Even when out of fashion, Rock’n’Roll played the good old way has never stopped being fun, and way too many critics announced its death for purposes that seem more self-promotional than analytical. They were mistaking change for death – a common misjudgment old, tired people tend to do. Yes, Rock’n’Roll keeps changing, like anything else in life, and change is death and rebirth at once. Brooklyn’s Sun Ladders – formed in 2012 by Rob Hampton (ex bassist in Band of Horses) – is pretty explicit about wanting to "resurrect" the genre. The title-track of their debut EP – aptly named "Rock’n’Roll is Dead" – is a relentless blues-rock assault augmented by Hampton’s accusatory, tense vocals ("I’ve read in the paper, it’s on the billboards it’s what the man on the TV says. We don’t need no guitars or no bass drums we can bury them in the ground"), that resolves in a quieter bridge invoking a rebirth ritual ("We’ll ask the spirits to raise you back from the grave. Build you an altar and put you back in your rightful place"). More than a ritual, to get its health back Rock’n’Roll simply needs more songs like this one. See Sun Ladders live at Pianos on Saturday October 11 during the CBGB’s Music Fest.
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best Alt Rock songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!