Ah the 1990s, where did you go? Into the past is the easiest way of explaining things. For a decade that brought us grunge, took it away again, flange-filled Cher singles, Take That, Boyzone, Westlife and a raft of other boy “bands” and of course, the rise and rise of Nu Metal. It’s any wonder the music industry managed to survive the decade at all.
Twenty-years ago, alternative country and outlaw rockers the Bottle Rockets released their first two albums. Now, two decades on, and with a host of fame and fortune behind them, the band are re-releasing those early records for fans and new listeners alike.
Self titled Bottle Rockets and The Brooklyn Side are on their way and leading the charge is the 1991 single ‘Indianapolis.’ And if you missed it first time around, then this is your chance to get on the bus all over again.
Bright, cheerful and altogether lots of fun, the single is a delight from start to finish. So bright and cheerful in fact that it’s hard to believe this song came out in a world filled with the depths of despair. From Nirvana’s warbling to the ecstasy soaked heights of techno and house, ‘Indianapolis’ feels like just about the only sensible release made that year.
The country is strong and full of flavour, with vocalist Brian Henneman in full flight; the result is a dose of Americana served up without the cheese and corn. They would become one of the leading revivalists of the alternative country movement and ‘Indianapolis’ is a fine anthem with which to start.
Hindsight is a valuable tool but only when thinking things are better now. Looking back to twenty years ago and listening to the Bottle Rockets, it’s quite clear that a lot of people got things wrong. This band were at the forefront of something that’s still going today.
Indeed, there would be no mainstream audience for country copy-cats like Mumford & Sons and Frightened Rabbit. But trendiness has to start somewhere and the BRs are certainly that.
A delicious slice of American apple pie from a forgetting age. Take the plunge and try this single before the thirtieth anniversary.
