nirvana Archives - WMD Studios

It’s sexy! Not the pretty polished back street boys sexy, but the real deal; if you know what I mean, wink, wink.

If (you think) your musical taste is slightly mature, then, you might play it once and move on to some other links about n-sync reunion hoax. But, Jagged Little Thrills are like the ‘hot mama’ you may not notice at a mere glance. Don’t be afraid! Take another look, play the songs once again, get over the numbness of cheesy songs you have been hearing till now, and you will be bulldozed by the voluptuous raw energy floating to –and through- you.

Well I -might- acknowledge, the vocals may not pass the tuner test (or guitars might go off tune/tempo) here and there. But, when was the last time you heard such raw and energetic voice? I can’t remember anything like this; it’s been a long, long time.

Like every –meaningfully- successful rock act Jagged Little Thrills are a strange mix, the stability of Tom Wright (bass) and ‘Late Night’ Rob Gray (drums) is providing a hot platform for the searing vocals of Thomas Wright (vocals) and, Dave Vegas and Matthew ‘Weg’ Wetherill’s combined beefy guitar chops.

Reportedly, these five friends got together in the early 2014 to put forward their own blend of Punk/Indie/Rock sound, and it seems that they manage to get it right. It didn’t take them long to establish in the big league, right from the start, when they performed in a little pub in Northampton back in the early 2014. The inspirations are quite wide: from Nirvana to The Clash and from Queens of Stone Age to White Stripes.

It is no wonder that renowned producer Alan Emptage (who has worked with artists such as Adam Ant, Eric Clapton and Skunk Anasie) will be working with them on their first EP (starting early 2015)

I am already addicted to their single ‘Streets of Berlin’, as I look forward to hear a ‘Big’ and thrilling complete album from the Jagged Little Thrills. I just hope it comes out sooner!

Check out Jagged Little Thrills on Facebook – www.facebook.com/Jaggedlittlethrills

Well there is definitely something mysterious about singer/songwriter Ricardo Monteiro who is also known as Screaming Culture, apart from his music that is, it is unbelievable that such a talented artist has been around in music circles since 2009 and haven’t bothered to leave trails of diehard fans and ‘Screamer Chicks’ behind him.

It is openly stated (on his reverb page) that he is a fan of Nirvana, and late Kurt Cobain’s influence is quite dramatically imbedded in almost every song he has released so far. Ricardo Monterio a.k.a. Screaming Culture’s ‘Numb’ is definitely one of my favorite songs by any contemporary artist. Not only he has been able to keep the unique mood of Nirvana’s (simple but haunting -E harmonic- melodies) but also brought a new flavor into it. This may be due to the factor that Ricardo Monterio has far better range and singing skills as a vocalist, and also that he is a multi-instrumentalist solo artist. He is able to create and produce better songs, both in terms of compositions and arrangements.

Production of almost all of the songs is up to date, if not high class according to current RnB crazed music production, but then Alternative music has slightly different requirements, and if you are an alternative rock fan, then you probably wouldn’t give a rat’s cold rear for the sound coming out of your woofer.

After commending his comparatively better vocal ability, I am absolutely impressed with the depth of his lyrics and emotional/political juxtaposition of ideas: it denotes that the artist has a reasonably aware head on his shoulders.

Another interesting song by Screaming Culture is ‘Learn to Survive’. It is –almost- an instrumental, with bits of one-liner or punchy lines thrown around -with some phrases describing the mind set of underdogs. But it is very catchy, if you are looking for a theme track for a movie or documentary then it is a must listen for you… it is on loop play on my media player almost every hour of the day!