Poster Children - Junior Citizen

Year: 1995
Label: Sire/Reprise
Style: 90s Indie/Punk
Location: The Great Escape Discount Store
Medium: CD
Condition: Used
Dollar diamond or dud: ehhhh... split the difference



I saw these guys (and girl) live in Chattanooga back before this record came out, and I don't remember anything at all about the show, except sort of what the band looked like. They were opening for the Screaming Trees, if I recall. On the one hand, given that I don't remember much about the show, it must not have been all that awesome, but on the other hand, I was maybe fourteen at the time, so we could ascribe my memory loss as much to time and aging as to any definitive statement of the band's merits. Which leads me to this:

Despite some critical praise tossed in their direction (including a Wikipedia claim that they were on the forefront of enhanced CDs, blogging and webcams), almost everything I know about this band is based solely upon this record. Which leads me to this:


Poster Children ain't that bad. I won't say they're awesome, because they're far from it, but they're worth $1, and perhaps even 2 or (stretching it) 3. Fully in the DIY 90s indie rock scene in spirit, loud and angular with a hefty dose of Mudhoney-esque grungy punk, Poster Children do a bit more right than wrong, even if their blend is/was a little too generic to really step out from the pack. They shine in their dreamier moments (He's My Star, Drug I Need) and get bland in their rockier ones (Get A Life, New Boyfriend, even with its liberal use of vibraslap). I had read that their lyrics are wry and/or witty, but I didn't get that, and given the unreadable one-giant-block album art, I can't be bothered to explore further...

Something here, but overall, unless you're just a die-hard fan of all things Sub-Pop-y, then you're safe missing it.