I’ll Just Play My Music Louder

Katy Rose “Keeping It Together” – I suppose that Katy Rose owes her recording career due to the common record company tendency to flood the market with variations on a successful formula. In this case, V2 had a hunch that maybe the public liked Arvil Lavigne’s cute-badass-rock girl image, but desired an “authentic” version that sounded like post-Celebrity Skin Courtney Love adapting the screenplay of Thirteen. (Not a surprise: Rose is actually on the soundtrack to that movie.)

Rose’s music, particularly this import bonus track, is all about the fetishization of fucked-uptitude and psych-ward chic. I sincerely believe that this kind of lyrical message is deeply irresponsible when aimed at a target market of teenagers who are caught up in their heightened teen emotions and are often all too eager to self-diagnose and then act out on psychiatric disorders that seem dramatic and sexy. This is all blatant self-mythologizing; a deliberate attempt to glamorize serious problems. Rose’s persona comes down to “I’m off my meds, don’t you want to fuck me?” It plays into the despicable sexual fantasies of adults and the most selfdestructive impulses of teenagers. In sociological terms, this is all very gross.

That said, this is an excellent Modern Rock song. It’s got just the right amount of menace to it without coming off heavy handed, and the chorus really goes for the teen rebellion anthem brass ring. Hole is the most obvious reference point in terms of style, but there’s more to it than that. Rose’s vocal delivery on the verses reminds me of Billy Corgan in his faux-goth Machina phase mixed in with bits of Shirley Manson. This sounds like music concieved in an echo chamber of mid-to-late 90s radio rock, and I have no doubt that it actually was given Rose’s age and sensibilities. (Click here to buy it from Amazon UK.)



Enon “The Nightmare of Atomic Men” – I love the title, it’s so Silver Age! Enon are going for some kind of sci-fi funk sleaze thing on this song, and it’s pretty successful on those terms if you aren’t distracted by the indie cutesiness of the female vocals on the chorus. (I find it catchy and endearing, personally.) There are some excellent keyboard sounds on this track – I especially enjoy the string hits and the wet synth bass. (Click here to pre-order it from Insound.)