“All the Way Down”
from the album Sweet Sweetness
2009
iTunes
The Tiny Animals are an interesting mix of early-1980s modern rock and the earnest power-pop of ’90s alternative rockers like Green Day. It’s as if the biggest anthems of the ’90s were reworked for an unmade ’80s John Hughes movie, but suddenly found themselves smack dab in 2009. Ballads like “All the Way Down” recall the best of the Cars — if they had been influenced by the Strokes instead of the other way around. That bassackwards approach seems to suit this band well, though, as the Tiny Animals stick out as anachronistic sore thumbs in the last part of this decade. Despite the bubbling energy of each track and the buzzing guitars, these guys seem like they’d rather be chasing a New Wave muse rather than those of their emo brethren. The cover of Devo’s “Freedom of Choice” pretty much seals the deal on these guys and their ’80s fixations, leaving no doubt that this band would prefer to live in a time of their own. Lucky for them, songs like “Goodbye, July” are timeless.