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MTS was Paste Magazine's Band of the Week, September 14, 2008. Read the interview in full here. Magnet Magazine counted Ears Like Golden Bats among their "Top 20 Albums of 2007" in Issue #78. See the list here. Read David Pitz's interview with Jed in the Deli Magazine here. MTS was "Magnified" in Magnet Magazine's summer 2007 issue. See left... and here.
What’s most remarkable to me about Lesser Demons
is that, rather than just being a stopgap or a time-filler, it actually
finds My Teenage Stride solidifying their own identity. A few people
were uneasy with how proudly Ears wore its influences; Demons
takes a giant step away from Jed Smith’s record collection. “Theme From
Teenage Suicide” may be the best song the band has ever written: it’s
bracing and breathless and sarcastic and has the kind of hook that you
remember after only one go-round. All five of these songs are winners,
from the haunted mansion rattle of “The Loud Confessor” to the
hyper-pop of “Skin Lieutenant.” I have a tendency to get very “rah!
rah! rah!” about bands I love, but My Teenage Stride is clearly a band
that is going somewhere. Lesser Demons finds them speeding along even faster. Pure pop bliss! Seriously: try “Theme From Teenage Suicide.” SOLID GOLD. ~Joe Keyes
Mercifully, his latest pop machination isn't a hazy psychedelic commentary on cloned crops growing in a clandestine laboratory. Instead, his intellect demonstrates scalpel-sharp focus on the demise of historical purity, the breakdown of morality and the dissection of technology. While previous efforts were mainly works of a mad scientist run amok, Ears Like Golden Bats employs a stable supporting posse who add colorful rhythms and fluid and ballsy temperament to his frothy beaker of '60s coolness and revivalist merriment. With bubbling harmonies and playful beats, "We'll Meet at Emily's," "That Should Stand for Something" and "Terror Bends" are entrancing, hook-laden pop pinwheels that manage to unite bleak uneasiness and optimism--both trademarks of Smith's idiosyncratic lyrical slant. Sundry influences ranging from Phil Spector, Brian Eno and The Chills are evident on the atmospheric, gloomy pomp and circumstance of "Genie of New Jersey" and "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge," as the prolific, chameleon-like Smith manipulates loss, space, nostalgia and darkness for personal expression. The spellbinding results are a kaleidoscopic revelation, embracing every era of pop music's vibrant memory, while simultaneously confronting a philistine culture and the loss of innocence. ~ Ron Bally NEW CITY CHICAGO: People in their thirties disguise their source material; teenagers, on the other hand, are still so smitten with their inspiration that, at best, they have the ability to bring their sources to the foreground and show off their heroes. Although its members are beyond adolescence, My Teenage Stride is well named. The latest release, "Ears Like Golden Bats," presents an unpretentious and excitable set of fourteen songs, each of which delivers the same pop-rock dance beat that would get anyone going in the morning. Above all else, they are successfully shameless—incorporating the strong vocal leads of Jed Smith that carry with Bowie-esque assurance over falsettos, slow-song prom-night steadiness and even some Broadway lilt. This band is a good antidote to the paralyzing effects of self-awareness. Don’t forget what it was like to be 14, angsty, morose and, at the same time, so smitten with the color range of these seemingly "adult" feelings that they’d spur on antics, make you skip school, make you hate your parents, make you fall in love. The lyrics match this tone being at once moody as hell, sentimental, unapologetic and dressed in the catchy glib of melody. They must have tons of groupies. ~ Caroline Picard NYCOOL: June 2007 It’s incredibly rare in this day and age to find a band that plainly wears its influences on its sleeve but still finds a way to come off as absolutely fresh and fun. Most bands that try end up seeming like a tired rehash of old brilliance or like children trying vainly to fill the shoes of their favorite musical forebears. Brooklyn’s My Teenage Stride is one of the many bands that have attempted to fuse past sounds with present sensibilities and they are, fortunately for those of us listening, one of the few bands to succeed. The very first notes of lead-off track “Reception” are reminiscent of mid-to-late 80's post punk which perfected the art of turning pure heartbreak and melancholy into pure hook and pop. Frontman Jedidiah Smith’s vocal evokes a deadpan version of Smiths-era Morrissey, and while the strength of this resemblance fades in and out over the