The Modern Lovers are not a band that immediately come to mind when one thinks of the influential rock groups of the past. Instead, history has confined them to a long list of proto-punk bands that despite not showing up on any VH1 specials, had a massive impact on modern music as we know it. Born out of early 1970s Boston, The Modern Lovers owed a lot of their sound to NYC legends The Velvet Underground. Taking the generally grimy and dark tone of the Velvets; the Lovers did something very special- they made it FUN.
Nowhere is this on better display than their early 70s standout Roadrunner. The Velvet-esque edginess is all here, via the organ drones, pounding noise, and overall detached cool. Unlike their forefathers however, the pace is quick, the lyrics are positive and irreverent, and the song just has a way of embracing life in all of its recklessness and absurdity. This culmination results in a song that aggressively foreshadowed the upcoming punk rock movement, and remains fresh and exciting to this day. Rather than wallowing in hipster smugness, this thing groves and moves like rock and roll truly should.
No comments:
Post a Comment