American Football’s self-titled debut album, often referred to as LP1, is widely regarded as a seminal work in the Midwest emo subgenre, which emerged from America’s Midwestern states during the 1990s and early 2000s. Released in 1999, American Football produced an album filled with nostalgic melancholy that helped create and define the genre of Midwest emo, with complex rhythm sections, precise melodic guitar parts and pining lyricism. At their London concert in the Roundhouse this September, the band mentioned the importance they place on LP1 and how the album’s meaning has changed as the years have passed. They spoke on writing the album during their late teens and early twenties and, although now into their mid-forties, they reminisce fondly and almost bashfully at the unapologetically melodramatic nature of being in love at a young age. It feels apparent through their words and the album itself that LP1 is about being in love with a time in your life, as much as with a person.

Inspired by the asynchronous time signatures and multifaceted rhythm sections utilised by artists such as Slint, Codeine and Tortoise, American Football defined Midwest emo by incorporating these aspects alongside minimalist tendencies, blending math rock and emo. LP1 spearheaded the second wave of emo, and its ghost is felt throughout fourth-wave emo with bands such as Tigers Jaw and Modern Baseball.

The 2024 release American Football (Covers) is a reinvention of this iconic first album by various artists active across the American indie scene. Released during the band’s 25th anniversary year, the involvement of a diverse group of contemporary artists is a testament to the album’s persisting influence that has spanned decades and genres.

Album Overview

Sharing the same album structure as the original 1999 release, the record begins with the now cult classic song “Never Meant”. The cover by Iron & Wine, with their unmistakable folk influence, trades clean-cut electric guitars for soft, soothing acoustics. This first track sets the tone for the album: each artist largely stays faithful to the original song structure, yet incorporates their own characteristic style. Blondshell’s interpretation of “The Summer Ends” provides a punchy straightforward pop-punk take on one of the album’s classic songs. Amp feedback cues a gain-heavy tremolo guitar solo that juxtaposes American Football’s typical clean tone in a fresh outlet of musical expression. Although the varying styles unravel the seamless continuity of the original album, the different genres brought to the fore provide a refreshing reimagining. This is particularly noted on the instrumental track “You Know I Should Be Leaving”, in which Yvette Young incorporates Chinese classical influences, blending genre and sound. Importantly, the encompassing feeling of longing uncertainty transposes effortlessly into the hands of a range of artists hailing from different disciplines, particularly with the Manchester Orchestra and their soothingly soporific cover of “Stay Home”.

Highlighted Track: For Sure – Ethel Cain

Ethel Cain performs a tormentingly beautiful rendition of the already sombre “For Sure”. This extended 9-minute cover is atmospheric and agonising in its pontification of uncertainty in a decaying relationship. The longest cover on the album (over three times the duration of the original song), the track length mirrors the conscious feeling of the passage of time in what is becoming classic Ethel Cain style: extended ambient build-up with soothing vocals and gentle clean guitar tone crescendos into raw overdriven proclamation of heartache. The original simplistic lyrics compliment Ethel Cain’s comfortingly melancholic vocal performance, felt keenly in the repetition of “June seems too late” which layers throughout the song.  The tone portrays the despair of being unable to prevent the slow inevitable demise of feelings: as inevitable as the changing of the seasons.

Honestly? The Summer Ends

American Football (Covers) signifies the influence of American Football on generations of musicians and fans. The fact that 25 years later a cover album can reignite the fervour of teenage angst is a testament to the timeless themes that permeate each song. An alternative sense of melancholy accompanies this album: instead of the juvenile longing for summer and loves lost, there is an overwhelming feeling that summer has ended on their first album and perhaps a period of our lives. Symbolised by its passing over to new artists, LP1 has been allowed to move on by those who created it out of youthful love so that it may support the next generations through those mournful Autumnal months.

Image: Mike Cicchetti on Flickr