course of the album it is always there. As the album progresses Smith injects more conventions of music-past into his work. “That Should Stand For Something” and “To Live and Die in an Airport Lounge” add the straightforward, driving rhythm and energy of New Order to the mix and the arrangements and melodies of the Cure make an appearance on title track “Ears Like Golden Bats”. With a meandering bass and sparse, light guitars over steady drumming My Teenage Stride also further manages to patch the sounds Smith has harnessed into the current indie-rock archetype of dance-groove detachment. As a result we are left tapping our toes, bobbing our heads and dancing along to some of the most poppy, enjoyable, polished, smart and subtly despondent music since New Wave first crashed onto America’s shores. Cresting the middle and moving toward the end of the record the building blocks that Smith used to craft his songs begin to blur together. Individual pieces become less and less audible as they give way to a new whole. By the time the album comes to a close with the thick, effects-filled “We’ll Meet at Emily’s” and the bass-drum heavy “Depression Kids” it’s obvious that, while My Teenage Stride began the album from atop the shoulders of giants, the band truly has what it takes to stand tall on its own. ~ Eric Atienza TREBLE: Simon and Garfunkel lamented the loss of their youth by recalling the touchstone of one of their heroes, Joe DiMaggio. Those raised in the '80s, such as myself, would call on different heroes, those who were able to capture the dichotomy between the excesses of the decade and the feelings of sensitivity and isolation. In other words, I find myself asking more and more lately, "where have you gone, John Hughes?" With the release of Hughes' 1990 film, Home Alone, the decade ended both literally and symbolically. I won't even go into the Beethoven movies. I know of only one way that we could get Hughes back. I'll send him a copy of My Teenage Stride's Ears Like Golden Bats. First off, what a great band name! I could think of no other band in the world that has as fitting a name. In fact, let's use that as the title of the film. I'm picturing a sequel to Sixteen Candles 25 years later. (We'll give John two years for production just in case you were actually counting). Samantha Baker is a high school English teacher about to turn 40 and she's just gone through a horrible divorce from Jake Ryan after he cheated on her with countless young temps from his office. Distraught and alone, Sam returns to her childhood hometown to stay with her parents for a while and regroup. She decides to apply for the open teaching job at her old high school, only to discover that `Farmer Ted,' that geeky kid from her past, has grown up to be quite the man and is the biology teacher to boot. No story is good without conflict, so guess what? The chemistry teacher is Bryce, with every girl's favorite, John Cusack, reprising the role. Are these the same guys she met in high school? Yes, and she's fallen for both of them. It feels like high school all over again, and juxtaposed against the teaching of actual high school kids going through it for the first time, the irony is delicious. Anyway, the entire soundtrack could be done by My Teenage Stride, a band from Brooklyn releasing their third album, Ears Like Golden Bats. If anything could inspire John Hughes, it's this album. There are enough bands out there trying to recapture the charm of the '80s than you can shake a troll doll at, but no one gets it right like My Teenage Stride. Guitars jangle in just the right treble tone, bass thrums with danceable pathos, and Jedediah Smith (yes, that's his real name) embiggens the role of the fey and sensitive lead singer in a perfectly cromulent way. Echoes of the Smiths ("Heartless & Cruel"), Josef K (title track), Orange Juice ("Depression Kicks"), Flesh for Lulu ("That Should Stand for Something") and even early R.E.M. ("Actors' Colony") weave their way through these two to four minute gems of throwback music. The more I listen to Ears Like Golden Bats, the more I love it. Smith has proven himself to be a great songwriter, if just a bit out of his element. This works only to his favor as he helps remind us all what was so great about this jangle-pop in the first place. He even manages to change his voice up for every song to get a different texture and feel. Lately, bands like Rock Kills Kid, Film School and a horde of others have tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to recapture the magic of the '80s. They could learn a little something from Jedediah Smith. My Teenage Stride is a band that deserves more attention, if only to act as that Joe DiMaggio-like touchstone of our revered past. So, all that's left to wrap up is how the movie ends, and I'll leave that to the master, Mr. John Hughes. ~ Terrance Terich THE L MAGAZINE "One of 8 NY Bands You Need to Hear" May, 23, 2007 The 80s pop nostalgia that happened here and everywhere else in the world, a few years ago always seemed somewhat crass to me. For mostly middle/upper class white kids to go back and glorify the upbeat, lighthearted synth-pop that was all the rage in a decade that practically gave birth to the expression “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” it was almost like bragging. Even with the bands who ripped off famous 80s sad-sacks like Joy Division… something about it was always vaguely offensive. And it would be foolish to pretend My Teenage Stride wasn’t at least a little bit caught up in the whole 80s thing as well, but what frontman and main songwriter Jed Smith understands, and what so many others haven’t, is that the most impressive thing about all that 80s stuff were the songs, and not the stupid fucking clothes. The most obvious comparison to be made here is to the Go-Betweens, but there are also hints of lovably cheesy 60’s pop and a seemingly endless appreciation for Dylan’s sad-one-minute, funny-the-next schtick. There is, as there was with the Go-Betweens, a pronounced emphasis on the craft of songwriting — the belief that a good song is a good song, regardless of the chosen accompaniment. And their new full-length, Ears Like Golden Bats, is full of ‘em. Just so happens the accompaniment is expertly chosen as well, making it one of the best debuts of the year. ~ Mike Conklin THE FIRE NOTE: My Teenage Stride brings back a classic alternative sound with style! May 1, 2007 The interesting thing that happens when you discover My Teenage Stride is the overwhelming staying power of their new album in your player. Ears Like Golden Bats is full of classic 80’s alternative pop tunes that resemble a very Smiths / Go-Betweens type sound mixed with the new wave vocals of Interpol. Lead vocalist Jedediah Smith leads you through each track with his distinguishable voice over each short mid-tempo song ensuring toe-tapping and some humming along. It is this endearing quality that My Teenage Stride possesses because unlike Interpol, there are no sprawling guitars or heavy beats just simple lower-fi instrumentation and Smith’s voice. So if you are into something different be sure to checkout My Teenage Stride because they do a perfect job of sounding retro but feeling completely new. This is not a very easy task to pull off but Ears Like Golden Bats not only does just that but gets better with each listen. ~ Christopher Anthony EMUSIC "Under the Radar" Interview with Jedediah Smith. (Click for full Interview) April 10, 2007 ...Judging by Golden Bats, "music like this" is the kind that snatches the best bits of classic Antipodean bands like the Chills, the Bats, David Kilgour and the Go-Betweens and re-combines them in canny, charming ways. It's one of the year's most thrilling surprises, an album that wraps wry gallows humor in glistening guitars and whistling synths. At a time when dwindling attention spans have turned the record industry into a singles bar, Smith has written an album with nary a forgettable minute... ...Though its loaded with golden moments, the standout is the grim, propulsive "Reversal," where Smith blatantly swipes the structure of the Chills' "Pink Frost" and speeds it up to create a harried, jittery doppleganger. "I remember hearing 'Pink Frost' and thinking 'I've never heard anything like this,'" he says. "I wanted to take that same song and create a concise version of it." It was a gutsy move, but "Reversal" works because it sounds more like an homage than a mimeograph. The rest of the record skews along similar musical lines: "To Live & Die in the Airport Lounge" is a majestic, Murmur-ing tangle of chords, the title track bounces a rubbery bassline across a bed of synths and "Depression Kicks" boasts a guitar line that would make Barney Sumner go green. Golden Bats offers the right kind of familiarity — it's a record that builds on rather than steals from. "Pop music is all about synthesizing a number of different elements and making your own thing out of it," Smith says. "With a couple of exceptions, people who claim to be completely original often don’t write very memorable songs." It's a bold statement, a little bit brassy and a little bit confrontational. But then, writing memorable songs is not a problem Smith has to worry about. ~J. Edward Keyes STYLUS: B+ Brooklyn’s My Teenage Stride inhabits a subculture that is perhaps the most maligned in all of indie rock: the heart-on-sleeve torchbearers of forgotten pastel pop. While metal is permitted the freedom to be ironic, house music is allowed to incorporate disco-balled indulgences, and trad-rock posers are given the go-ahead to rep the Velvets without a hint of actual religious devotion, any band tagged as twee or fey (that doesn’t boast a membership over five) is cast an embarrassing chuckle and swiftly relegated into the endless parade of rainy-day misanthropes, heads hung in accordance to their bleach-skinned heroes. Some probably latch onto support groups and message boards aimed to help such retro-minded introverts cope with the millennial backlash. Rare examples like Jedediah Smith, the principle mope behind Ears Like Golden Bats, remain unapologetic and continue crooning in faux-accents, talking to their pristine record collections like imaginary friends. Throughout Ears Like Golden Bats Smith sings quite confidently (an anomaly for the genre), if not already comfortably jaded, knowing inevitably that any reviewer worth his/her weight in obscure Flying Nun singles will be hard-pressed not to point out (at least 20 or so) of his most glaring influences. So, let’s indulge him for a moment: the soft-hued, prismatic guitar jangle of the Chills butts up against the jerky rhythms and nervous energies of Josef K and Orange Juice on “Actor’s Colony,” or in laymen’s terms, “To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge” intertwines the Smiths’ swiftly strummed melodies with New Order’s cinematic and propulsive basslines. That confidence Smith possesses, at times, becomes boundless optimism, a refreshing contrast to the overwhelming melancholy that surrounds his songwriting. The mellatronic swirls and sublime keyboard tones of “The Genie of New Jersey” and increased tempos that give the impression songs like “Terror Bends” and “Chock’s Rally” are careening towards a welcomed edge provide a balance of mood, rather than a shake-up. Regardless of continuity, there’s a certain dalliance (the Wedding Present allusion is necessary) that, more often than not, forgives Smith’s obvious mid-‘80s love affair. Sonically Ears Like Golden Bats forgoes any modern convenience: the album’s main offender is also its most charming surprise. Where others will search for the unattainable resonance of weathering cloudy forecasts and sun-flecked walks in the meadow, with buckets of reverb and clichéd effects from the era, My Teenage Stride sound naturally of the era. Even the most refined fan could be fooled into thinking this was recorded 20 years ago by some overlooked, second-tier outfit from Glasgow, Dunedin, or Leeds. Take issue with My Teenage Stride (or not) for practicing the highest form of flattery—pop is not pop without quality songs and Ears Like Golden Bats is overflowing with them. Then again, this is a genre, and an album, that can only be critiqued subjectively by taking into consideration the beholder’s threshold for sugar, one’s adoration for certain scenes from John Hughes movies, and a total disregard to the current pulse of the indie underground. Unfashionable as the record may be, it’s a constant joy to listen to. ~Kevin J. Elliott INDIEPAGES: March 19, 2007 As impressed as I was with the band's second album, "Major Major" (which made my top five of 2005), this one is somehow even better! Why these guys are not more famous in the indiepop world is a mystery to me, as almost every song on this album is a hit! On their third album, the songs seem to display a wider variety of influences, and though these are often instantly transparent (sometimes even blatant), none of the songs come off as imitations. While I can see some folks raising eyebrows at songs like "That Should Stand For Something" (which comes awfully close to the Jesus And Mary Chain's "Never Understand" in the verse) and "Reversal" (practically a sped-up version of the Chills' "Pink Frost"), I see these as more of an homage than a ripoff - besides, originality is overrated, anyways... Other points of reference throughout the record include classics like the Television Personalities, Aztec Camera, the Smiths, Orange Juice and even the Wedding Present (check out the guitar in "Terror Bends"). There's a slightly darker feel on a number of the songs, but never enough to drag the record down or make it feel too heavy - even the ones where it's most noticeable, like "Genie Of New Jersey" or "Ruin", have enough melody to keep them peppy. A fun record through and through! MTQ=14/14 COKE MACHINE GLOW: March 27, 2007 Led by singer/multi-instrumentalist Jedediah Smith, Brooklyn’s My Teenage Stride have both sides of the guilty pleasure equation covered. On the guilty side, Smith’s project is proudly and unabashedly retro, a tricked-out time capsule straight to an ‘80s heyday when indie labels like Factory, Flying Nun, Postcard, Creation, and