In Case of the Mondays: Mesia's "Point of No Return"

If you thought Hard Rock was making a quick and fateful exit from the mainstream, just take a look at Mesia, an up-and-coming San Fernando Valley outfit that takes an ode to the accelerated speed of Josh Homme and his crew in Queens of the Stone Age and the brushstroke-like musicality and vocal range of Soundgarden. Vocalist and guitarist Mike Lerman shoots toward the sky as far as Chris Cornell is concerned, adding the rest of the band's talents into a sum that's both immediately pleasure-seeking and confidently binding. "Point of No Return" comes off of their self-titled EP set for release on May 27th, and it's the right start for a band looking to excel in this often fringed category of rock and hoping to make it more accessible. It blares from the get-go and doesn't stop across its run time, and it's the perfect rush of blood to the head that you need to begin your week. Be on the lookout for upcoming shows and their self-titled EP, and you can find out more information on their ReverbNation page.

Mesia - "Point of No Return"

Take 2 Tuesday: "Limo Wreck" by Soundgarden

Of the four 90's Seattle -based grunge bands that really managed to go for broke when it came to meeting the brooding-ness of the genre, you could always depend on Soundgarden. I mean, just take a look at "Black Hole Sun". Sure, the imagery in the video is a little apeshit crazy, but there's no denying the unanticipated depth that the song eerily implies, brought on by the sludgy bass and distorted guitar that defined the genre. Then again, everything on Superunknown has that effect, which makes the album satisfyingly unified and focused. "Limo Wreck," while not a single, is perhaps the album's most epic track, featuring some of Chris Cornell's highest vocal peaks that we - quite frankly - would like back sometime very soon. It also has such a fantastic rock construction that it's hard to pass off, taking the song to otherworldly levels. It still shines in all it's lyrical errie-ness and depth, but it never calls attention to itself. Not until Take 2 Tuesday, that is.

-DJ

Soundgarden - "Limo Wreck"