Music to motivate post-break
It’s time to blow the dust off those books and prepare for post-midterm madness, and this week’s New Noise has just the soundtrack for you. Whether it’s the awaited return of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or the awesome simplicity of Colleen Green, the songs featured will help get you off that couch and get down to doing what you have to do.
The best motivation songs are the ones that have the power to erase your memory, making you forget what it is you’re feeling lazy about in the first place and hijacking your attention for a whole three minutes. These tracks only give you back your attention when it’s been fully energized and revved up by the drive of the music.
Straight up in-your-face and loud — if energy could be captured and injected into a soundwave, this week’s tracks would definitely be the results.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: “Let The Day Begin”
Let the day begin, indeed. After a three-year break following the release of Beat the Devil’s Tattoo, post-punk/psych-blues darling BRMC released its seventh album in January 2013. “Let the Day Begin” is the band’s version of The Call’s hit track from 1989, and the song is a sure shot to get you moving.
The tune is the perfect way to start a day and does the original version some major justice. BRMC adds its trademark psychedelic touch, and the song ends up sounding as though The Call and the Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” duked it out in a blender — basically, a great sound. The vocals are clearer than usual, not dripping in distortion like The Club’s vocals often do, and the anthemic lyrics that are basically cheering the world beg to be sung atop Doheny aloud— or in your head, at least.
Colleen Green: “Heavy Shit”
Colleen Green is the latest where-were-you-my-whole-life addition to the indie-music world, and rightly so. Sure, there are great stoner rockers and stoner metal, but perhaps no one has perfected stoner pop as well as Green has.
Her latest release, Sock It To Me, is one of the more minimal albums that have been pressed in a while. The one-chick band rocks a drum machine and a guitar, and if you can count more than three chords in a song, then you should rewind and listen again, because you’re probably wrong.
“Heavy Shit” is one of the deeper songs on the album, and it goes as profound as the chorus: “Heavy shit / on my mind.” Green’s music is unbelievably charming, with upbeat and lo-fi electro-punk beats that sound like Ramones-meets-The-Network on downers.
The poppy sound has the simplicity of garage rock and the DIY ethos of punk, making for a unique style that is so charismatically unpretentious, you can’t help but love it. Some songs you contemplate to, some songs you smile to and but “Heavy Shit” wants you to shut up and pogo.
Grown Up Avenger Stuff: “Too Cool”
Grown Up Avenger Stuff is as awesome as its name — that’s basically all you need to know. The quartet has a distinctive sound that mixes a bunch of different genres, and “Too Cool” off of Sparkleton is one of the more upbeat songs on the record, serving as a perfect example of the awfully fun head space Grown Up Avenger Stuff puts one into.
Lead singer Deirdre Kroener has the best type of vocals — strong and sweet, but tough enough to make you scared of her in the best way possible. Kroener demands you to “come on and dance” in the chorus, and it’s pretty hard to disobey.
The band’s sound brings back vibes of the multi-genred music wave of the ’90s – the production is earnest and simple, in that the song literally sounds like a quartet playing its song in one take. There’s no frills, no gimmicks and no trimmings — just pure awesomeness.
Her Parents: “Why Don’t You Just F-ck Off”
From the band’s Facebook: “Her Parents are just a great bunch of total friends playing some punk music.”
The description on the band’s Twitter: “great guys.”
It doesn’t get more straightforward than that, and that goes for the band’s music as well. To everyone out there who misses good old fashioned loud and reckless punk rock, Her Parents are just what you’ve been waiting for.
If the last three songs on the list weren’t enough to get you moving, then “Why Don’t You Just F-ck Off” is not only the perfect statement to make to your laziness, but also a straight guarantee to get some blood pumping in you. Just a warning though — this song will kick your ass. And right when you start getting used to it, it’ll kick your ass again.
The track is off of the London band’s upcoming album Happy Birthday, set to drop on May 13 via Alcopop! Records. When the song is over, there are just a couple of things left to do — lather, rinse, repeat.
Rishbha Bhagi is a graduate student pursuing a degree in communication management. Her column “New Noise” runs Wednesday.