Q Magazine – Incoming: New to Q
The Airborne Toxic Event
Death, sex and getting dumped shape anthemic US indie rockers.
By Mic WrightMarch 2009
WHO? Epic indie rockers founded by former journalist and up-and-coming novelist Mikel Jollett after the worst week of his life. During seven days in March 2006, Jollett’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, he learnt he was suffering from a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease, and his long-term girlfriend left him. He says, “I just didn’t care anymore. I thought, maybe I’ll pay my rent, maybe I won’t, but what I am going to do is start a fucking rock band.”
DOOM BUT NO GLOOM: Jollett’s tales of death, depression and being dumped might suggest melancholy music, but the band write strangely uplifting songs that range from the dark tale of a late-night cuckolding, “Sometime Around Midnight,” to “Gasoline,” a sparky rocker Jollett introduces onstage as a “hymn to teenage sex.”
DON’T TURN THE OTHER CHEEK: A brutal critique from the Pitchfork website led Jollett to issue a long and carefully argued response in the form of an open letter on his band’s website. “You get negative and positive press but they didn’t have their facts right. They thought we were from the Sunset Strip. [they’re from Los Feliz, Los Angeles] and the guy criticised the songs for having a rhyme structure. You know who else does that? Bob Dylan.”
THE NEXT MOVE: Jollett says the band’s self-titled debut is autobiographical but with his life now on an even keel what about the difficult second album? “I’m a writer, so our songs can be stories,” he says, “but there’s one about my brother kicking heroin.” Clearly Jollett hasn’t run out of drama just yet.