https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1n_QNicyMs
When I was in highschool, I became a bassist. Not for love of the four-stringed beast; that came later. No, it’s just that everybody needs a bassist and I had no room for drums. Like any attention-starved adolescent, I was always looking to show off, and my taste in punk evolved accordingly. The Decendents’ classic “Myage” was a blast of a showpiece. And also just a great song.
Off the band’s 1982 (wow, 1982, jeez) debut album Milo Goes to College, “Myage” is—in a way—The Descendents’ first song. And as well it should be, because its rockin’ bassline, angst-ridden angsty angst, shout vocals, and subtle but very present surf-vibe sums up everything the band is at its best. According to a source I cannot find, “Myage” was actually written in part to showcase bassist Tony Lombardo’s dope skillz and boy does it ever.
The rest of the album is worth a listen too, of course, but there’s nothing quite like that opener to get your inner bassist’s fingers a-wigglin’. Yes, you have an inner bassist; he’s over in the corner looking at his shoes. Why don’t you go say hi? He’s very insecure. [Spotify, Amazon, iTunes]
