“Who Knows” by The Rest – A Song Review

     Arguably, shoegaze is the most effective means for conveying a sense of anguish within a song; and the argument is particularly strong if lyrics and vocal processing are ruled out as eligible candidates for counterarguments. But an atmosphere of anguish can be particularly strong when shoegaze is combined with distant echoing of angst-inducing lyrics.

     Oh, and let’s add a video with a touch of despair.

     With that background, we voice our appreciation of the song “Who Knows” by The Rest. This is a band that has experiences on which it can draw. “Who Knows” is from the band’s album “SEESAW,” which was released in June 2012. Early in the making of the album, the band’s producer and friend (Dan Achen) unexpectedly passed away. According to The Rest, his “influence can be felt on every note” of the album. And after Achen's death,  the process did not go smoothly, since a hard drive glitch caused the loss of recordings from the main drive and it was then discovered that the backup drive was missing essential portions. “SEESAW” was rescued by the company responsible for airplane black box recoveries.

     The Rest is based in Hamilton, Ontario. Its seven members are Adam Bentley, Blake Bowman, Dwayne Brydon, Matty Buzanko, Anna Jarvis, Steve T. Jones, and Jordan Mitchell. It should be noted that The Rest has announced that it has "disbanded." Still, the music lives on.

     "Who Knows" by The Rest

     The Rest has a video version of "Who Knows." It begins with a closeup of the playing of the guitar and switches to showing that the brainwaves of an institutionalized man coincide with the guitar riff. Other portions of the video show similar closeups with other instruments, leading to the conclusion that the patient's brainwaves track the notes of the song. Employees of the institution are neither accepting of the situation nor helpful in resolving what they perceive as a problem. The patient eventually spots his opportunity to move forward and he grabs it.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therestmusic

Website: http://therestmusic.tumblr.com/

Bandcamp: http://therest.bandcamp.com/album/seesaw

     Another song that we appreciate by The Rest is "John Huston"


          Another song entitled "Who Knows" that we like is from Turtle (not related to the 1960s band called The Turtles).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareturtle