1990s – Kicks

The past few years have seen me develop an ever-intensifying love affair with Scottish bands: Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, My Latest Novel, Camera Obscura, etc.  And when 1990s made their debut with 2007’s Cookies, I fell pretty hard for them too.  As I live in the U.S., some research was required to discover that guitarist Jackie McKeown & former bassist Jamie McMorrow were members of The Yummy Fur for the better part of the 1990’s (the decade, ha).  From what I gather, The Yummy Fur had quite the cult following, but never really broke into the consciousness of the masses.  Conversely, 1990s came onto the scene with a bang, garnering heaps of critical praise of their debut.
Kicks is another playful romp with three lads who seem quite resistant to growing up.  ‘Vondelpark’, mainly about rather shady antics in Amsterdam, launches the listener immediately into the party mode.  ‘I Don‘t Even Know What That Is’ is a bouncy, hooky account of being un-cool: “I just checked in ‘bout halfway through the question, already out of my den/sounds kind of fucked up but I’ll guess I’ll take a lesson maybe catch up on something I missed/I’m not too hip but it’s still kind of distressing, I’ve never even heard of it”.  Perhaps the catchiest tune on Kicks is ’59′.  A chorus of “Na Na Na’s” over a lone drum beat quickly becomes a plucky bassline and lyrics about falling for a stranger on a bus.  ‘Everybody Please Relax’ is about moving to Los Angeles, and ironically quite accurate coming from a trio of Glaswegians, touching on Hollywood psychics, Scientology, Sunset Strip and Echo Park.

The album lags a bit in the middle with the forgettable ‘Balthazar’ and ballad ‘Local Science’.  1990s are so good at upbeat songs, their attempting a ballad is ill-advised.  Overall, like the debut, Kicks is filled with melodies, hooks, fuzzy guitars, power chords, and clever lyrics.  The sound is crisper, but the subject matter is about the same; you can’t go into a 1990s album without expectations of girls, booze and drugs.  Kicks is not innovative, it’s not going to change the world, but it’s a kick to listen to (pun intended).
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