Sarah soundtracked a thousand bedroom daydreams and John Hughes threatened to make Flesh For Lulu a household name. If you’re in the market for boundary-shattering innovation, you can stop reading now and go back to decoding the latest transmissions from El-P or Scott Walker. But if you get all slushy for the wild and innocent days of yore, driving around with a mixtape and a mild case of suburban teen angst, Ears Like Golden Bats will be comfortable and familiar to you. It’s too easy to play spot-the-influence with this record, so let's just get that out of the way: “Chock’s Rally” sounds like an outtake from New Order’s first album; “Heartless And Cruel” does a fair job distilling the regret and disappointment of early Smiths; “Ruin” is a tear-jerker a la The Jesus and Mary Chain circa Darklands (1987); the title track channels the casio-twee of US indie darlings Poundsign, and various other songs dust off the breezy pop uplift of New Zealanders like The Chills and The Clean. Amid this tangle of references, the best songs here dazzle and surge like a brisk jaunt through the country: scenic, wistful, evocative, and just in time for Spring. Built on a timeless riff and a sing-along chorus, “Terror Bends” updates Modern English’s “Melt With You” with an earnest lack of irony, while the equally-anthemic “To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge” is as epic as this band dares, complete with strategically deployed tambourine and a headlong Wedding Present elan. Taking C86 pastoralism and refracting it through the prism of ‘90s lo-fi Amer-indie, Ears Like Golden Bats projects a treble-happy modesty that can be at once charming and cloying. The album is a quick listen, with most songs clocking in at a nimble three minutes or less. This brevity works to the band’s advantage, and the tracks rarely out-stay their welcome. Unfortunately, the album runs out of steam a bit near the end as the melodic dividends thin out, and some of the merry thievery could be less brazen: “That Should Stand For Something” owes royalties to The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Never Understand,” and “Actors’ Colony” mimics both the title of a Joy Division song and Ian Curtis’ vocal style. But for those of us weened on indie pop’s first flowering, it’s hard to avoid a rush of nostalgia while listening to these lovingly-buffed composites. In a world that’s pro-tooled within an inch of its life, sometimes all you need is a bit of strum and jangle to make it okay again. Some kind of wonderful, indeed. ~ Lawrence Lui FENSEPOST: Anytime a band has ‘teen’ in its title one has to wonder if it’s going to slip-’n’-slide down into the emo category. Thankfully, My Teenage Stride don’t; theirs is a rather stern brand of indie-rock with plentiful punk overtones and a constant four-on-the-floor bass-drum backbeat. Look out for nice, fat doses of jangle guitar and some organ, too, and most importantly the vocals add to, rather than detract from, the mix. The beefy bass, on the other hand, is mixed too high and distracts from what could be a pretty mix of high end and soft vocal cues. Production quirks aside, if you dig early ’80s indie-rock, chiming guitars, Modern Lovers, and don’t mind the group choruses of Kaiser Chiefs, My Teenage Stride might have put out your sleeper album of the year in 2006. Just be sure to act like you got it last year, because hell, you wouldn’t want to miss the boat, would you? ~ Grant the Gumshoe SLUG MAGAZINE: Must history always repeat itself? Apparently so as My Teenage Stride fall in where The Go-Betweens and Housemartins waltzed into the mid-80s bringing in a subtle response to post-punk angularity. My Teenage Stride aren’t about to send the masses swooning like Morrissey and Marr but they’ve certainly achieved the charm, warmth and pop appeal that took the Housemartin’s “Happy Hour” high into the UK charts and has continued to keep vocalist Paul Heaton and the Beautiful South afloat. Which isn’t to say that My Teenage Stride are redundant, quite the opposite, actually, as they also mix in elements of early New Order and a paired back Kitchens of Distinction. I promise if this even sounds remotely interesting you’re going to love Ears Like Golden Bats. Guilt-free nostalgia never sounded so good. ~ Ryan Michael Painter IGN, March 7, 2007 -- Shimmering guitar-pop throwback. The brainchild of singer-songwriter Jedediah Smith, My Teenage Stride's sound has grown up on a strict diet of mid-80s guitar-pop fuelled John Hughes film soundtracks, with side dishes of The Smiths and Roxy Music. The happy-go-lucky guitar-pop sound may seem at odds with Smith's late album affinity with The Smiths, but both "Heartless & Cruel" and "Ruin" feel more like Morrisey turning his scowl