Well we discussed the eighties revival yesterday (though the response was sorta muted), so today let's turn a jaded eye to the nineties revival. While much fuss has been raised over bands like Yuck and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, I'd argue Cloud Nothings have spit out the first classic of the neo-nineties genre with "Stay Useless". Check out the contrasting verse and chorus, that abrasive Steve Albini production, the self-loathing slacker lyrics ("Can I see what’s going wrong with me/I used to have it all, now I’m alone") and of course that razor-sharp hook that could just gut you. If you love Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker" or Archers of Loaf's "Web in Front", you owe it to yourself to check this out.
So what do you make of this nineties revival that's going on?
What's your first take on "Stay Useless"?
Let us know in the slightly-underutilized COMMENTS section.
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I love Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker" and Archers of Loaf's "Web in Front", but this ain't anywhere near those lo-fi/indie benchmarks.
ReplyDeleteThe drummer is really good. Hate the vocals. Can't say much for the rest of them.
I found a bit of a fIREHOSE vibe on some of their other tracks, but if this is what passes for good nowadays, I'm OFF!
I tend to agree with biopunk though the vocals are OK.It ain't opera ya know!
ReplyDeleteWell,I'm sad that neither of you dug it, I'm happy as hell you gave it a shot and left a note behind!
ReplyDeleteMade sad, then happy...
ReplyDeleteTruly Jeffen is a fan.
A manic-depressive, bipolar affective disordered music fan.
ONE OF US!!! ONE OF US!!! ONE OF US!!!!11!!
*Wanders off to indulge in a music-fueled mood-disorder of his own...*
I think I dug his songs little bit better when the guy was a lo-fi bedroom pop dude, but I haven't had too many quibbles with the new record, either (what few songs I've heard). One of those things where I didn't rush out to buy it the first time I heard it, but I could still appreciate its rocking-ness.
ReplyDeleteThere's a TON of nineties-emo-revival stuff going around now... it's mostly kind of underground so far, though. Funny how everything works in cycles, just when the generation that grew up with a certain sound has gotten completely tired of it, a newer generation looks at it from a different context and with less baggage, and finds it cool..
Yeah and that cycle of current-dated-current again keeps things interesting, at least for me.
ReplyDelete