Wyclef Jean, Teenage Prog Fan, Looks For The “Nirvana Vibe” In Rock*

A quiz: Which current pop-rock band of some Billboard renown did Wyclef Jean compare favorably to Yes (a childhood favorite) in yesterday’s New York Times? Some hints: Pencil moustaches and avowed Springsteen worship, yes. Roger Dean covers and mellotrons, no. (So far, anyway. We wouldn’t put either past these guys when it comes time to record their next album.)

As a fan of rock growing up, I go all the way back with a band called Yes, a band that came from a classical music background. I take you that far back to bring you to the Killers’ “Sam’s Town” (Island). I’d call this a CD and audio movie because when listening to it, you feel like you just entered a movie. I put this CD on when I go out on a drive to go think. Then I park the car and put the Killers in the background and go into deep thought, a state of meditation. Or you can do your hour on the treadmill, this CD will meditate you. It’s vocally and musically incredible. As a guitar player, the layers that I’m hearing are insane. I can hear an Eastern twang mixed with a Western twang. When you’re like, “Yo, what’s up with rock ‘n’ roll, where’s that nirvana vibe?” With the Killers you catch that vibe.

Remember that at the next party where you’re looking for that crucial one degree of separation between Steve Howe and Brandon Flowers.

A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Everything Else [New York Times]

*We’re guessing the lowercase “n” means he’s looking for transcendence, and not Kurt Cobain.