Veruca Salt Rock Like it's 1994
Veruca Salt appeared this week on Conan O’brien’s show.
Ahhhh…
There is something almost medicinal about typing up some good news that could just as plausibly have been typed in 1994.
Not only did they appear on the show, they played their 90’s mega-hit Seether.
This could easily be seen as an odd decision considering they’re promoting their first new album in 18 years. Why not play the new stuff? This was their chance to show off what they’ve been up to.
Confusing at first it is perhaps a fairly canny move for a one hit wonder who also happen to have been (and are) legitimately awesome.
They took their moment in the spotlight to remind people who they are. Instead of setting off a few dim bulbs of recollection and hoping people remember that they sang that-one-song, they reminded us specifically of that song, lighting up our nostalgia pleasure zones, getting that 90’s gland pumping and then let the audience come find them.
I have to admit it worked like a charm on me.
The performance also worked to clear away the specter of the blasphemously turgid and sullen cover of the song Seether by the obnoxiously turgid and sullen Nu Metal band Seether. Even though Nu Metal its self counts as a post-relevant nostalgia niche at this late stage, any victory over the 'mopey-doofus' strain is a victory for everyone.
AFTERTHOUGHT: I would like to know whether or not the cover version had anything to do with Veruca Salt’s decision to reunite.
AFTER-AFTERTHOUGH: Because seriously, that cover is wretched. Not only did it tamp down the spirit and attitude of the original into a listless grey sonic paste, it took the righteous and roiling f-you feminism of the original and made it seem utterly misogynist by putting it in the mouths of self loathing meatheads whose catalog also inlcudes songs like Fuck Me Like You Hate Me.
