1990s - Kicks (Album)

Rough Trade

April 12, 2009, 12:37 PM

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1990s an appropriate title for this band don't you reckon? They encompass all that was good and at times all that was bad about said era, thankfully they veer much more into the good territory you know the stuff that was catchy and instantly drilled a tunnel into your brain where it would lay and hibernate until when you least expect it your humming along and singing the tune that you can't quite place, that folks is the 1990s they are the worm that drills through the apple that is your brain slowly eating away at you - but in a groovy sense.

Take ' Tell Me When You're Ready' with it's so much cleverer than Franz glam-stomp and ruthlessly executed guitar chops, now listen to it and try telling me you won't be buzzing along in the shower to it, go on tell me! You can't can you! And they just keep on coming one after the other in an effortless manner that puts our national rail system to shame 'I Don't Even Know What That Is' drives the poppiest vocals down your gullet and before you have time to gasp for air the sucker punch of '59' hits you with it's recognisable intro (you try placing it) as we are regaled tales of bus journeys possibly with Brian Wilson's active funk-pop portion of his neuro-system.

1990s don't go for the complex or the over-the-top instead it's simple and graceful and quite blatantly it's fun, fun to write, fun to play, and with out doubt fun to listen to, I mean check out the guitar in 'Everybody Please Relax' or the driving with the roof off in the greatest heatwave of all time that is 'Vondelpark'. And there is the two tracks that dominate over the album in my humble opinion firstly 'Kickstrasse' that's a throbbing dose of garage-funk that sees Kate Jackson help out on vocal duties creating a sexually whipped chorus that includes the delightful "Your blue bikini's all you've got to wear/The way you fucked me on that plastic chair" eloquent. Secondly there's lead-off track 'The Box' that's a fairground stomp injected with steroids and other band substances as it pounds on your ears begging to be let in, tickling you with it's lyrics "I think I'm gonna have to put you back in your box... Yeah that's the place I keep my pants and socks" it's a diamond geezer folks.

Unfortunately it's not all plain sailing 'Local Science' tries to change tact and fails as it's just a little to dreary compared to well pretty much everything else, reminding me too much of The Divine Comedy a bit mundane. Though truth be told it's a minor blip as the album eases on out at the end with the Sound & Vision of Bowie that is 'The Kids' it's uncanny people.

1990s play for fun and there is little serious to be found in their music which is just the way it should be if they tried too hard to put some zen-like meaning in there it would all come unstuck but as it is 'Kicks' is a great album of nonsensical pop music about sex and rock n' roll this is what we need in our lives so 1990s I salute you for being just plain old fun of the highest order.

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