Will's Band Recommendation: The Young Veins

As far as musical taste goes, I was stuck in the 1960s until very recently. Sure, music had developed a lot since then, but nothing could really compare to the beginnings of what one might call rock. From the vocal harmonies, catchy melodies, and driving yet chiming guitars of beat music to early psychedelia's effects, and instrumentation, I almost felt that all the innovation that was really necessary had already been done. While I've come to accept that this definitely isn't the case, I still very much like that kind of music, and I have a sort of fondness for music that takes much of its influence from it.

This was very much the context in which I was introduced to The Young Veins. Amber told me about a band that sounded essentially like a modern version of the early beatles, and brought up a video of their song "Take a Vacation!" My excitement rose before they even played the first notes when I noticed that Jon Walker's Rickenbacker and Ryan Ross's Gretsch guitars and Andy Soukal's Höfner 500/1 mirrored the iconic Beatles's instruments. I noticed that they took this tribute of sorts even further with the video for "Change": the simplicity of their performance on a stage and the stage itself (adorned with arrows), as well as their decisions to wear suits and film the video in black and white were evocative of live performances aired on tv in the 60s–especially the Beatles' performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.

The similarities are rather obvious.

The similarities don't even end with such superficial qualities. Andy's bass lines are reminiscent of Paul McCartney's in their ability to be rhythmic and driving yet quite melodic. Jon's solo in "Change" also seems to be significantly influenced by John Lennon's rough, driving, and not especially clean (for the mid '60s) style of guitar.

Though The Young Veins borrow heavily from the musical styles of the early 1960s, they should not be looked at simply as one might at a Beatles tribute band. I found their rather direct approach to the music embodied in short, succinct songs very refreshing. Rather than seeming uninspiring and simplistic, the unadorned style was very effective. While the lyrics are not the most profound, they are pleasant to listen to, and I was amused with the wordplay in "Dangerous Blues." Some reviewers have stated that the style of the album causes it to be less exciting than other current albums; however, I find the opposite is true. Since getting into more current music (and even before), I've been waiting for a band to resurrect this style of rock, and I finally got it with The Young Veins!