Spring Break
The 1990s get their 'Kicks' on new record
by Sam Lewia
Arts | 3/24/09
Posted online at 10:58 PM EST on 3/23/09
/ Last updated at 2:02 AM EST on 3/23/09
The indie music movement is our culture's natural reaction to the superstars of modern rock; with the hipster genre, you trade in your angry shouts, electric guitar shredding and stadium performances for inexplicable lyrics, acoustic guitars and trendy little hole-in-the-wall joints.
But the band known as the 1990s rejects both approaches, instead choosing to showcase their unique style of music with the new album Kicks.
With songwriting that is infectiously catchy, curiously inventive and filled with unforgettable one-liners like "Leave a picture for the vampires to remember you by," this wonderfully creative album demands your attention, forcing you to listen to the lyrics or at least keep one finger on the rewind button so you don't miss too much.
The songwriting, as quirky and engaging as it is, does not begin to compare to the instrumentation on this album, though. The only possible explanation for this sort of genre-blending excellence would be a classic rock/oldies baby raised on Pavement and '80s Britpop sensibilities.
The song "59" sounds like a new cut of a song that could have been written in that year, featuring backup singers humming nonsense syllables and catchy hooks while the guitar on "The Box" is straight from a Pink Floyd concert.
This album, as fantastic as it is, combines the strengths and weaknesses of the genres in question into a musically confused microcosm.
The lyrics, while fascinating, at times seem to be about nothing at all or nothing of any consequence.
The song "Balthazar" is about a guy who "Just can't seem to get in touch with you," and the line sticks with you because it is repeated roughly a million times over the course of the not-quite-four-minute song while the backup singers go "Oh oh oh oh" in the background. "Kickstrasse" suffers from the same sort of fate; with minimal musical accompaniment, not much of it is good either, and there is very little in the way of worthwhile lyrics. It is easily the weakest song on the album.
But the band known as the 1990s rejects both approaches, instead choosing to showcase their unique style of music with the new album Kicks.
With songwriting that is infectiously catchy, curiously inventive and filled with unforgettable one-liners like "Leave a picture for the vampires to remember you by," this wonderfully creative album demands your attention, forcing you to listen to the lyrics or at least keep one finger on the rewind button so you don't miss too much.
The songwriting, as quirky and engaging as it is, does not begin to compare to the instrumentation on this album, though. The only possible explanation for this sort of genre-blending excellence would be a classic rock/oldies baby raised on Pavement and '80s Britpop sensibilities.
The song "59" sounds like a new cut of a song that could have been written in that year, featuring backup singers humming nonsense syllables and catchy hooks while the guitar on "The Box" is straight from a Pink Floyd concert.
This album, as fantastic as it is, combines the strengths and weaknesses of the genres in question into a musically confused microcosm.
The lyrics, while fascinating, at times seem to be about nothing at all or nothing of any consequence.
The song "Balthazar" is about a guy who "Just can't seem to get in touch with you," and the line sticks with you because it is repeated roughly a million times over the course of the not-quite-four-minute song while the backup singers go "Oh oh oh oh" in the background. "Kickstrasse" suffers from the same sort of fate; with minimal musical accompaniment, not much of it is good either, and there is very little in the way of worthwhile lyrics. It is easily the weakest song on the album.
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