Anthem of the Recession Generation

The Windermeres

Man, you ever kep’ thinking, “that guy — what an ass,” throughout a whole album? Jus’ couldn’t get past the thought that some fuckers could totes stand to lose a few pounds off their gargantuor egos an’ no one would be the sadder for it. Ever thought that? Yeah. This is one of those.

I am, actually, lying. I know the lead singer and main songwriter of The Windermeres. He’s called Chris Grasselo (sp, Chris?), and he’s a charming and intelligent person. I’m so jazzed whenever I see he’s got a gig on.

He’ll probably be one of these dudes that history forgets as an intellectual, which is a real shame. He might appear on one of those lists you see circulating buzzfeed — 10 Rock and Rollers You Never Knew Read Books, or something dumb like that. You ask him, “what is the literary basis of [whatever]?” Choose the silliest sounding track on any of The Windermere albums, expecting him to say something about that boozy night and how high he got, and already expecting a good chuckle… If you do that, prepare to be surprised. You’ll get lessons in history and literature and social climates and all kinds of things that aren’t generally appropriate conversation for keggers of the usual sort.

The other members of the band are probably just as cool, but I don’t know them very well because I’m shy around rock and rollers. I only know Chris because my ex did.

Damn, dudes…I’m listening to this album for the first time. I’ve been to a couple of their concerts, so I knew I liked the music, but had never actually listened to this album. Chris and his mates — not the members of The Windermeres, but his mates — started life as full grown ska kids. Then they stopped being so horny, so they turned into what I like to call cheerful punk. Because if ska stops being horny, then it becomes punk, but more cheerful sounding, if you didn’t know. That was back when they were kids. Now that Chris and his mates are grown up rockers, and being The Windermeres and all, then suddenly they’re a bit more complicated than jus’ punk. There’s some rockabilly strains — there’s some Gogol Bordello worming in — there’s some R.E.M. college rock giving some shape to it.

You know what, they’re a bit like Elvis Costello got reincarnated as a much younger dude, and sort of bummed around for a while before saying, “I think these Millennials need a voice.”

Also one of the most criminally under-prestigious bands I’ve highlighted in this here series.

I think you might like these dudes, Doc.

Oh, minor point on this album: I went and did some of the crowd shouting for the backing lyrics on some of the tracks. It’s like my rock and roll debut.