This is a wicked tune. I love the energy of it. I love the slightly sneering, Billy-Idol-meets-Johnny-Rotten, vocalist. I love the way the music rages like it’s a Pop-Punk ball and everyone’s invited. I love that it made me bounce about my living-room like a rabbit on speed, yelling along with what words I could. I even love that I can’t quite figure out most of the lyrics.
I know, it’s a shocker – I’ve finally found a song I’m singing praises of. It shocked the hell outta me too but every time I put
His Lyrics Are Disastrous on I couldn’t fight the urge to tap my feet. Then sort of chair-dance. Then get up and jump about. Then shout-a-long in a
vaguely in-tune way.
Jakobinarina, as I’m sure you’ll know from reading Foxgloves review of their debut album
The First Crusade, (which, incidentally, I also think is excellent) are an Icelandic pop-punk band populated by slightly deranged teenagers and fronted by a singer with a vaguely Germanic accent who smacks of the 70’s punk rage vocalists. They may be teenagers but, as a group, they’re tight and definitely all about the shoulder-charging rhythms.
I read some online reviews of this single before writing my own and I think these kids are getting a raw deal from a seriously jaded music press. Rather hypocritical after my
Simon Le Fort review? Maybe. However I genuinely think these guys write, and play, fun music that will make you want to jump about like you did when you went to gigs as a 17 year old. Yeah, they’re teenagers. Yeah, they write about the teenage experience. Yeah, it’s emulated in a dozen other teenage-themed tunes but isn’t that kinda comforting? Being a teenager, no matter the country, is a universally similar experience and I’m not about to condemn them for turning out their spin on things – especially when it sounds this good. They’re young and they may improve with age but, in my opinion, I’d be quite happy if they sounded just like this forevermore.
Excellent band. Excellent Single. Excellent album. Borrow it, buy it, download it – it doesn’t matter just make sure you have a listen. And wear your jumping around shoes when you do.
His Lyrics Are Disastrous is out now on EMI Records
www.myspace.com/Jakobinarina www.jakobinarina.com