upside-down than a cheap knockoff. The lean songs breeze in, rustle about for two-minutes, and are gone; making the three-minute "Depression Kicks" feel like an epic. Frantic rambling "That Should Stand For Something" and cheerful keyboard and shiny riff infused "Reception" kick the album off as short-fused pop powder kegs. The hook-happy tunes would stick in your head for hours, if not immediately followed by equally catchy ones. Glistening danceable pop-rock, "To Live And Die In The Airport Lounge" sounds as though it should accompany a montage in The Breakfast Club, with its up-tempo clanging beat and twittering guitars. While the music is always glistening and bright, the same is not true of Smith's vocals. The further from the melodic tones of earlier tunes, the more off-putting the songs get. The off-key vocals of twittering "Reversal" and droll monotone vocals of the otherwise brilliantly paranoid "Chock's Rally" derails them quickly. A bundle of electric riffs and tension, "Terror Bends" starts as a gorgeous Echo & The Bunnymen spin-off before loosing its way in a tangled chorus; although the sparkling guitar hook is irresistible nonetheless. Ears Like Golden Bats is the kind of tight, shimmering brand of guitar-pop that time forgot. Sparkling melodic here-and-gone pop gems like these make you crank up your radio for the glorious nostalgia of the sound. My Teenage Stride deftly captures what made the mid-80s such a wistful and pleasing musical era. ~Chad Grischow POPMATTERS:March 5, 2007 A soft jangle of guitars, a hazy, New Zealand production sheen, the gently melancholy yet sort of humorous lyrics had me thinking I’d stumbled onto some lost Flying Nun outtake the first few times I heard “To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge.” That’s not a knock. The tune has the airy appeal of a good Bats song, seemingly ephemeral but sticking relentlessly in that brain compartment reserved for good pop. It’s just one of several really great songs on this third album from Massachusetts-based My Teenage Stride (the album was recorded just down the road from me in Shelburne Falls), and while some of them have the green pulse of New Zealand, others will remind you of XTC, the Smiths and the dBs. The title track is flat-out gorgeous, starting in washes of pastel sound, then gathering a jittery 1980s new wave angst. Guitars are staccato but soft and there’s an echoing grandeur to Jedediah Smith’s vocals that places you squarely in English Beat territory. Later, “Heartless and Cruel,” with its upbeat-stabbing guitars and drama-laden singing, evokes Morrissey at his late 1980s best, and the keyboard laced “We’ll Meet at Emilys” bounds along effervescently as any Crowded House anthem. This is wonderful stuff, as easy to listen to as it is hard to make. Don’t think about it too hard or you’ll miss the appeal of this hammock-lazing, summer-day record...just the thing for splendidly unhurried afternoons. ~ Jennifer Kelly EXCLAIM: Despite Ears Like Golden Bats being their third album, Brooklyn’s My Teenage Stride have managed to continually fly under the radar. That’s pretty hard to understand because their retro indie pop jangle is immediate, infectious and really rather good, much like Silver Scooter did a few years ago, and there’s always a place for something like this. Half the fun comes from spotting all the points of reference on each song because they aren’t the subtlest band in the world. But with a list that includes New Order, the Wedding Present, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Smiths and the Go-Betweens, they’ve at least managed to pick out decent people to try and emulate. It also helps that they stop short of simply mimicking any of those bands; they just take little bits and pieces in the same way that Guided By Voices did and record songs that have enough familiar moments to make them instantly attractive. It is as if someone else already did all the hard work and My Teenage Stride are there to take credit for it all. But in a good way. Ears Like Golden Bats is a great little album that will catch most people completely by surprise. My Teenage Stride might not be reinventing the wheel but they are making it run very smoothly indeed. ~ Michael Edwards IDOLATOR: February 12, 2007 Jedediah Smith is the Brooklyn-based songwriter behind the band My Teenage Stride, and listening to the band's third full-length, Ears Like Golden Bats, you have to wonder just how much time he's spent obsessing over the Trouser Press; Ears wears its influences like one-inch pins bearing the logos of Orange Juice and the Go-Betweens. We've been especially charmed by the haunting "Reversal" (think of what would happen if the Chills' "Pink Frost" were turned upside down) and