Disgraceland- The Orwells

My dad was the one who played The Orwells for me the first time, and it is very rare that my dad plays a band from this century that I haven't heard before. What is even less likely is my dad being as excited as he was to play a song and he really took it personally when my mom said she didn't care for them, but I was immediately hooked. I think why he likes them so much is because they sound a lot like the Pixies and bands like them- my dad loves the Pixies. He bought this album on iTunes and I listened to it all the way through at least thirty times within the first week of owning it.

This is The Orwells' third studio album, and the talent of these guys is really incredible. I don't understand how this band is still so under the radar when they sound better than so many bands that are on the popular charts; I understand that they don't play pop music and their sound is a bit more aggressive, but if music is good, it's good. They did have their song Who Needs You featured in an Apple commercial, but I feel like the editing lost the meaning of the song; the song is about saying no to the status quo, but they made it about being patriotic and shit like that. The song was saying what the advertisers wanted them to say, instead of what the band actually stands for.

There's a lot of heavy guitar, oppressive bass, and angrier vocals; they have a very 90s, grungy sound. The Orwells know how they want to sound, and that is something that you don't really find on very often. Even with all of the influence from other bands that you can hear in their music, there is still that little bit of an x-factor that makes it their own. 

Their song Blood Bubbles is a bit more somber that other stuff on the album; it opens with the most beautiful guitar that continues throughout the rest of the song. There is a constant drumbeat across the whole song; it's simple, but yet matches with the rest of the song seamlessly. "She screamed now for help, but nobody came, so she picked up my gun, and put it to her brain. She begged, she begged, she screamed, said 'God, give me help,' then she decided to do it herself"; you can tell based on those lyrics what the song is about; this song has special meaning to me because I've gone through the same things as the girl in the song; luckily, when I screamed out for help, my parents talked to me, and I started seeing a counselor (like a therapist). I'm very happy to say that I am in a lot better place, but for anyone reading this that feels the way I felt just know that, no matter how cliche or stupid it sounds, it gets better- even if it doesn't seem like there is a light at the end of the tunnel just keep moving and eventually there will be. 

I hope that The Orwells come out with some new music really soon, because there is so much potential for this band. Even though this album is superb, there is always room for growth and improvement, and this band could take over the music industry if they just put their mind to it.