|
It’s incredibly rare in this
day and age to find a band that plainly wears its
influences on its sleeve but still finds a way to
come off as absolutely fresh and fun. Most bands
that try end up seeming like a tired rehash of old
brilliance or like children trying vainly to fill
the shoes of their favorite musical forebears. Brooklyn’s
My Teenage Stride is one of the many bands that
have attempted to fuse past sounds with present
sensibilities and they are, fortunately for those
of us listening, one of the few bands to succeed.
The very first notes of lead-off track “Reception”
are reminiscent of mid-to-late 80's post punk which
perfected the art of turning pure heartbreak and
melancholy into pure hook and pop. Frontman Jedidiah
Smith’s vocal evokes a deadpan version of
Smiths-era Morrissey, and while the strength of
this resemblance fades in and out over the course
of the album it is always there. As the album progresses
Smith injects more conventions of music-past into
his work. “That Should Stand For Something”
and “To Live and Die in an Airport Lounge”
add the straightforward, driving rhythm and energy
of New Order to the mix and the arrangements and
melodies of the Cure make an appearance on title
track “Ears Like Golden Bats”.
With a meandering bass and sparse, light guitars
over steady drumming My Teenage Stride also further
manages to patch the sounds Smith has harnessed
into the current indie-rock archetype of dance-groove
detachment. As a result we are left tapping our
toes, bobbing our heads and dancing along to some
of the most poppy, enjoyable, polished, smart and
subtly despondent music since New Wave first crashed
onto America’s shores.
Cresting the middle and moving toward the end of
the record the building blocks that Smith used to
craft his songs begin to blur together. Individual
pieces become less and less audible as they give
way to a new whole. By the time the album comes
to a close with the thick, effects-filled “We’ll
Meet at Emily’s” and the bass-drum heavy
“Depression Kids” it’s obvious
that, while My Teenage Stride began the album from
atop the shoulders of giants, the band truly has
what it takes to stand tall on its own.
|
