Maybe it's just because they have Scottish accents that I find them so charming and affable. By and large, Twin Atlantic trades in a type of music that is very easy to dismiss, overeager to prove its worth as angsty and thoughtful while still being poppy and accessible. To my tired old ears, they seem like an updated, Glaswegian version of Tonic.
But this is a type of music that will always have a currency with the current crop of teenagers, with thundering drums, squealing guitars and vocals centering on breaking free, expressing yourself, taking control at last, etc. On that level it ain't half bad at all. Critics hate it, but it's a necessary creature, generally harmless. I could see being 16 and getting really into this record, then moving on once you discover, I dunno, the Clash or Metallica or Arctic Monkeys or something. This is never going to be the "big thing" but it'll do at that age where you hate whatever the "big thing" is but don't know where to look for something you like.
Even if it's a philosophical affront to the idea that "good" music must have "artistic value," I'll admit I've listened to this record the whole way through without turning it off a whole lot, and if it sucked I wouldn't be able to do that. Sure it's slick and commercial, but not every band gets to be Nirvana, not every band has to define a generation. Some just go along with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment