Music Review // The Cold Stares "Heavy Shoes"

This is the second song which I have heard from The Cold Stares and it is a rock n roll fused shot of adrenaline.   At some point in time, the idea of what rock n roll was changed.  I remember many years ago seeing this VH1 awards show where Scott Weiland was presenting an award for best rock band and he joked that it was Stone Temple Pilots and it really made me think about a time when rock n roll existed and how that all seemed to change.  A lot of people have heard a lot of music that they have thought was rock n roll but really wasn't.

Through smashing drums and fuzzy guitar riffs, The Cold Stares take us through an energetic song in "Heavy Shoes" which reminds me of anything from ZZ Top to The Mooney Suzuki and, yes, even a little bit of some era of Stone Temple Pilots.  With all great rock n roll though (ask your parents) there comes an element of the blues behind it.   You could even say that rock n roll was birthed as a result of the blues.  The Cold Stares, much like an artist such as The White Stripes, have found that way to give their music blues tones without directly being the blues and staying rock n roll.

The entire music video for "Heavy Shoes" takes place inside of a church.  The Cold Stares are on the stage (not sure if there is a technical church term for this or not) and the church itself is empty as they play.  I feel like this visual is fitting to everything else I have typed up to this point.  There is an expression about wanting to worship at the altar of rock n roll- to think of the music as being so powerful that it becomes your religion.   While this makes it fitting that The Cold Stares would be inside of a church, the fact that the church is empty is even more appropriate because of how many people I feel like forgot about rock n roll.

Many factors are to be included with rock n roll.  It's not just a sound, it's a mindset.  The Cold Stares prove that with this song and video that they know exactly what they are doing.  If you think back to the glory days of rock n roll, one thing which stands out as well is how every band had their own unique sound.  If you Aerosmith on the radio, there is no mistaking them for another band.  The Cold Stares have also developed this signature sound as once you hear them I believe the sound will stick with you and you will always be able to recognize their particular brand of rock n roll.