1990s "Cult Status"

As most are well-aware by now, punk's version of rebellion against its corporate masters has never (okay, almost never) been expressly dangerous, but always neatly contained within the realms of lyric and performance. Some of the best and funniest punk songs have taken actively cocky approaches to the music's industrial situation, and "Cult Status" (mp3), off the debut from Glasgow trio 1990s', places the band in dialogue with the rich lineage of ironic, self-reflexive punk songs; dating back to the Adverts' and Sex Pistols' cocky-ass, anthemic "One-Chord Wonders" and "EMI," and continuing through NOFX's "Please Play This Song on the Radio" and most recently (more or less) Art Brut's "Formed A Band" and "Moving to LA," among dozens of others. "Cult Status" has a bit of fun at the expense of bands admired specifically for their lack of popular recognition, a distinction, ironically enough, that 1990s can themselves claim at this point, before they're labeled the Next Greatest Band Ever and bloggers blog about how much they suck because of it. It's interesting, actually, to consider the definition of the term "cult status" at a time when bands are often washed up before their records hit stores: has cult status's own status effectively been reversed, resulting in the pre-debut, pre-Hype period as the only time a band can be admired independent of bloggerly recognition? Or is blog recognition on the same level as cultish appreciation (especially in terms of the fervor)? I doubt that 1990s takes any of my sort of blather into consideration on this song, but they are nothing if not self-aware, however (their Myspace alerts you that the name has no "the" and no apostrophe, and just dig that album cover). To its credit, the band does the indie-rock mirror-stage really well, and in mise en abyme fashion, could well end up contributing another work to the pantheon of sarcastic punk songs about lack of fame or talent which subsequently become minor legends in their own right.

1990s' Myspace/web-site.