Dave Chamberlain

The Like Young write and play the best straightforward rock `n' roll songs you've ever heard.

Husband-and-wife duo Amanda and Joe Ziemba have a knack for making the simplest of songs fly off a record or off a stage. Comparisons are there to be made if necessary: a harvest of The Beatles from pre-1965, the sweetest parts of The Ramones and The Jam, and if you listen hard enough, even just a tincture of Nirvana. But the comparisons are moot--The Like Young sound like The Like Young, two musicians whose songs sound like they're being played by a quartet. And those songs: simple but aggressive, the latter trait smoothed out by dime-turning hook after hook. Songs both sweet and bitter, without a hint of bubblegum's sugary aftertaste.

With the release of The Like Young's second full-length record on Parasol Records, "So Serious," Joe (guitar, bass, vocals) and Amanda (drums, vocals) didn't go back and scrap the idea and strength of their debut from 2002, "Art Contest." But it's not a carbon copy either. "Sonically, yeah it's similar," explains Joe. "But I think `So Serious' is more of a distillation, more of a focused effort of what we were going for originally. `Art Contest' was kind of like a baby step, we wanted to test the waters. But once we established that we were heading in the right direction, `So Serious' brought it even more into focus. I mean, they are similar albums. But for me, lyric-wise and from a focus standpoint, it's way beyond the first one."

It's fitting that he mentions lyrics. On "Art Contest" The Like Young's lyrics (Joe does most of the singing on both, but Amanda's backing vocals and occasional lead are ever-present) were the bitter side of the songs, with vague and sometimes obscured references to everything from mean people to money. Lyrics were clever, but clouded enough to force you to look hard to discover just how clever they were. That's not really changed on "So Serious," but the obliqueness renders a two-way picture: are Joe and Amanda really, umm, serious about the veiled meanings, or are they pulling our collective leg? Certain ideas are clear: Joe clearly hates his job on "Out to Get Me," which ends with Amanda pining, "six is way too early." But other ideas are less clear, and it's possible to read lyrical bickering between a married couple throughout the record.

"[The record] is pretty much all about anger and anxiety, and things that happened in the year between our records," says Joe, shedding some light into the lyrical gray areas. "It has nothing to do with our relationship. Or rather, if it does have to do with our relationship, it's about me personally. Most of it deals with the job I was at, and failed friendships, and other things that made me angry over the year."

On stage, however, the specifics of the lyrics take a backseat to the pair's performance presence: fun, but intense and, in every way, pure rock `n' roll. Both qualities are tangible, but the fact that Joe and Amanda are having fun stands out as more important; not having fun was part of the reason that the two split from their former band, Wolfie. "What The Like Young is now," explains Joe, "what we've grown into, is definitely the best."

And what exactly have they grown into? Joe answers, "We've just become very focused, and very conscious of each other and very passionate as a band. We're not frantic, we're not scared to say what's on our mind in our songs, or afraid to rock out. We are who we are now, and we feel--for the first time--a comfort level of who we are now, something that's never been there before. It's a matter of growing up too, and realizing that we're comfortable enough to move forward."

Touring as The Like Young has, no doubt, contributed to the comfort level. The two toured the States for a little more than three months last year, including a month-long stint with Mates of State. They have an inherent advantage in dealing with the physical and mental vagaries of touring since they're married. That could work as either an incredible bonus, or pure torture. According to Joe, it's nothing but the former.

"Being on tour together is pretty much incredible," he says. "The only drawback is like, the first tour when we went out for two months, there were some times when it's horrible because no one knows who we are, and we had no money. We had to cut [the tour] short because we ran out of money. But other than that, being together and traveling together, it's amazing. Half the time, it's just like a huge vacation, you know, and being able to play every night is just an added bonus."

The Like Young celebrate the release of "So Serious," July 10 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600. Former Chicago band We Ragazzi headlines.

(2004-07-06)

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