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Tag: Rock

  • The Prosecco Diaries by Femmes Voyous

    The Prosecco Diaries by Femmes Voyous

    Album: The Prosecco Diaries 

    Artist: Femmes Voyous

    Released: July, 07, 2025; Witch House Studios 

    Punk bands fronted by ladies, while not unicorn rare, are not exactly a dime a dozen the way punk bands packed full of dudes are. So, when you tell me that I should check one out, I am always happy to oblige. Femmes Voyous hails from Edmonton, Canada and as their name suggests (Rogue Women in French) aren’t your stereotypical “girl power” packing pop princesses. Their music is loud with in your face lyrics that are often as humorous as they are scathing. 

    The opening song on the album is “Phoenix and Raven”. It is as much a thesis statement for the album as it is a punk rock girl boss anthem. Immediately as the guitars kick in and the drums start pounding, you can tell you’re going to have a good time with this song; something, if you like this song, I can guarantee will continue for the rest of the album. I really can’t overstate how this song stakes its flag securely in the ground and declares—this band is two girlfriends out to have a good time rocking out together.    

    “Candy” is another that really sets the stage. The guitar work is fantastic. The lyrics are poppy and fun in a way that really works with the metaphor the song employs. It is an extremely well put together rock song. So much so that I wouldn’t fault you if you looked up the song credits to see if it’s a cover. It is of course not, but wouldn’t be out of place on a Blondie album, no doubt. 

    Now “Punk Rock Boys” is where the Femmes Voyous’s scathing humor really shines. It is an ode to shitty boyfriends of the punk rock variety. I have no idea who the person is who inspired the song but consider that dweeb thoroughly roasted. When the chorus comes in, then they hit you with the lyric, “I loved his crusty ways” it’s so meta; I just find it endlessly hilarious. It’s my favorite song, followed in a close second by “Dive Bar”. Another great, upbeat song in the same vain as Phoenix and Raven, but this one includes a great bit, featuring a mock phone call from a boyfriend. In my head canon its the same crusty dude from Punk Rock Boys, but who knows. In it, the the boyfriend is whining about who is going to make him breakfast and the line “Your Fucking Mom” is dropped and again it just kills me. Like damn, go off queen. 

    “The Prosecco Diaries” as a freshman offering goes hard. It is a blast from beginning to end. It’s all about showing you a good time and quite possibly might even fight you if you try to be a curmudgeon. If you didn’t have fun by the end of it, you should probably go to the doctor and make sure you’re not dead.  

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase The Prosecco Diaries by Femmes Voyous digitally via Amazon Music 

  • Live Free DIY Hard: The Next Generation

    Live Free DIY Hard: The Next Generation

    Playlist: LFDH- The Next Generation

    Featured Artists:

    Rainbow Kitten Surprise

    Jeff Buckley

    Robbie Williams

    Car Seat Headrest

    Eminem

    Nicky Youre & Hey Daisy

    There is a common trope among older music enjoyers that kids these days don’t know what good music is or that music isn’t “what it used to be”. I have a whole mess of kids and a curious mind so lets put this belief to the test. Here are the terms for our little “experiment”: I ask each one of my kids (the ones old enough to participate) to recommend me a song. It has to be one they enjoy and it can’t be a song that they like because I showed it to them. They had to discover it themselves. The majority of my brood agreed to this. The only hold out was my 16 year old who claimed “I don’t like music” to which his siblings replied. “You listen to it all the time!” He then went on the assert that while what they said was true he doesn’t like any of the music he listens to. I feel like he missed out on an opportunity to at the very least troll me by making me listen to some random meme song. We are probably better for that not crossing his mind. What I did get was 6 recommendations that I have listed here in order of oldest kid’s suggestion to youngest.

    “It’s Called: Freefall” by Rainbow Kitten Surprise. First off. Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an absolute boss of a name. I really enjoy the cadence and smoothness of the vocal performance. While I called it smooth. My son who suggested it said he’s never heard anyone describe it that way. We both decided that mellow works as well. I feel the song is about the anxiety of dealing with relationships. Not wanting to be a burden on friends and the intention behind your interactions with them. I think it is a pretty deep song with quite a few layers.

    Next on the playlist is “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley. This is a love song. It’s about the pining after a lost lover. I think the tempo and melody do a good job at conveying a sense of longing. The lyrics are very sorrowful. Seriously, this dude is working through some shit. Hopefully he becomes a better person when he comes through it all. This is definitely the kind of song I could see someone putting on after a break up when they need a good cry.

    The next song on the playlist is “Rock DJ” by Robbie Williams. I really don’t have much to say about this song, it is an upbeat party/dance song. Its good for what it is.

    “Fill in the Blank” by Car seat Headrest is probably the song that is most similar to my musical taste. Its got a really nice indie rock vibe. The lyrics are very sarcastic and talk about dealing with depression and life. Its tempo is upbeat which I obviously like and it really adds to the tongue and cheek nature of the song.

    When I ask my kids for suggestions, I guessed I was going to get an Eminem song. I find it endlessly amusing that my 12 year old kid discovered Eminem on his own and now a few times a week I get slim shady ‘factoids’ that are highly mythologized. Like he tells me stories about things I remember happening but with a highly fantastical and dramatic slant to them. It’s really great. Anyway, his song suggestion is “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. It’s originally from the movie 8 mile. I think most people know about it. If you like Eminem, you like this song if you don’t? Well nothing I say is going to change that.

    The last song is “Sunroof” by Nicky Youre and Hey Daisy. This is another song I think most people know about. It has gotten a lot of radio play. This is a upbeat pop song. When I listen to it I get the vibes of cruising around in my car with the windows down on a warm summer day.

    I think the propensity to believe that the youth don’t have good music tastes is really just a show case of some people’s refusal to discover new music after they graduate from high school or college. I think the kids are doing just fine. I really enjoyed this playlist and talking to my kids about the music they like. I think it is cool how the song each of them suggested seemed to fit their personality really well. I hope y’all enjoyed it as well.