
The Snake Preachers - Half Past Midnight
Bringing to you the blues with a tinge of the gothic, ‘Half Past Midnight’ by The Snake Preachers astounds you with its musical brilliance as it does with its thematics too. The guitar riff at the base of the track gives the song so much character – it gives it a menacing, thrilling, and tricky vibe. The guitar layers in the song are truly brilliantly done – they bring in a very distinct psych blues sound alongside a very American, specifically Southern, Gothic sound. The song feels like a complete story that is drenched in vividness. The song might remind you of the gothic folk band Dead Man’s Bones, owing to similar musicality and themes as well.
MatAre - The Variant
Magnetic, deeply alluring and riddled with an intoxicating kind of darkness, ‘The Variant’ by MatAre is pure post-punk brilliance with a shade of the gothic sound elements blended into it. The instrumentation has a restlessness but not the kind that brings a chaotic nature to the song, but the kind that overtakes one’s mind and drives it. The rhythms and tones in the song have a darkness to them that is connected to irresistible desire and the all-consuming nature of a feeling like that. The vocals are brimming with passion and raw desire, without any attempt at sugar coating what comes across as a fundamental, almost primal desire.
J.S. Spenner - It Will Be Alright
With a message that feels like a ray of sunshine after long days of rain and grey, ‘It Will Be Alright’ by J.S. Spenner is a song that is much required in the present times, where mayhem seems to be the new normal. The instrumentation leans towards soft rock music, with gentle touches of gospel-ish sound elements, especially with the soulful backing vocals. The reverb drenched, heavy sounding guitar gives the song a dimension, a texture, that deepens its architecture. The message of hope in the song is one that will hit close to home for all of us in one way or another, considering the times in which we are having to navigate our days in.
Hari the cosmic Cowboy - Rossa Luna
Giving a contemporary sound to psychedelic rock, ‘Rossa Luna’ by Hari the cosmic Cowboy is the kind of song that gets you interested in all that it has to offer right from the very first second of the track. The shift that comes in through the pitched up guitar riff at 2:01 minute sees the song taking on the next path while still remaining tied to the core musical architecture. The guitar solo sections alongside the vocal riffs that are in the background feel like entering into some higher dimension and truly elevate the listening experience, thus, doing perfect justice to the genre of the track.
Songs of Solomon - Come to your senses
Taking us back to the 2000s pop-rock scene, ‘Come to your senses’ by Songs of Solomon sounds like something straight out of a heartwarming, achingly sweet rom-com that would just sweep us off of our feet. The instrumentation mirrors the heightened emotions relayed in the lyrics, with energetic, emotive guitars, dynamic drum patterns that form the musical skeleton of the song, and give it those magnetic rhythms. The dual vocals in the song work super well, and make you feel like you are a real part of the song, for the duality truly makes the song come alive while grounding it.
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