Track of the Week: Elastica: Connection (1994)
They come from a punkier, spikier basis, Oasis are very Beatles, Blur are Kinksier, but Elastica are nasty." - Marc Waterman, Elastica's producer
Perhaps it's time Elastica were given their due. Now largely forgotten outside of Justine Frischmann's relationships with certain Britpop stars, their music has a freshness and inventiveness lacking in many of their more frequently remembered peers. These guys were ripping off Wire and The Fall years before any of today's post-punk revivalists cottoned on to the idea, and with more charisma and musical clout to boot. 'Connection' is a case in point, opening as it does with a guitar line copped shamelessly from Wire's 'Three Girl Rhumba', which basically provides the musical backbone for the song. Although many of Elastica's songs share Wire's short, spiky attack, they replace Wire's harsh anti-rockist stance with an altogether more poppy and approachable sound: 'Connection' definitely rocks, something Wire would shudder at, but Elastica turn to their advantage. Imitating Wire is, despite the legion of post-punk revivalists who attempt it, ludicrously hard to do: Wire sound harsh, minimalist, cold and clinical; and without Wire's rigorous and almost autistic logic (not to mention gifted ability for pop melodies), their sort of music can sound unfinished and devoid of personality - just listen to, say, The Futureheads next to anything off Pink Flag to see the massive difference in their lesser imitators. 'Connection', however, is driven along by Frischmann's sexy and engagingly arrogant vocals as she slags off pedestrian indie bands 'Riding on any wave', whilst her and Donna Matthews' guitar lines serve up hooks aplenty and steer away from turgid punk rock clichés. The whole thing swaggers with an irresistible confidence, right through to the joyous hand claps at the coda, and it's beautifully concise - over in just under two-and-a-half minutes. But unfortunately, the rise of the meat-and-potatoes rock of Oasis swept away the artier, more interesting bands like Elastica. Which is a shame, because with Franz Ferdinand et al owing much to Elastica's reWiring of the post-punk era, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs achieving notable record sales, today's indie rock scene might have been more appreciative of their music.
Perhaps it's time Elastica were given their due. Now largely forgotten outside of Justine Frischmann's relationships with certain Britpop stars, their music has a freshness and inventiveness lacking in many of their more frequently remembered peers. These guys were ripping off Wire and The Fall years before any of today's post-punk revivalists cottoned on to the idea, and with more charisma and musical clout to boot. 'Connection' is a case in point, opening as it does with a guitar line copped shamelessly from Wire's 'Three Girl Rhumba', which basically provides the musical backbone for the song. Although many of Elastica's songs share Wire's short, spiky attack, they replace Wire's harsh anti-rockist stance with an altogether more poppy and approachable sound: 'Connection' definitely rocks, something Wire would shudder at, but Elastica turn to their advantage. Imitating Wire is, despite the legion of post-punk revivalists who attempt it, ludicrously hard to do: Wire sound harsh, minimalist, cold and clinical; and without Wire's rigorous and almost autistic logic (not to mention gifted ability for pop melodies), their sort of music can sound unfinished and devoid of personality - just listen to, say, The Futureheads next to anything off Pink Flag to see the massive difference in their lesser imitators. 'Connection', however, is driven along by Frischmann's sexy and engagingly arrogant vocals as she slags off pedestrian indie bands 'Riding on any wave', whilst her and Donna Matthews' guitar lines serve up hooks aplenty and steer away from turgid punk rock clichés. The whole thing swaggers with an irresistible confidence, right through to the joyous hand claps at the coda, and it's beautifully concise - over in just under two-and-a-half minutes. But unfortunately, the rise of the meat-and-potatoes rock of Oasis swept away the artier, more interesting bands like Elastica. Which is a shame, because with Franz Ferdinand et al owing much to Elastica's reWiring of the post-punk era, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs achieving notable record sales, today's indie rock scene might have been more appreciative of their music.
posted by Jonathan Thornton at 2:33 pm
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