An old joke tells the story of Canada’s behind-the-times culture, and though it’s far from any truth I can recognize I believe it suits The Courtneys well. Songs about “90210” and Keanu Reeves lace the three-piece’s self-titled 12-inch and I am in love with Canada circa ‘95. One last chance to grip unworn treasures in the closet and head bang (minus the lengthy locks of my youth) to another female group I ignored while chasing girls. If only I had paid closer attention to Tsunami and Velocity Girl—and though The Courtneys aren’t any of them, they borrow from the same pop explosion to deliver songs of a different era rife with subject matter in the modern age. Though the throwbacks to the alterna-decade are plentiful they aren’t out of some outdated modus operandi that Canada is operating under. Rather, it’s the recall of the last of our fun. For those of us who came of age in the land of fashion malls filled with Sam Goody’s and Musicland, The Courtney’s latest would fell right at home snuggled up next to overpriced CDs that were never on sale or marked down—and you know, I’d gladly pay full price for this. Not as some parting gift to the 90s but as a reminder that certain rock and roll sounds never go out of style, no matter how much Hot Topic and MTV try to tell me otherwise. Good on you Courtneys!
More about: The Courtneys
