90 Day Men: (It Is It) Critical Band

I don’t know what it is about people drawing upon bands of the past that never really made it out of DC. There has been this stream of bands in the last five years that has really sunk teeth into the rock of Hoover and the structure of a Hoover shot off Crownhate Ruin. These two bands have been like a textbook in the atmospheric rock music style of the ’90s. Thank god just about every band that has put their effort into this rock have really expanded on each other’s sound.

The 90 Day Men are a Chicago jam/rock band that has the same feel as Mercury Program with more guitar work and absolutely no vibes or organ in the mix. The vocal style of this Chicago outfit also differs greatly. Tom Reno of the Mercury Program is much more soft and subtle then the vocalization from 90 Day Men. Reno will put you at ease and bring you to a fully relaxed state as his band soothes you. The 90 Day Men however lay very stressed and cracked vocals over the driving motion music they have created. The balance between the unsettling and serenity however mixes well and helps the 90 Day Men from getting caught up in being another band trying to copy a sound. There is no shouting like the founders Hoover, which also helps since the music’s structure does indeed borrow from the blue prints set forth so many years ago.

If you’re a fan of this open style of rock music you may at first be put off by the 90 Day Men’s efforts. The subtle differences aren’t so pronounced upon first spin, but after a few real good listens you see where the 90 Day Men change up the pace. Like many other contemporaries they will glide you around and get you pleasantly through the day. Like a luxury car, the 90 Day Men travel with precision and comfort so that you don’t even feel all the bumps in the road.