Or more poetically, the late great David McComb wrote and sang with The Triffids back in 1986:
“Then it's a wide open road
It's a wide open road
And now you can go any place
That you want to go”
Unfortunately for McComb, the brilliant quality of his music with The Triffids, Black Eyed Susans, and a brief solo career brought along huge promise, some brilliant music, and a staunch following, all cut short by substance abuse that created serious health problems that made him leave us too early.
Yet, the quality of the music he came up with while he was still around was so high, often defying genres, that he not only took that wide open road and went somewhere, but also opened it up for other artists.
Mirror Tree - Echoes Competing
Living and (song) writing in remote places like Alaska can give you quite an insight into where you want to go with your art/music, and Michael Gold, aka Mirror Tree took that modern psych one, Mercury Rev did when they were at their best.
Logan Lynn - Distracted
Logan Lynn, who is not just a musician is working here with the left-field duo Yellow Trash Can, but left-field or not, the results are sticking to the ears with some very nice sounds.
Alien Gothic - In The Night
Gothic and Night should be giveaways, but this Denver duo with quite solid experience with their other music projects make some very good use of dark, brooding themes they work with here.
Twisted Rose - Wanted
Guitar rock that veers to the heavier side might not be everybody’s cup of coffee, yet even such listeners sometimes feel that the heavier stuff is, well, wanted, and this quartet is well-equipped to provide it.
Robert Ouyang Rusli - Monument to Possibilities
Some serious post-classical music? If that sounds too serious or too classical, don’t fear, Rusli’s piece prepared for Julio Torres’ new film will dissuade any fears.
Metro Riders - Spasm
Henrik Stelzer might not have written this piece from Metro Riders’ new album specifically for a film score, but it certainly sounds like one and will surely fit quite nicely in a night-themed one.
Doug E Shaffer - So Bright
Shaffer took his love for Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, and Motown soul from New Jersey to North Carolina, yet for whatever reason he did it doesn’t matter when it sounds this good.
Nature Moves Courage - Dismantle
You can call this sophisticated electro-pop, sophisticated disco, or whatever, but you definitely need to keep that sophisticated tag here, fans of LCD Soundsystem, St. Vincent will enjoy this one.
Party Nails - Someway Somehow
Don’t mind a bit of deceiving here - Party Nails is not a band, but a Los Angeles singer-songwriter, and that party tag possibly refers to when the party is winding down, but the good music is still on.
Hania Rani - The Boat
It is all about the tempo of the water with pianist/vocalist/composer Hania Rani here, and she simply draws you into her perception of it, tempting you to go out for her forthcoming album ‘Ghosts.’
Cindy Pooch - Issemou
Many listeners may not understand Pooch’s lyrics, but will surely appreciate the quality of her intriguing songwriting and brilliant vocals here.
Patio - Relics
This trio might be digging relics here with their jagged guitar, and post-punk sound, touching ground with The Gang of Four, but it sounds quite fresh and new no matter what.
Sarah Jane Scouten - Wanderlust
With such a silky voice it just even might not matter what Scouten is singing about here, but her lyrics are as good as the song and her voice. A complete musical package so to speak.
Mike Adams At His Honest Weight - Half Fool
With such a moniker and song title you know that Adams is probably half (or fully) joking but his pop smarts are so good that all those puns can be fully appreciated here.
Allah-Las - Sky Club
The guys leave their echo chamber tricks at home for this one and go psych-soul this time around with quite a good effect that spells they make explore new routes. It works here.
Meatraffle - Smallest Gang
This London sextet tackles the gun question here, with some smart Brit-pop at their disposal and some excellent lyrics, making their forthcoming album an intriguing proposition.
Cocktail Slippers - Good Love
The Oslo, Norway band likes to dance at their parties it seems, and if they do it with cocktails in their hands and their slippers on, all for the better.
Harry Stafford, Marco Butcher - The Rules of The House
This Manchester/North Carolina via Brazil duo does the mutant blues rock the way mutant blues rock should be done, The White Stripes way, that is.