the manic, pogo-worthy "Chock's Rally" THE DELI MAGAZINE: Striding Towards a New Record and Release Party With perfectly plucky bass lines, shimmering guitar work, a drum groove that moves along at a sprinter's pace, and luscious harmonies, My Teenage Stride's "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" is the perfect kind of song to convince you that you may not be as old as you think you are…which is good. Most folks have probably wasted a bit of time pining for lost days that have since passed them by. And I can't imagine Jedediah Smith, leader of the Brooklyn outfit, is an exception. But with his extremely recognizable guitar pop… no doubt the grand result of long evenings where The Kinks, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division, The Smiths, and Belle and Sebastian wore out the needle of his turntable… Smith and his band mates churn out the kind of classic kitsch that should have you feeling like there are plenty of glory days still to come. One such day, March 2nd, the band will be showing off new tunes from their forth-coming release Ears Like Golden Bats (Becalmed Records) at The Cakeshop. ~ David Pitz TUBANSERPENT: January 23, 2007 My Teenage Stride have the distinct honor of being my first obsession of 2007. Their forthcoming album, Ears Like Golden Bats (due in stores February 27) is quite the fun and enjoyable listen as it reveals one little pop gem after another. And it gets more infectious with every listen. I highly recommend this to fans of artists such as John Cale, the Kinks, and the Chills. Is it too early to have a No. 1 Album of the Year? THE MIR FACTOR, February 18, 2007 "...However, sometimes I want to say more. In this case, I'd like to focus on the Brooklyn-based band, My Teenage Stride, whose latest album "Ears Like Golden Bats" (yep, funny band name, funny album title) continues to fascinate me. First of all, get OVER the fact My Teenage Stride is reminiscent of The Smiths. Ok, noted, understood, it's time to move on. My Teenage Stride is NOT a Smiths' rip off. Nor is that the band's music's core/major influence/etc. At all. I personally quite like the occasional similarity - it's a refreshing, modern take on The Smith's sound. So, now that's out of the way, it's time to actually focus on My Teenage Stride's sound... With David Bowie-esque flexibility, My Teenage Stride veer from perky pop-based songs, to darker, 1950's Prom Night numbers. Their bass lines are strong and memorable and support breathy, slightly dark vocals; singer Jedidiah Smith can carry one hell of a haunting tune. "Terror Bends" is a fast-paced, exciting guitar-heavy number that makes you just want to leap out of bed in the morning - the light, indie riffs and jumping vocals catapult you through a henious commute. On the other hand, "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" is a poignant, synth heavy song of which all New Order members would be proud. This potential anthem impresses with a multi-layered sound, including guitar, percussion, syth, bass and delicate vocals. Brilliant. And another twist, the song "Chock's Rally" conjures up The Clash with a fast-paced drumming, yet the cheeky organ maintains an indie, Belle and Sebastian-like sound. If you can't already tell, I'm convinced this album has a great appeal; there's pretty much something for any seasoned music fan. Or at least someone whom I'd like to meet, because if you like this album, you pretty much like all my favourite bands. Seriously. -Miriam JERSEY BEAT: This engagingly breezy, catchy and nicely melodic pop-rock album has a certain sweetly upbeat quality to it that’s very charming and appealing. The warm, laid-back vocals, neatly chugging tempos, tunefully hoppin’ arrangements, sunny, lively, radiant melodies and overall sense of cheery carefree happiness all radiate a pleasantly positive vibe. It’s both refreshing and heartening to hear an album that’s utterly bereft of cynicism and negativity, which offers a winningly bright’n’blithesome outlook on life and boasts plenty of spunky vitality to spare to boot. A sparkling little jewel. ERASING CLOUDS: Ears Like Golden Bats starts off swinging with style on opener "Reception", with a snappy beat, melodic bass, guitars that punch up at the right moments, and Jerediah Smith singing in a romantic tone, "God bless the criminals / God bless the crime / when you've got something good you've got to take your time." And we fall right in line, under their spell… There's a casual efficiency to this music that I love. It's smooth and breezy but also filled with sparkling melodies and harmonies, expressive and unique lyrics, guitars that ring out, bass that rolls, drums that kick, synths that accent and surround (all in perfectly pleasing