By Tim Duffy
New Zealand’s The Clean were a nimble and exciting catchy punk band with a unique tone and feel to their records. If you have never heard of the Clean it is probably time you invested in the career spanning Merge Records collection Anthology which introduced many Americans to one of Stephen Malkmus and Ira Kaplan’s favorite bands. Through out the collection you can feel the influence this band exerts on both Pavement and Yo La Tengo but possibly never more than on “Getting Older.”
I say this because “Getting Older” marries a shambolic quality with a sentimental melody and a forlorn whimsy that is probably not what you expect from a “punk” act from the late 70′s and early 80′s. “Getting Older” is one of the few punk songs of that era that even acknowledges the thought of maturing and it does so without sacrificing the energy of the music. In a way it’s combination of sweet melodies and aggressive production is the exact template that would define indie rock in the 90′s. If you are at all interested in that era the music of the Clean should likely hold as strong a place in your heart as that of Hüsker Dü or Sonic Youth.
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