GRADUATE "Acting My Age"

Sorry for the break. It was a well-deserved looooooong Memorial Day weekend filled with Manhattans on rooftops, Pimm's Cups in the backyard, and more importantly, no time spent in front of the Vic 20 here.

Tears For Fears will always remind me of summer. We all have those bands that despite our best efforts to whitewash them from our memory because of their questionable credibility, they stick. I mean, Tears For Fears were no Howard Jones or Nik Kershaw (try finding fans of either in 2006), but they've continued making at least remotely interesting recordings, and for some reason, 1983's The Hurting has become something of a cult status album. Even before Gary Jules' sad rendition of "Mad World" for Donnie Darko, I knew of indie rockers singing the praises of "Pale Shelter" and "Change", and when I listen to them now, I can see why.

When I hear those aforementioned songs and even some songs from 1985's Songs From The Big Chair, I really feel it's summer, even though both albums are very very sad. Something about "Head Over Heels" or "Mothers Talk" reminds me of riding my bike to the beach. They remind me of washing dishes at the Crab's Claw in Lavalette. I hear Roland Orzabal's soulful "watch me bleed, bleed forever" to this day whenever I get on a skateboard, go figure.

Though I wouldn't say they were ever one of my favorite bands, I was intrigued by a band that could make a very morose effort like The Hurting and spin it into a monster worldwide following by the time "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" came out. So, I needed to know more. I bought a 10 inch record by Graduate at Rebel Rebel on one of my many weekend trips to NYC, senior year of high school. I didn't think I still had it, but 10 inch records take up a space of their own I guess, so they're hard to lose. The cover of the Graduate 10 inch features a very young Roland and Curt Smith and a sticker exploits the fact that, yes, this is the same duo who are making young girls cry now.

Graduate isn't anything like Tears For Fears, it predates The Hurting by a few years. They were obviously influenced by Joe Jackson and even the Specials. It's bouncy, with cheesy whistling keys, but with that trademark Orzabal swagger. Ever Met A Day is the most pop of the bunch and I've also included the title track. Interesting, not like unearthing a real buried treasure, but interesting.

EVER MET A DAY
ACTING MY AGE