The past music week turned out remarkably conservative — in the best sense of the word. Almost no attempts to urgently invent a new language, but a noticeable number of people who simply continue doing what they do best, and sometimes do it even better than you'd expect.
The biggest pleasant surprise of the week arguably goes to Deep Purple. A band from whom you start expecting little more than another tidy self-repeat suddenly gave off the vibe of their earliest period — with a crooked, almost Blackmore-esque freedom in the guitar. And that's exactly why the new single sounds not like yet another obligatory release from the old guard, but like a genuinely alive reminder of why anyone fell in love with this in the first place.
Overall, the week worked out well for music that doesn't try to please everyone. In the right mood, the Croatians Chui came to mind — cosmic jazz for people who aren't necessarily obligated to love jazz, with prog, electronics, and the feel of a soundtrack to some Balkan science fiction. And Primus, as befits Primus, once again exist in their own genre pocket, where any conversation about normality is pointless from the start.
On the heavier side of the week, Darkthrone once again reminded us that the black metal tag has long been better understood in their case as a form of prolonged self-irony. It's not exactly a great release, and certainly not music that stays with you for long, but it's surprisingly fun to listen to — like a strange, slightly cartoonish, but still likeable homage to very old times.
And the week wrapped up with a new album from Peter Frampton, which neatly sums up these days. A good, even, sometimes too even record for people who still love guitar music in its old sense. Not a triumph, but no reason to complain either: just another confirmation that sometimes a music week can do without sensations and still leave behind a perfectly coherent aftertaste.
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