It’s Like Waking Up in 1993 All Over Again
Posted on March 29, 2011 Posted by John Scalzi 24 Comments
Seriously, man. It’s like the kids in this band were fed nothing but a diet of Siamese Dream and Wish since they were, like, five. The rest of the album is pretty much more of the same. Which is not a bad thing, since I like Siamese Dream and Wish.
I’m just glad to have lived long enough for the Kids These Days™ to start bands that were inspired by all the bands I liked when I was their age. Go, Kids These Days™! Go!
Also: some of you get inspired by Jesus and Mary Chain next, okay? Thanks, man.
Meh, that’s how you know you’re getting old. My nephew’s into Incubus, so I played him some of the King Crimson riffs they’d ripped off and he was like, “Wow, that stuff sounds so…modern.” KING CRIMSON! I didn’t even bother trying to play him some of the Rahsaan Roland Kirk THEY’D ripped off, or the Stockhausen and Hindemith that influenced RRK. As they say, everything old is new again.
I’m waiting for the Andrew Eldritch cosplay, myself.
Yeah, where’s the H.P. Lovecraft and Jethro Tull inspired kids?
hey, you’re in luck! there are in fact some bands out there filling the fuzz and feedback niche of early Jesus and Mary Chain.
such as…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5JV3qXbak
A Place To Bury Strangers.
There’s a whole crazy retro-shoegaze/goth/early industrial resurgence going on that’s been quite enjoyable.
Excellent point, gilmoure @3. REGGAETON COVER OF ‘THICK AS A BRICK’, STAT!
Woo. It sounds like music for an insurance commercial.
After the first few bars I thought you’d stumbled onto the work of “The Joy Formidable.” Definitely my kind of music. Thanks.
Not bad but I’d rather listen to the Silversun Pickups
I like it. They should indeed be paying royalties to Billy Corgan and James Iha.
I’ll also recommend The Crocodiles for young Jesus & Mary Chain-inspired bands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU2JUJXWbXo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GQh-P6wEjo
I’ll continue playing my TMBG/Davincis Notebook/Tom Lehrer mix on my Amazon Cloud – thanks anyway.
I think I heard this on a “Chuck” episode recently. If you want to hear Kids These Days who sound like Kids From Yesterday, Chuck is your weekly fix.
It’s like Slowdive covering Siamese Dream. Or or or like… Belle & Sebastian covering (later period) Husker Du. Indie pop twee: check. Early 90s alt rock fuzz: check. This is in no way a bad combo.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, anyone? Exquisite J&MC-inspired drone-y coolness.
Sorry John, but I probably beat you to the trademark for the Kids These Days™ back around the time when you were one of the kids these days.
Grunge is twenty years old, so it’s about time for a comeback.
Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.
This is probably the first new band I’ve heard and liked in at least a decade. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that I hear a lot of “Cherub Rock” in the guitar. Mmm, “Cherub Rock…” *drool*
Addendum: I just bought the album before I even finished listening to the song. Thanks, Scalzi, for sharing these awesome-despite-their-emo-sounding-name guys!
@Jason
Where have you been for ten years? Get thee to Pitchfork’s P2K: The Decade in Music and rejoice!
More related to the subject at hand, if you like The Pains of Being Pure At Heart or any of those old shoegaze bands, try the Raveonettes’ Lust Lust Lust. (Great album!)
Having gotten into music again in the last year in a way I haven’t in years I’m having loads of fun.
@Ravis I completely agree on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, especially the first couple of albums. For years now, I’ve been saying that Take Them On, On Your Own was the best Jesus and Mary Chain album of 2003. ;)
I’ve been waiting for this sound to come back around for a while now. I still listen to the Pumpkins all the time (pre-adore, mind you).
I have the Pains’ first album as well, and listening to them back to back still makes me think more of Velocity Girl than anything else. But, hey, BELONG was produced by Flood and mixed by Alan Moulder, who both worked with the Squished Squash amongst others, so no wonder the sound is beefier.
Any song that’s compared to Smashing Pumpkins, Cure, and early 90s music is worthy of a listen. Unfortunately, when I hear this song, the first thing that comes to mind is the downhill side of And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead’s career….