1986
Nihilism is Nothing to Worry About
Palentine
1986 is band vexed with competence. They are Austin-based indie rockers with solid guitar playing, competent singing, a very professional drummer, and not quite enough of anything new or exceptional enough to make them sound remarkable. This is unfortunate; I’d like to see them make it to the next level because it seems a lot of barely competent bands are making the videos and if not the big bucks, at least getting the women. A few songs have enough of a drop shadow to make them noticeable when they come around: “Better When You’re Stoned” has an acceptable hook, “Mechanical Dream” has a Husker-Du-like riff on the open, and “Narcotic” has some pleasant hard rock chord progressions. Nice, but not enough to keep my interest up and this disc in my player beyond this weekend.
