The 1900s

On their debut LP, this trio led by singer/songwriter Jackie McKeown and bassist Jamie McMorrow -- who played in late-'90s indie band Yummy Fur with Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson -- trade their former group's spazzed-out sonics for taut, trashy ditties that mix '70s proto-punk and skippy '50s ooh-las. McKeown's Marc Bolan-influenced rhymes and party-time shouts are always wryly slapdash, but the weaving bass line and expansive structure of "Situation" indicate that 1990s still retain some of the members' arty ambitions. 

Now Hear This:
1990s - "You're Supposed to be My Friend" DOWNLOAD MP3

Now Watch This:
1990s - "See You at the Lights"

By William Goodman