I've spent the last few weeks trying to work out whether not enough people listen to Imperial Teen or whether they do and I just don't know about it: The band spent some time opening for The Breeders last year, so it seems as if plenty of you will at least have heard their name. Most of the time I'm solidly convinced that they're a fantastic band, and sometimes I imagine they should be as widely enjoyed as The Strokes.
It is, after all, my personal theory that The Strokes are the most successful band in this "new rock revolution" business because they're really more of a pop band: No matter what people say, they come off more like Blondie or The Romantics than The Velvet Underground. The same could be said of Imperial Teen, only they're about ten times more interesting. They're from San Francisco; they're two women and two men, one of whom used to be in Faith No More and the other of whom is like a pissier, more hyperactive Pat Smear; and some of them-- if I'm not mistaken-- are gay, a fact that fuels some of the odd gender-play in their lyrics: This is a band whose first single's big hook went, "Take it like a man, boy," and who later made a rhetorical argument out of, "Why you gotta be so proud?/ I'm the one with lipstick on."
Also they're sly and bratty and tight: Their songs are all crunchy new-wave guitars, minimalist Pixies-style pop riffs, and cute, sneery harmonies. The point is defiantly not revolution: it's personality, and bite, and the way their melodies repeat and gather sort of hypnotically. They're just deliciously bratty: Those of you who understand what a landmark the Violent Femmes' debut was in the history of Perfect Records for Snotty Mopey Teenagers may be interested to know that Seasick, Imperial Teen's debut, seemed worth putting on the same shelf, only without the baggage of everyone finding "Blister in the Sun" so damned cute. It's no accident that whatever A&R; guy thought Imperial Teen could be huge got them a spot on the soundtrack of the Heathers knock-off Jawbreaker-- the new-wavy teen neurosis surrounding these four is just palpable.
So they're a special little band-- I get a bit weepy when I see Seasick in bargain bins-- and with this disc, they've become a special little band with a pretty run-of-mill live album under their belts. I've wound up seeing them live a couple times, and both shows were fantastic: Their crunch was big and warm and enveloping, their stage presence massive. Live at Maxwell's doesn't really capture that-- even when they sound completely on-- which makes the release more effective as a simple re-cap for the fans.
To that end, the band plays a great-hits collection of material culled pretty evenly from their three full-lengths: Seasick, What is Not to Love?, and On. By that last one, their range was expanding-- more ambitious songwriting, some keyboards-- but they play the older material straight, drawing those little opening-riff cheers from an audience waiting for its favorites. That means kicking off with the swinging-Pixies snot-fest "The Beginning" ("You're fucking movie stars?/ Well, I'm fucking congressmen"), then jumping into the coy, driving repetition of "Ivanka". "Lipstick" cracks its way up to a jangling peak; "Butch", the heart and soul of Seasick, gets taken care of; "Yoo-Hoo" gets an extra helping of sarcasm. Most promisingly, those more complex new cuts-- choppy go-go on "Baby", 60s pop on "City Song"-- sound good as well.
So it's one of those relatively standard live albums that no one really needs, but it's served its purpose: It's given me a chance to humbly ask you, maybe as a personal favor to me, to check out a few proper Imperial Teen album tracks. Only if you have a little spare time-- no pressure. Plenty of their songs sound like The Strokes' best singles, only coming from a better world where pop music is made mostly by angstful geeks with gender-identity issues. Their albums might not even be that expensive, since I'm pretty sure people aren't paying enough attention to them-- and I'm sure you can figure out a way to sample "Lipstick" or "Ivanka" or "The Beginning" if you try hard enough.
