Now I’m a very big fan of Aimee Mann (who’s predictably dry tweets can be found @aimeemann) but her previous band, ‘Til Tuesday, had always been a past life of hers that I was happy to cheerfully ignore. No offence meant, and none taken (if you know what I mean).
24 hours ago I looked up the band, and their breakout hit Voices Carry, on YouTube. Suddenly I was swept away in a sea of lost teenage years, high school proms, cute boys playing vampires, hanging out at the club and on the street, playing in bad bands, and having bad hair. Despite the fact that I wasn’t old enough to do any of these things in the 80’s. Well, I can dream.
The song and video have now become minor obsessions for me. They’ve opened some kind of black hole in my brain into which all of my sensitivities Obviously some serious A&R time was spent here, because the video (despite the skin-creeping cheesiness of the voiceover parts) has a distinct and pretty cool narrative, and manages to capture the edgyness of the band, get some mileage out of the look Mann was sporting at this time* and have a preppy lead to get the housewives vote. The song itself is huge in a , a massive chorus that wouldn’t be out of place on Pat Benetar or Cyndi Lauper. But it’s the verse that kills it. The spare synth riff that creates a sense of longing and wonder, (very) simple rhythm section, and chiming guitars pitched somewhere between Souxsie and the Banshees and Def Leppard(!)
The live version below reveals some wicked understated new wave guitar by the sexily androgynous Robert Holmes.
Due to screwy Sony/Warners nonsense the promo video can’t be embedded, but I suggest you watch it here to get your full fat 80’s quota.
*Is it just me or does she really look a cross between Sinead O’Connor and Jodie Foster in this period?
(Originally posted on 30 August, 2009.)
