Reviews
1986
Nihilism is Nothing to Worry About
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2006-09-30
I have to say, I liked this CD. I like it quite a bit. 1986’s debut release, Nihilism is Nothing to Worry About, is a great album that makes you think of indie/college rock right away. But then, as it gets further into the CD, there is a switch. Still, it feels like hanging out and just having something non-offensive but good in the background.
This trio - Giorgio Angelini on vocals and guitars, Drew “Drooper” Pennebecker on bass, and Cully Symington on drums - has been compared to The Replacements, and I hear that. But I also hear some Dandy Warhols in them, and at times I feel like maybe I want to throw in Sloan – hell, I’ll throw in 54-40 and The Tragically Hip too. It’s like Canrock but from Austin, Texas and New York City (um, that’s where they are from). I wasn’t about to go by their own description of the band saying they sound “like grapples (grape flavoured apples): artificially created, yet every bit as tasty as the original”. I don’t even really know what they mean by that, but I felt it was important to mention it here.
The songs hook you right away, sounding upbeat, even though the lyrics give another story. They’re a bit on the downer side, but put to the beats it doesn’t make you feel depressed when you pop this in. The CD opens with “Laughing” which makes you bob your head and even has a bit of a reggae beat – not the only time that this happens, either. “Better When You Are Stoned” is why they remind me of the Dandy Warhols it is almost like a mix between “Bohemian Like You” and “Not If I Was the Last Junkie On Earth” (Ed’s note: Mad props for mentioning this song) with lyrics like “You think things will get better, but they don’t/you think you’ll feel so much better, when you are stoned” in the chorus followed up with “you got a noose tied around your neck/you gonna lose your head if you haven’t lost it yet.” Bummer, right? Wrong. It sounds like sunshine and puppies – which continues right on into “I Know.” I can see with this one why they have also been compared to early Foo Fighters – it’s a bit like “Big Me.”
“It’s Too Bad” makes me think of something that I can’t put my finger on – I want to say the Police, maybe? The next track, “Mechanical Dreams,” is strong; it’s almost like a turn in the CD, as it starts to get a bit harder and maybe darker. “Holiday” is just plain old sad sounding. The singing, the music – it’s not so upbeat anymore -- the lyrics…they all kind of make you feel sad, as does the aptly titled “Comatose,” which follows.
The album wraps up with two faster tracks – “.22 Calibre,” whose quickness comes in bursts – did I just say that? Oh. Now I know what this is – it’s an emo song! Um, yeah, I kind of pass on this one, but that’s alright. I like the last song the most. It is the hardest darkest one on the CD. “Creep Like Me”. It’s sexy; it slinks.
Overall, with the exception of “.22 Calibre” – too emo for me – and “Comatose” – too depressing for me – I enjoyed listening to this. It also gave me the opportunity to learn what a grapple is.
Score: 7.9
- Mistress Kara