Antietam is one of these strange lost bands from the 80’s that deserve a reunion, but really, whoever thought they’d get one. Others in this category include Big Dipper, The Embarrassment, Fetchin’ Bones, Buffalo Tom and Swimming Pool Q’s. The band that released it’s early work on Cosloy’s Homestead Records, now sees it’s long awaited double disc of new material put out on the iconoclastic Chicago label Carrot Top. (Read more about it’s early releases here at Vinyl Mine).
At the time that Antietam was kicking around the Atlantic coast they were one of the noisiest “art-rock” bands on the scene. Like many of the individuals from that era the band has mellowed with age. On the new record, Opus Mixtum, Tara and company get the sound of the swirling, lightly psychadelic guitars just right and the vocals, a la Mo Tucker and Joan Jett, are equally adept. Tara Key had been called one of the best guitarists of her generation and you can hear why on the distorted intro to “Time Creeps” and the lead guitar lines on “Shipshape”. Perhaps this is the record the band should have made twenty years ago?
Preorder the new record here.
No way. Perhaps a festival of similar reunited 80s bands is in order- Dinosaur Jr, Antietam, Pedaljets, etc.
Buffalo Tom don’t need to have a reunion, because they never really split up. True, they haven’t been what you’d call busy in the last nine years, but I saw them in London last month, and they do have a new record out. (Gig was as good as anyone could possibly hope for; record not quite so exciting).