Tired Old Bones – “Country Circus” b/w “Do Not Disturb” 7” + 4-song CDEP (Skeleton Heads)
One of the more irritating and false claims about bad music writing is that it’s identified by exposure/reinforcement of topical or historical similarities between different entities, influence-spotting, writing about the thematic, visual, or sonic linkage connecting two eras, and other methods of calling it like the writer sees it. Those making these irritating and false claims usually fall back on the umbrella accusation that the critical device, if you want to call it that (you probably don’t), is a “copout” and writers should, “just express what it sounds like without leaning on the crutch of who it sounds like” or some other instructional horseshit often delivered by musicians, label-heads, publicists, self-righteous “writers” forever stuck in whore auto-pilot, or walking grammatical holocausts confusing “writing” with whatever it is they do besides create promotional fluff. A unifying factor among these types is the uncontrollable bristling that occurs after reading, “Tired Old Bones bear the strongest resemblance to peak alt-country deregulators, The Geraldine Fibbers”. Behind different reasoning, this faction of ninnies would react the same way to, “As band names go, Tired Old Bones holds the distinction of being what may be the worst…ever.” A roll-call of ‘90s alt-country bands that shoehorned experimentation into their respective styles would be skipped over entirely, despite the inappropriateness of said word count-reaching trick due to Tired Old Bones’ complete lack of experimental qualities, and the lameness of the venerable and admittedly half-ass “but you get the point” defense as an acting over-and-out gesture. Switching over to the artists under the knife, it’s presumed that Tired Old Bones members prefer the Mekons as a name-checked influence over a forgotten ‘90s band, but that’s the thing about body odor….you can’t smell yourself! (http://www.myspace.com/tiredandold)
(Andrew Earles)
