Review of Young Modern

Daniel Johns’s teenage years were spent emulating Nirvana, so only now is the hairy-chested 28-year-old encountering his awkward phase. He casts a wide net of piano-driven Britpop mediocrity, which painfully comes to a head during the seven minute-long “Those Thieving Birds.” The music is constantly upbeat, feeling more comfortable and genuine than the angst and despair of Silverchair’s carefully marketed past. Still, the blues-rock cock-waving of “Mind Reader” is as threatening as the Olsen twins in a dramatic role. I never really understood the fascination with the skeletal and effeminate Johns.

1/10