ways), and upward motion, an energy of moving forward. It's obvious they're in love with the smart, sensitive pop classics, with the Smiths, Felt, the Go-Betweens, Television Personalities, but it's also music very much in the moment. This is instantly pleasing, immediately classic music to those of us who appreciate this style. Listen to a song like the title track, with the synth delicately leading in to a surge, and lyrics like "I never thought that it would be this way / you're going to let me down." Everything feels exactly right. So fresh, so clean, humorous ("To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge") and emotional…a pop sound that hits all the right buttons. The album packs a punch (a melancholy-pop punch), with power moving in the direction of harmonic perfection, melodic optimism expressing uncertainty. Guitars that rise up to hide the tears. ~ Dave Heaton BIG TAKEOVER: January 21, 2007, DAVE HEATON’S TOP TEN 1. My Teenage Stride – Ears Like Golden Bats (Becalmed) The best 2007 album I’ve heard yet – smart, funny, stylish, catchy indie-pop. DAGGER: I believe that this is MTS’ 3rd record for the Becalmed label (they also have one out on Banazan) and it’s the best one I’ve heard ! Leader Jedediah Smith seems to be getting better (and more focused) as a songwriter and EARS ARE LIKE….is chock full of the kind of tasty pop nuggets that I kill to hear. Armed with what seems like a solid band (including Tris McCall who has played with the Shelflife Records band The Consultants) the hits just keep coming. Right from the opening bell of “Reception” the band means business, with its nimble, jangly pop sound tho’ when the keyboards slip in (as on the title track) a bit of a Cure influence creeps in. But the band’s bread and butter are upstanding pop tunes like “That Should Stand for Something” and “To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge” (great title !) They get even a bit more rockin’ on the anthemic “Terror Bends.” Smith knows his pop history and knows it well, I hear echoes of Jesus & Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Beach Boys and even my longtime favorites from New Zealand, The Chills. There’s a lot of places i could see this band going, one of them is straight up. THE DIY ROCKSTAR: My Teenage Stride have recently came to my attention, and at about that same time I fell in love with a band called My Teenage Stride. I found the track Ears Like Golden Bats the other day on Wolf Notes, and ever since I can’t get enough. Today I bring you that same song. You may notice many possible comparisons that could be made when you listen to this song the first time: they’re like Tally Hall, but with, you know, substance; the guy vocally channels Stuart Murdoch throughout much of the song; they riff like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. However, they do all of this in such a way that comes through as original, and though heavily influenced, they sound like all of the afforementioned bands’ finest points bundled into one addictive, accessible package. FINGERTIPS MUSIC: "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" - My Teenage Stride Buoyed by the same brand of upbeat moodiness that characterized many an old Smiths song, "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" is a sparkly bit of catchy but inscrutable guitar pop from the Brooklyn-based one-time one-man-band My Teenage Stride. Jedediah Smith is the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who launched the band, by himself, a few years ago; for a good part of the new CD, however, he assembled a stable foursome, and will perform live with them now as well. While I cannot personally vouch for the claim that Smith is "a living compendium of virtually every pop style that has existed from 1956 through the present," as per his PR material, who am I to argue? He's apparently written more than 500 songs in his still-young life, and I've only heard four of them. I will say that Smith's music does exude an easy-going expertise; check out how nicely he blends the two (maybe three?) guitar sounds that drive the piece, and check out too his dexterous vocal layering--I really like how his extensive use of same-note harmony vocals serves to render all the more glowing the harmonies that subsequently differentiate. "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" is a song off Ears Like Golden Bats, the new My Teenage Stride CD, slated for a February release on London-based Becalmed Records.~ Jeremy This list is by no means complete. Simply put, we include them as we find them and when we get around to it. If you wrote a review and want it removed from the list, contact mts [at]fiftyrubies.com. |
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