It’s odd, isn’t it, how things change?
Back in 1991, I was 16 years old and in the thrall of Guns N Roses. So much so that there was a line in “Don’t Damn Me” that seemed to sum my world view at the time up. “Vicarious existence,” sang Axl, “is a fucking waste of time.”
We agreed. It was our world and we were going to take it.
Fast forward 28 years and that album is still cool and everything, but the rest of it, nah, we never did much to be fair and we still seek our escape in rock n roll.
So step forward, at this point, Jeremy And The Harlequins. And, I’ve got to be honest here and say I’d not heard of Jeremy And The Harlequins before last year when their US record label sent me a press release about them.
But the picture was enough. The band are a window to a world that is much cooler than mine. They look like they were born to be in a rock n roll band. They look like a gang, they look like all the things we used to pore over as kids and dream of being.
These are our boys. Then there’s this. “We wanted to make a classic American rock record,” says Jeremy, the singer. But anyone can say things. Not many can make Little Steven conclude that they have “the coolest song in the world.” But that’s what your man Van Zandt had to say about “Starlight” – and you can see why too, in truth. Because for precisely four minutes and one second “Starlight” sounds like it was desperate to be an outtake on “Born To Run” and when you think that was when Springsteen himself was living out his own rock n roll fantasies that gives a clue as to the vibe here.
Frankly, if this is a town full of losers then J&TH are pulling out of here to win. Not just a little win, either. No, “Remember This” wants the jackpot. And the rollover one to boot.
The title track kicks in with a bit of a CCR thing, but it looks back, “at 17, magic still exists….” It just about did, however when I was 17 a girl called Helen went off with another bloke and I sought solace in Springsteen bootlegs, but I digress.
In fact, had this record existed then I may have dared to still dream, because that’s what it sounds like. “Nothing Civil” knows it sounds like The Stones, and it knows that handclaps rule all in any drum beat, and try as you might if you can listen to “Little One” without thinking of “My Coo Ca Choo” then you’re better than me.
Probably the best thing about “…..This” is that it doesn’t bother to hide its influences. “California Rock” out Chuck Berry’s Chuck Berry, as it were, “Who’s Gonna Save Us” is the perfect low-slung bluesy thing, and while “With You” is a bit of a tempo change, then lets not lie to each other here, kids all over America (and probably here too if they hear it) are getting laid to this after their prom this summer.
“American Gold” has a touch of Brian Fallon about it, and it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine the whole record doing for Jeremy And The Harlequins what “The ’59 Sound” did for Gaslight Anthem.
“Like A Prayer” upset me a bit, because although I am predisposed to like Madonna for all kinds of reasons (not least I was 14 when it came out, enough said?) I do have the firm belief that pop covers and rock should be kept apart. This one is the exception that proves the rule.
“Hold On” is going to sound great in arenas, but it is more than that. It is reflective, in both lyrical tone and sound, and yet sounds perfectly modern too. The same goes for “A Lot More Wise”, there’s just a hint of “You Can’t Hurry Love” here, but the girl who broke Jeremy’s heart is now “liking my Facebook pictures” and “stalking the band on Twitter….”. The inference is clear. This belongs in 2019, but its heart belongs to the past. Oh and its most definitely her loss, they’re certain about that.
You can dress it up however you like, but to be honest, if you don’t like this record, you don’t like rock n roll. Simple as that.
Rating 10/10
