Tuesday 28 June 2011

Listening to The Impossible Years (not the Art Museums)

The Art Museums' album last year, Rough Frames, left me cold. It was such a studied interpretation of Dan Treacy's Whaam!/Dreamworld labels that it came off as dead-eyed. I went back to the source material, straight to The Impossible Years' Scenes We'd Like To See ep, the first Dreamworld release in 1985.

Even though the Whaam! and Dreamworld rosters looked to the past for their mod and psych influences, they were no mere revivalists: they tackled their inspirations with passion, not reverence, and breathed new life into their songs.

The Art Museums have a new single out. It's better than anything off Rough Frames, but try as I might I can't shake my initial impressions of them. So here's Philadelphia's The Impossible Years with Her Father Supects, and a whole load of Dreamworld press stuff that I found in my copy. Not sure why it's there as it doesn't relate specifically to The Impossible Years, but archive fans might like these snapshots of mid-80s London indie.

8 comments:

  1. Amazing! That is one of the best tunes I've heard in a long, long time. I only have the Vinyl Japan Dreamworld comp. cd and this song isn't on it. If it had been, it would be just about the best song on it. What a swizz! Good sharing again, sir.

    cheers, brogues

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  2. Love this track...AND I was in the Art Museums. Sorry to have left you cold...I can't say it really was a studied take on the Whaam sound per se...I kind of see us a tribute band almost...and it came with and from passion...whether or not it sounds like it. Anyhow, nothing like finding a great sound from a lukewarm review of my own band! Somehow perfect actually in the realm of fragile pop!

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    1. Or...I mean...we were just having fun...but we MEANT it too! Does this make sense? Anyhow...bon chance!

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    2. Yes, it makes perfect sense. Thanks for your measured response to my slight. You know when everyone you know, friends who pretty much have the same music taste as you, really like a band and, well, you just don't get it? That was it with The Art Museums. So, everyone liked you and I tried to figure out why I didn't. There's no accounting for (my) taste.

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    3. Its cool dude! I'm very happy to have learned about the Impossible Years and am going to track down their EP asap. I'm a hopeless Dan Treacy fanatic and love the early Times records as well. We can both take comfort in acknowledging the true geniuses!

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  3. You should pick up Todd Shuster's (Impossible Years main man) album My Report Card. Todd is selling themdirect and cheap.

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  4. Is it as good as the Art Museums (haha just kidding!) I put out a 7" by the Television Personalities a few years ago...two songs from more recent years. ("My New Tattoo/Funny He Never Married") Let me know if you want a copy. I have a few left and would be happy to send you one.

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    1. Thanks for the very kind offer, but I already have a copy!

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