(Mike Kinsella on left; Tim Kinsella on right)
The word Emo no longer holds meaning in our popular music culture. If words only mean what we agree to be their terms of usage, well no one seems to agree on how to use the word Emo, and consequently the label means nothing. The whole fashion aesthetic that kids now call “emo” (eyeliner & goth-like attire; over-sensitive, introverted affects; complete emotional self-absorption, etc. etc.) is totally foreign to me. In previous decades, Emo meant something more akin to anger & frustration; its roots, as a musical genre, were in 80s/90s post-hardcore, DC-style punk rock, and experimental math rock. I hear kids using the word in present discourse as a label for groups that have nothing to do with the above-mentioned traditions of underground rock music. I don’t know what the word is supposed to mean today, but I blame the early work of indie pop acts like Jimmy Eat World (and their fans) for the mutation/destruction of the term’s meaning (but that’s another story...). All that to say, I want to do a series of postings on influential artists of the 90s that defined the meaning of the Emo genre for that decade. The best place to start is the Midwest with Chicago’s Kinsella brothers: Mike & Tim Kinsella.
Cap’n Jazz
Tim Kinsella and his younger brother, Mike, formed the legendary Chicago Emo act, Cap’n Jazz, in 1989. (I believe Mike was only 12 years old at the time...). The band was active from 1989 to 1995, and they recorded some 7”s and 1 full-length, Burritos, Inspiration Point, Fork Ballon Sports, Cards in the Spokes, Automatic Biographies, Kites, Kung Fu, Trophies, Banana Peels We’ve Slipped On and Egg Shells We’ve Tippy Toed Over (Man With Gun Records 1994). After the band's breakup, independent label Jade Tree Records released the group’s complete discography on the 2xCD release, Analphabetapolothology (1998). The double album is an essential for any one interested 90s Emo & underground Indie Rock. Here’s the track “Oh Messy Life,” which appears on both their 1st full length & on the Jade Tree collection:
The band remains one of the most influential Emo acts of the early 90s, and the members continued to have an impact in later projects as well. Guitarist, Davey von Boehlen, left Cap’n Jazz to concentrate on a side project, The Promise Ring, a group that would later become an equally influential band. Their sound contributed to the development of late 90s Emo-pop (the genre which ultimately “killed” Emo as a post-hardcore tradition). Tim and Mike Kinsella continued to have an influence as well.
The Sky Corvair
The Sky Corvair were a side project that included Tim Kinsella. The group also included members of another legendary Illinois Emo act, Braid. (I will post later on the work of Bob Nanna, Braid’s frontman...) They recorded one full-length in 1994, Unsafe at any Speed (Actionboy/Divot Records); here’s the track, “Ethyl” (please ignore the nonsensical home video that accompanies the audio track; it's the best that youtube had to offer...):
One can hear the (post)hardcore roots more clearly in this Cap’n Jazz/Braid side project; it’s pretty heavy stuff. The album has its calm moments as well; it’s worth a listen for any Tim Kinsella fans.
Joan of Arc
After Cap’n Jazz & Sky Corvair, Tim Kinsella, with his brother Mike and former Cap’n Jazz member Victor Villareal, formed the experimental indie rock project, Joan of Arc, some time in 1995. The group employed elements of their Emo roots, but their sound developed far beyond the sounds of 90s post-hardcore & math rock. Joan of Arc explored electronica, noise, folk, and experimental rock as well. Tim Kinsella has recorded over 10 full lengths (as well as eps & 7”s) under the name Joan of Arc. The group released its first full length A Portable Model Of... (Jade Tree Records) in 1997; Mike Kinsella contributed to the album as well, and it remains one of my favorites in the bands’s catalogue. Tracks such as “How Wheeling Feels” sum up what was best about 90s Emo Rock:
Their first Lp is an essential. Check it out:
Also, check out Tim Kinsella's more recent project, Make Believe. The group (which includes his cousin, Nate Kinsella) started as the touring line-up for Joan or Arc, but more recently, they have recorded material as the band Make Believe. The sound is much more aggressive than Joan of Arc; I even hear the fierceness of a younger, Cap’n Jazzy Kinsella. Here’s the track, “Temping as a Shaman,” off their self-titled Ep (Flameshovel Records 2004):
American Football
While Tim Kinsella concentrated more on Joan of Arc, Mike Kinsella formed the project American Football in the late 90s. The band’s sound represents what most people think of when employing the label “late Emo rock.” It is more subdued and more melodic than anything by Cap'n Jazz. They were active from 1997 to 2000 and only recorded two releases, a self-titled Ep & Lp. Their self-titled full-length came out in 1999 on Polyvinyl Records. It’s really good, laid-back, mathy Emo rock. Here’s the track “Honestly?”:
Like the above track, the entire album is pretty poppy; it definitely seems to anticipate Mike Kinsella’s future development as the solo artist Owen. If you like the softer side of Emo, check out the entire debut album:
Owls
In the early 2000s, Tim and Mike Kinsella joined the original members of Cap’n Jazz, Victor Villareal and Sam Zurick, to form the Emo Math rock group, Owls. Davey von Bohlen did not participate in this short-lived project. (He was playing in the Promise Ring and Vermont at the time...) Owls played during the years 2000-2002 and released one self-titled full length on Jade Tree in 2001, produced by the legendary Steve Albini. Here’s the opening track, “What Whorse You Wrote Id On”:
One can immediately hear Cap’n Jazz here, but one also detects years of growth & maturity in the Owls’ sound. These are not the same rowdy, rambunctious teenagers that played spazzed out dissonance with the melodic, emotional screams of an angst-filled youth. The sound is cleaner, tighter, and perhaps more mathy. It is worth checking out; the guitar work is great!
Owen
Both Tim and Mike Kinsella have recorded prolifically as solo artists as well. Mike Kinsella’s solo project, Owen, is definitely worth checking out. It’s much more mellow, acoustic-oriented music, having more in common with the current neo-folk phenomenon than Emo Rock per se. Owen has announced the release of his 6th studio album, Ghost Town, for this November. Here’s the “official” video of the track “Good Friends, Bad Habits,” from New Leaves (Polyvinyl 2009):
I personally like the “demo” version of the song, released on the split 7” with The City on Film (Braid’s Bob Nanna’s more current project, but that’s a later post). The 7” was released in 2007 by RedCarsGoFaster Records with a limited number of copies (I think it was 800 units....). I'm not real enthusiastic about the City on Film tracks, but the demo version of the above song is great. (I will post some "good" City on Film, along with other Bob Nanna projects, later....) Check it out:
The Kinsellas have made great contributions to Emo Rock and to Indie music in general. This is just some of their major highlights, but there is much more to explore by both artists. Joan of Arc and Owen tour actively, so support both artists.
(Tim Kinsella performing live)
When posting on the Kinsella brothers and the best of 90s Emo Rock, one has to mention the other great Illinois legend, Bob Nanna. He first played in a group called Friction before forming the legendary Emo band Braid in 1993. Is Braid possibly the best Emo band of the 90s? One could easily argue the case. They released their first album Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five in 1995 on Divot Records; it’s more aggressive and hardcore than anything else in the group’s discography. The band immediately followed up with the album The Age of Octeen in 1996 on Mud Records, but their seminal classic was their third full length, Frame & Canvas (Polyvinyl 1998). Their 3rd album may be the best Emo record ever; it’s a perfect summation of the era. I first heard this album in high school and will most likely listen to it for the rest of my life. This is great rock’n’roll; check out the classic “A Dozen Roses”:
