REVIEW: Various, In Their Eyes: '90s Teen Bands Vs. '80's
Teen Movies
- Chris Candreva
An interesting idea to launch their new "Cheap Date" records, this Rhino release features teen bands of the '90s covering songs from teen movies of the '80s. You remember the John Hughes era: Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times, Ferris Bueller, etc.
It's an interesting idea that could be a win for all involved. The nostalgia value of the songs is likely to pique the interest of many, in the process giving visibility to the new label, and hopefully at least some of the young artists on the album. I'm just not sure they've succeeded.
What came immediately to mind when I first played this album was a fraternity basement in college. A bunch of us would get together with our instruments, in the basement of the house where the guy with the drums lived. We'd have a few beers, think of songs someone knew the chords to, show everyone else, then play really loud just the rhythm part, while someone sang into a mike.
You know - a cover band.
A good number of the tracks sound basically like an average frat house cover band. Given the average age of the musicians is 16 (some are as young as 9), this may actually be a compliment. The live feel is refreshing, especially on these songs which started life fairly processed. These kids have energy.
Some of the tracks, though, sounds very much like some people who just got together to jam out some chords. You don't, however, come away with a feeling for what style, in any, the band has.
You know - a cover band.
There are a few notable exceptions. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" by Round House stands out in its arrangement of chords and harmony vocals. F.O.N puts a Mighty Mighty Bostones' spin on The Cars' "You Might Think", resulting in a tune might just get me into a mosh pit one more time.
It's a neat concept, but what we really end up with is a disc of tracks by high school cover bands. It could be worth buying as a novelty, but don't expect to find a lot of musical depth. TRACK LISTING: Pretty In Pink - The Grown-Ups; Don't You (Forget About Me) - The Godjits; A Million Miles Away - Dyslexic Church; Somebody's Baby - Phantom Planet; If You Were Here - Ben Lee and Spitoon; Bring On The Dancing Horses - Round House; Oh Yeah - Crazy Glue; You Might Think - F.O.N.; I Melt With You - The Rondelles; In Your Eyes - The Stinky Puffs; If You Leave - Marigold; Weird Science - The English League; Raised On The Radio - Slimer; Johnny, Are You Queer ? - The Knock-Ups; School's Out - The Donnas
