Album of the week

1990s
Cookies (Rough Trade)









I've already written a bit on 1990s a few days ago after their excellent show at Annex in New York City. 1990s' Cookies doesn't offer anything new to the music world but these 3 Glaswegians do shake up the British 80's-infused trend of the past few years. Not that the chaps don't resemble their contemporaries -most notably, Franz Ferdinand -they make music that's easy to shake to and provide modern-rock style hooks, but the punk-rockabilly, humorous swagger that layers their music is a refreshing change from the glossier sound that has defined much of British rock, resurging in the past few years with the likes of Bloc Party, Franz, Kaiser Chiefs, Etc. Whereas those bands could be linked directly to Gang of Four, 1990s would be linked with bands similar to the Ramones.


Although the lads have signed with relatively-powerhouse indie label, Rough Trade, they meander under the radar -and it seems maybe they prefer it that way as they are older and more mature than most new bands. On the solid "Cult Status", Jackie Mckeown sings "My cult status keeps me alive." I doubt anyone is telling 1990s what and how to go about their routine -another distinction from other contemporaries. Their music resonates with passion and an attitude free of pretenses that makes them easy to like: "I don't care about the clothes I wear, the color of my jeans, or the color or style of my hair." They aren't a young band trying to make it big. They're in the twilight of their youth, just having fun. Despite the humility emanated in their shows, the album is proof that these chaps want to have fun -and they want you to have fun as well. From the beginning, they keep the tempo upbeat and rarely let down the rest of the album, which is full of catchy riffs and melodies, full of "fa la las" and the such. Many of the songs reference drugs: “Now I’m here with my friends, we’ve been taking some drugs, it’s such fun, we’ll be taking some more soon." And with a song title like "Weed" as well, it's not too hard to figure out that these guys want to party. It's quite the dichotomy, considering their meek(yet intense) performance last week. Then again, they're Scottish.

hear: You Made Me Like it, See You at the Lights, Cult Status, Arcade Precinct, You're Supposed to be my friend



www.1990s.tv
www.roughtrade.com