One Track Mind: Memories From the Space Age
Washington City Paper
By Aaron Leitko, June 17, 2009
Standout Track: “Eleven,” an angsty postpunk song built on odd-time signatures, slanted guitars, and ambiguous yet deeply emotive lyrics. You know, all the good stuff that helped to put D.C. back on the map in ‘92. "Can’t turn us away/We’re stuck in a holding pattern," sings singer-guitarist Jon Lyons.
Musical Motivation: Lyons and his bandmates are old hands at the post-hardcore game, having performed in bands like Greyhouse during the mid-‘90s. Memories From the Space Age, which practices in Silver Spring, is an effort to carry on in that aggressive spirit while acknowledging that the members don’t want to yell their heads off anymore. “There’s a poppy element—we’re singing more than doing the punk screaming thing,” says Lyons. “We’re not as young and angry as we once were, but there’s still plenty of angst, I suppose.”
Party System: Lyons says he likes to keep his lyrics political, though not in an in-your-face way. “Our approach is to touch on issues that maybe bother us but to do it in a way that makes it open to interpretation,” he explains. There’s a good reason for this: Memories of the Space Age is not a band with political consensus—some members are more conservative than others. Rather than make an issue out of it, the band makes an effort to keep things bipartisan. “Ultimately, regardless of the political views, we have some values that are similar,” says Lyons.