I was 15 when I first heard Fiona Apple’s Tidal and No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. Side by side, the albums have little correlation. No Doubt’s 14-track ska/punk masterpiece is full of mostly upbeat anthems like “Spiderwebs,” “Excuse Me, Mister” and “Just a Girl.” Not long after No Doubt’s videos made it to MTV’s lineup, avid grrl fans were buying Dickies and “wife beaters” and incorporating too many sit-ups into their afternoons as a result of Gwen’s tomboy-meets-sexpot look.
Read MoreIt Was Romance Releases New Song + Shot By Shot Remake of Fiona Apple's Criminal
BY LISA MARIE BASILE
If you're reading this website, there is an 99.9% chance you were obsessed with Fiona Apple's Tidal. Because you're an angsty dreamer just like me. You probably also think "This world is bullshit." If so, read on!
Lane Moore – writer, comedian, musician and all-around amazing lady – is in a pretty amazing band, It Was Romance (Lane Moore, Alejandro Triana, Angel Lozada and Jeff Connors). They're celebrating Tidal's 20th anniversary – by releasing a shot-for-shot remake of the Criminal video to their own song, Hooking Up With Girls. Yay! Watch it below.
Also, I talked to Lane and she told me all about her music and love for Fiona:
You have so much going on. Tell me a little bit about why you guys started It Was Romance.
I've been singing and writing and recording my own music since I was little. It Was Romance actually started as my solo project where I played all the instruments and sang and layered everything on my computer. It's kind of a name like "Cat Power" is. Everyone told me I should just go play shows by myself and try to do it all, but even if I was writing all these songs and could technically do it by myself, I'd always wanted to find the right musicians to play with. It took me years and years to find the people who play with me now and the second it all fell into place I was like, "YES! Good. Great. OK, let's make this record." I wrote a lot of these songs before I even knew these guys existed in the world, so to finally see everything taking off with the right people is so satisfying.
It's the 20th anniversary (I am so old) of Tidal. It was the second cassette I owned and hearing Never Is A Promise as a wayward little goth made me who I am today. How did this album impact you growing up? What about today? Why is Fiona Apple just so goddamned amazing?
Fiona Apple has always been a huge influence on me, personally and professionally. I just think she's incredible and I relate to her on so many levels. When The Pawn was actually my gateway album and then I went back to Tidal after hearing that. I listened to both nonstop for most of my childhood and teen years and still listen to them all the time. She's just such a powerful singer and songwriter. I once heard one of the Crutchfield sisters (from PS Eliot) say something on Twitter like, "If you don't think Fiona Apple is punk rock, get away from me." It's so accurate. I get very intense on stage when we play live shows and I'm sure seeing her do the same at a young age gave me the freedom to show that intensity in my music and my performances.
How do you think Criminal video stands up against all the music videos out there today?
It holds up incredibly well. You look at a lot of the way we're advertising things now and so much of it looks like '70s porn.
What are some upcoming projects for your band?
I've been writing about 2-3 songs I was happy with per week since I was a kid, so I've always written them faster than any of my band members, past or present, could learn them. I have easily over 300 right now that I'd happily record in the studio/release tomorrow if I could. I'm really excited to make the second IWR album and keep making videos and touring and opening for bigger bands. All of it. I'm ready. [Follow them on Bandcamp, Facebook & iTunes]
What's coming up for you?
So many things. Maybe sleep eventually, but I doubt it.
PS: It Was Romance is playing Aug 17 @ Cake Shop in NYC and Sept. 30 @ Pianos in NYC.