The Clean's latest album, Mister Pop, alludes to a generic soda brand, which is quite indicative of The Clean as a whole. Despite producing (or, in The Clean's case, sometimes originating) the same product, consumers are hesitant to pay more than a quarter in a machine outside K-Mart for the unfamiliar label.
Spawned during the onset of proto-punk, The Clean took the Ramones' melodic chord structures and paired them with a buoyant organ, creating the dirty pop sound that opened the eyes of notable modern-day indie outfits Love Is All and Tilly and the Wall, among others. Unfortunately, being the popular influence behind a bunch of unpopular bands doesn't garner much attention.
The Clean seem unfazed by their under-the-radar status, though. After 21 years, they haven't tweaked their formula. Album opener Loog"" is a mystical melody that lays the groundwork for the chamber-pop sound they have cultivated to fit more relaxed social situations.
That chamber pop works especially well on the subsequent two tracks, ""Are You Really On Drugs"" and ""In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul."" They fuse dreamy guitar landscapes with the kind of keyboard landmarks that demand appreciation, or at least a photograph.
As the album progresses, The Clean show off the kind of range that makes them a popular influence. ""Moonjumper"" is the kind of frenzied, hasty spread that evokes more recent Black Lips, while ""Simple Fix"" purveys an airy, Mediterranean style that's occasionally apparent in Oasis or even Damon Albarn's later work, and ""Tensile"" revolves around the same bass-centered riff heard in many Yo La Tengo tracks.
Despite sprawling across over two decades, The Clean claim on ""Back in the Day"" that ""I'm not here for a long time, I'm just here for a good time."" Their history proves that the two do not need to be mutually exclusive. Mister Pop is especially refreshing because of how well it maintains The Clean's signature sound. It is the gem from their heyday that's finally been given an opportunity to flourish, or at least sit around and enjoy the view.
Mister Pop isn't earth-shattering or even abundantly spectacular, but it is a realistic counterpoint for opponents of the exaggerated whimsy of bands like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Their wry, down-to-earth style encapsulates a less gratingly optimistic side of pop music without becoming overly cynical.
Unfortunately, if history's any lesson, that is still not much of a recipe for commercial success. Mister Pop is a wonderful collection of intelligent, springy jams, but it lacks the immediate appeal to make it onto enough iTunes accounts. But while The Clean won't adorn many posters, their legacy and their style have and will continue to serve as a suitable template for the future of indie pop.
