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Culture
Appleton, Wisconsin September 2016 Volume XXII
Issue I Page 9
Current fashion reflects the nineties nostalgia of the Internet age
A review of Young the Giant’s ‘Home of the Strange’
By Maddy Schilling
By Sophie Plzak
North sophomore Natalie Painton exemplifies the moder-
nity of nineties fashion.
Photo courtesy of Sophie Plzak
The first Internet generation
has finally grown up, and with
them they’ve brought some
sweeping changes to what
some consider to be trendy.
Millennials have begun opting
for scrunchies, crop tops and
mom jeans — clear staples of
the nineties. Brands like Cal-
vin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger
are bringing back the looks
they marketed twenty years
ago.
American Apparel was one
of the first to bring back this
trend, forming a brand en-
tirely centered around 1990s
and early 2000s minimalistic
attire. It was ridiculed at first
for its “archaic” style but has
slowly begun to garner atten-
tion. Anyone can stop into Ur-
ban Outfitters or Pacsun and
see the old Calvin Klein logo
back on T-shirts, the iconic
red-white-blue Tommy
Hilfiger patch that has re-
turned to jean waistbands,
or Adidas’ new collection
Adidas Originals, a to-
tal throwback to their
old nineties image.
Oddly enough,
trends often made
fun of in the past
decade, such as
bucket hats and
fanny packs, made
a comeback this year,
though not everyone
was willing to hop on the
bandwagon.
A more agreeable ex-
ample is overalls; with
almost every clothing
store marketing to teens
giving in to the trend,
they’ve turned out to
be a summer staple.
Echo Club House is
a brand gaining no-
toriety through their
online store that found
their niche providing
affordable, but cute,
clothes entirely in-
spired by the nine-
ties.
Nylon Shop has
quickly become
the place to find
1990s inspired
plaid
skirts,
cheesy T-shirts,
and crushed vel-
vet
everything.
Never before has
there been such
an influx in old
trends made new.
Yes, the nineties are
back, but why? The
most conclusive answer
as to why millennials
experience this early-
onset of nostalgia is the
simplest: they have grown up
with unlimited access to the
past through phones and com-
puters. They’re products of the
age of information. At their
fingertips now is every old TV
show, cartoon, or movie they
loved as kids, and even the
ones they missed.
Fashion blogs have begun to
reminisce, writing about fash-
ion influencers of the era- with
icons like Cher from “Clue-
less,” Mia from “Pulp Fic-
tion,” and Kat from “10 Things
I Hate About You” fronting the
trend. With this ever present
access to childhood memories
skyrocketing with the popular-
ity of the internet, millennials
have developed an attachment
to the nineties, and with it, a
powerful idea dictating much
of pop culture today. So, what
about the nineties is so appeal-
ing?
Natalie Painton, a sopho-
more at North, gives her in-
sight. “Nineties fashion, to me,
somehow manages to swiftly
pull together masculinity and
femininity by using such sim-
ple and minimalistic pieces.
It’s impossible not to look
like you are ready to take over
the world and not let anybody
or anything get in your way,
whilst rocking a velvet choker
and chunky Docs.”
With a whole new school
year to dress up for, and the
return of the nineties inevi-
table, feel free to experiment
with berry lipstick, Doc Mar-
tens, embroidered silk bomber
jackets, the American Apparel
pencil jean, oversized denim
jackets, acid wash, scrunchies,
or even the controversial fan-
ny pack.
As the end of summer nears, it
is only appropriate to look back
at the best and brightest bits
of the season. Summer 2016
brought with it a tidal wave of
new music, particularly in the
indie/alternative department.
Most notably, after an appear-
ance at Summerfest in Milwau-
kee and a single that conquered
modern rock stations, alterna-
tive band, Young the Giant’s
highly anticipated third album,
“Home of the Strange” was re-
leased on August 12.
The name Young the Giant
may sound familiar, especially
to fans of local rock radio sta-
tion 96.9 the Fox, which fre-
quently plays a wide variety of
tunes written by the group, from
“Cough Syrup” to “Mind Over
Matter.” Most recently, “Some-
thing to Believe In,” “Home of
the Strange”’s biggest single,
has dominated airtime as well
as Billboard’s alternative chart,
where it has clawed itself to the
top 10.
“Home of the Strange,”
however, starts with its sec-
ond biggest single “Amerika,”
a song that starts slow, gradu-
ally builds, and exudes a breed
of dreamy catchiness that has
become a part of the Young
the Giant brand. Lyrically,
it speaks of a lost American
dream: “And so I’ve arrived
with gold in my eyes...I was
searching for something as I
watched you run…it’s a rich
kid game, didn’t grow up with
a throne…” This all leads well
into that cantankerous hit that
is “Something to Believe In,”
which again touches upon the
sociopolitical themes of rebel-
lion and revolution emulated
so passionately in these two
songs.
Perhaps due to constant over-
playing or perhaps simply due
to relatively lazy songwriting,
the most popular song of the
album is also one of its worst,
along with “Jungle Youth” and
“Silvertongue.” Some say that
the gritty modernity of these
tracks is refreshing, but to ears
that are familiar with a whole
lot of mainstream alternative,
it is more a sign that YTG is
trying to appeal to a broader
alt-rock fan base; this particu-
lar collection of songs, while
certainly not bad, is not really
anything more than a catchy
ripoff of anthems by Cage the
Elephant and AWOLNATION.
On the contrary, the rest of
the album is, like “Amerika,”
absolutely beautiful and an
invitation to step inside of
Young the Giant’s own So-Cal
musical dreamworld. Songs
like “Elsewhere” and “Noth-
ing’s Over” are unabashedly
complex, with tempo changes
galore. “Art Exhibit” is like a
breath of fresh air, as ukulele
solos and lead singer, Sameer
Gadhia’s romantic vocal riffs
create the musical epitome of
a Parisian cafe. “Mr. Know-
it-All” is straight up trippy in
terms of composition but is also
so relatable lyrically: “I’m Mr.
Know-it-All...I’m staring at my
phone...and even though we sit
together...I feel so alone.”
“Titus was Born” is certainly
a favorite, with raindrops softly
echoing in the background and
guest vocals from drummer
François Comtois as a much
welcome addition to the song’s
repertoire. Finally, like a sweet
cherry to top it all off, “Home
of the Strange” is the titular
song that ends the album with
a finesse that can only be de-
scribed as strange, though in
the best way possible.
Overall, this album was far
from disappointing. In the past,
critics labelled Young the Gi-
ant as a band unable to find
their sound. While this criti-
cism is not exactly true—YTG
has always stood out in the alt
world—“Home of the Strange”
is the band’s response to these
criticisms, and despite its faults,
their new album is a testament
to the members’ natural maturi-
ty and musical brilliance. Give
it a listen, give the band a try
and give into buying some con-
cert tickets. You won’t be sorry.
For more information and
dates for the “Home of the
Strange” tour, visit www.
youngthegiant.com.
Alt-rock band Young the Giant displays their growth and maturity in new album Home of the
Strange, album cover pictured above, pleasing fans and critics.
Photo courtesy of Maddy Schilling