Media

"Jesus Christ" (the indie band): "Is This Really What You Want?" (audio)

10:43 p.m. · October 5, 2009 · by Michael Hoven

It's probably best to not even try to parse whether or not this band meant to be ironic. Or maybe even "ironic." It goes beyond the quotation marks and parentheses in the band's name (that's their punctuation, not mine) and the question of the song title. The band's membership (literary provocateur Tao Lin and Carles of the blog Hipster Runoff), and the very of-the-moment blend of electronic and spoken lyrics resembling found sound, also raise the possibility that this is meant as a satire. It's tempting to take the defensive and dislike it, because you'd feel silly being a genuine fan of something meant as a joke. But while you can sustain that skeptic's shield for a minute or two, by the time the song's over you have to admit that it's pretty good. Maybe not as good as the first Jesus Christ, but good. [Gorilla vs. Bear]