Double Standard, AJIZZAREALISM, and Greg Gibson

Artist: Double Standard
Song: “Rock and Roll Is Evil”
Heard by: Matt Ward, Normal Heights
It had a late-’70s kind of rock sound. I kept thinking of a lot of bands like Diamond Head, Motörhead — the two “heads.” It kind of had a punky feel. The vocals sound extremely muted to me. The guy comes off sounding kind of sloshy and drunk. The lyrics were kind of repetitive. He kept saying, “Rock and roll is evil” over and over again. I wasn’t too impressed by the drumming track. I really did like the guitar work. Nothing exploded in my head like “that was amazing,” but overall it was a pretty okay song. I could see them becoming successful, but I think in the modern world they’d have to put something flashy on it. Otherwise, they’re going to be in subgenre hell, playing the local scene forever.

Artist: AJIZZAREALISM
Song: “BUMPTHATSHHH” (from his self-titled CD)
Heard by: Alex, downtown
It was good. He knows what he’s doing; it’s just that I hear the same stuff all of the time. It didn’t annoy me, but it didn’t really hook me. I can’t really talk shit about him because he’s an artist and he’s doing his thing. He sounds like any mainstream rapper that’s on the radio right now. I think he needs to improve the background music a little bit, but he doesn’t stutter or anything. The lyrics, like most rappers, were about himself. I could see that on the radio. The song is very “downtown.” It’s Jersey Shore music.

Artist: Greg Gibson
Song: “Settle Down” (from the CD Black Glass)
Heard by: Jenn Dechico, National City
I liked it. I’ve been listening to that kind of music where it’s downtempo and a little poppy. It reminded me of the late ’90s when they started playing bands like Coldplay. I would have to say that his voice reminds me of several different artists. It doesn’t have the distinct quality of, let’s say, Tom Waits or anything like that, but I wouldn’t turn off the radio if I heard him. I think he’d do well on the pop stations like 94.1. That’s a good song for driving, most definitely. Maybe driving along the coast. It’s good, relaxing background music for cooking with friends. I would definitely not be headbanging to that song.