I was listening to the 90s on 9 channel on Sirius/XM last weekend (love those old awful countdown shows) and I was reminiscing to the fact that nobody seems to make songs quite in the same way Filter, Wide Mouth Mason, Barenaked Ladies, Treble Charger, and bands of their ilk did so well. You know the type of song I’m talking about; loosely based on the loud/soft/loud grunge formula, lubed up with a touch of light-hearted lyrical styling, and lots of funky bass. And Shawn M. Smith (your friendly neighborhood Radio Exile editor), who must have an RSS feed on my reminisces, decided to drop down a package containing the new EP by All of Us/None of Us [MySpace}, a band who must listen to more 90s on 9 than I do.

The four songs present on Arcane and Abel (awesome title, btw) come across as a class project on late 90s dark pop rock: Smashing Pumpkins-style intro on “Whatcha gonna do?” Check. Sugar Ray-style chorus on the same song? Double check. Chili Peppers-lifted riff on “Excess”? Definitely. This isn’t a criticism, though. Unlike bands trying to relive the 70s and 80s, there aren’t nearly enough bands carrying the late 90s torch, and at least for that it gets points. Those were good times, people.

Complaints? Sure. There are only four songs here, and all of them go in somewhat different directions. This can be great if you’re using it as a business card, but as a listening experience I have no idea what to make of this band. They also come across as little more than a sum of their references, something they hopefully rectify on a full length. Good start, though.

[mp3] All of Us/None of Us – “Knew That”

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