I was listening to the radio while driving a few weeks ago and moaned to my sons about how meaningful music has all but disappeared from planet Earth. Save for the oldies stations, it just seems like whatever is on these days sounds incredibly generic. To these ears, at least, today’s Top 40 has gotten so bad that I barely notice when one song ends and another begins. And this is exactly why the existence of artists such as Sean MacLeod is so vital. Without them reminding us what authentic pop-rock sounds like, we just might forget entirely.
“Inside Out,” MacLeod’s new single, is a perfect blend of the nineties and the sixties. The hammering rhythm guitars bring to mind The Smithereens, while the catchy chorus is reminiscent of The Rembrandts. And just when you think you’ve been served a platter of delicious nineties nostalgia, the middle eight kicks in and you realise that The Doors and The Zombies are somewhere in MacLeod’s wall of sound, too.
Anyone with a palate for strong vocals that occasionally channel Ian Curtis’s baritone, explosive guitars, clever chord structures, alluring grunge-flavoured melodies and timeless Hammond grooves will absolutely fall in love with MacLeod’s latest offering.
Oh, and before I forget: I really like the bass work. You can hear it particularly well when the song falls into one of its effective diminuendos around the 2:25 mark.
If this were the good old days, I’d encourage you to go out and buy the single. But since we live in the Spotify era, I’ll just ask you to click the link and give it a listen. Do it. You won’t be sorry.
Listen here: "Inside Out (Radio Edit)" by Sean MacLeod
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Review by staff at MBTM
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