LLeow - 1995 (self-released)

Being a long-time fan of prog, I love the sonic reference that kicks things off here, the opening riff from Asia’s “Heat of the Moment,” a song associated with the meeting of the two people in the song, and a musical motif subtly woven throughout “1995,” the new one from LLeow.

And, this brief, nostalgic nod is the perfect way to kick things off, especially as the central theme of the song is that sense of yearning for the songs of our youth and how, in our minds at least, the music being made today doesn’t resonate with us in the same way, doesn’t elicit the same response from us and, (controversial trigger warning) perhaps just isn’t as good. But that’s okay; everyone feels this way when comparing the music that soundtracked their younger days with what came after. It’s only natural. (Although I can’t imagine a future where the music of Nicki Minaj lights up a party in the same way as, say Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town.”)

What is most clever about “1995” is that it somehow blends the robust rock grooves of the past with some infectious present-day indie-pop, making for the perfect juxtaposition between the new and the old, between pop’s accessible ways and rock’s fist-in-the-air anthemics, between a love of the past and forward-thinking creativity, between has gone before and where we are today.

“1995” is totally familiar yet wonderfully fresh. Clever, very clever indeed.

Facebook
Spotify
YouTube
Instagram
Soundcloud