Playing the part of musical trendsetter is a tricky business. Sure, you could become the next White Stripes, but you could just as easily become the next Detroit Cobras or Dirtbombs or Vines or whatever. Every five years or so, we all get bored with the music that we’ve been listening to and decide to grope around for something new. Of course, when considering a new type of music to get into, it helps if that music hearkens back to something that we’re already comfortable with, or at least something that we’ve heard before. This is how that whole late-90′s swing revival happened.
You think we’d learn. But no, we keep going on in this fashion. We’ve worked our way from swing to garage rock and now we’ve plowed through faux-disco and are well into our 80′s no-wave period, with the first hints of a psych-folk period creeping around the corners. It’s maddening, when you step back and look at all of it. It looks so stupid and arbitrary, how much music influences everything. From what we wear and eat and drink to how the other media we consume is constructed. Before you know it, you’re watching a hard-boiled 70′s-ish cop drama with a pair of tight jeans on, sporting a semi-ironic Led Zepplin t-shirt and drinking a Pabst. It’s dangerous following trends. Dangerous and expensive.
This is why I tend to like timeless things. A nice, clean, white t-shirt, for one. Black tennis shoes for another. Hooded sweatshirts, too. Some things never go out of style, they just get adapted to fit the newest trend. I’m the same way with the music I like. Sure, I can get into the newest and freshest interpretation of what was hot 25 years ago like everyone else,(Shameless plug: Just a few more months until I unveil my “Best of 2008″ List!!!) but time after time stuff that sounds like no time in particular is always near the top of my list.
This is why I like The Replacements and Wilco. Their music is malleable and timeless. Take a listen to an album like Being There or Tim and try to tell me I’m wrong.
This is why I’ve fallen head over heels for The Reigning Sound. Specifically, their 2003 album, Time Bomb High School. With a title that brings to mind the Ramones, a sound that alternates between Eric Burdon and The Animals, Big Star and George Jones, they’re the epitome of a timeless band. This album could have come out in 1963, 1975 or 1994 and I wouldn’t be surprised at all.
The opener, “Stormy Weather” is pure Nuggets-era garage rock, on the heels of that is “Straight Shooter,” which sounds like The Sonics reincarnate. It quickly moves to “You’re Not As Pretty,” a beautiful heartbreaker ballad that is one pedal steel interlude away from a Conway Twitty record. From there on, it’s just good music. There’s no other way to put it. Pure guitar, bass, drums, soulful vocals and the smattering of Hammond organ power this wonderful testament to music.
Take a listen for yourself:
