Guitar Is Not Dead — August 2024: Oso Oso, Wednesday, waveform*
Haven’t heard any great guitar music in a while? Check this out!
This month’s issue features three artists who combine everything we love about guitar music: ferocious sounds that hit you like a sledgehammer, fun up-tempo beats that make you want to dance, moody soundscapes that let you dream away. Enjoy!
Oso Oso — which Long Beach are you from?
Although Jade Lilitri comes from Long Beach, New York, his project Oso Oso sounds more like Long Beach, California. At least when you consider the sunny style of guitar rock he presents to us on his new album “life till bones”. But don’t be fooled. There is always a good dose of melancholy in his songs.
The role models that Lilitri himself mentions — emo bands like Brand New or Taking Back Sunday as well as The Cars or Death Cab for Cutie — can definitely be heard in the band’s sound. Which is not a bad thing, after all.
Oso Oso have been around for 10 years now and have released five albums in that period. It’s about time that more people heard about this great music.
Wednesday — the hot and rotten rock’n’roll delight
Wednesday have definitely not come to take any prisoners. This shows in the way the opener “Hot Rotten Grass Smell” stumbles into their album “Rat Saw God” to overrun the listener in only a minute and a half.
Even if this is perhaps the best song on the album — don’t worry, Wednesday won’t hit the brakes anytime soon. Instead they follow up with an 8:30 number that steadily builds up to a noise cacophony in which singer Karly Hartzman screams her heart out in the most wonderful way.
Just when you think you’ve arrived in noise-rock heaven, Wednesday show that there’s much more to their music — alt country, twangle pop and beautiful singalong tunes. One thing is clear: Wednesday also works great on Thursdays. And any other day.
Waveform* — music with a purposeful hollowness
Their music has a “purposeful hollowness” claim waveform*. If that sounds too negative, you might also say that there is plenty of space that you can dive into to float along with the song. Which is a lot of fun, that’s for sure.
It’s a safe bet that the Connecticut musicians have listened to some of the early Death Cab for Cutie records. There are similarly quirky and beautiful melodies to be heard here. And the sparse lo-fi sound leaves just enough room for the hushed vocals.
No, the music of this band doesn’t force itself onto you. It is simply there and invites you to spend an hour or two with it. My advice: accept the invitation! You won’t regret it.
By the way: If you want to check out even more great new indie guitar rock and pop, take a listen to my playlist on Spotify!
