Modern Kicks
Rock ‘N Roll’s Anti Hero
Vile Kross Records/SP Records
If The Adjusters are my favourite international young gun punk n’ blues band, then Modern Kicks have to be my North American equivalent. Modern Kicks spur my (ahem…non-sexual) infatuation with baby-faced boys in Rod Stewart haircuts, and they’re the exact type of band I hope to find when I cruise for tunes by thin chaps in leather vests and Hanoi Rocks shirts. Listening to their debut, Rock ‘N Roll’s Anti Hero, is like being hit with a glitter-filled pillow at a champagne slumber party, and the mega-melodic hooks that power these glam pop songs are completely devoid of snarky intentions. Instead, the mischievous come-ons these Bay Area boy scouts employ are of the heartthrob nature, and it won’t be long before every inch of their collective collar is covered in strawberry lipstick. They’re playful biters, conjurers of cheap tricks dispatching poison arrows into exploding hearts, and the pin-up potential bursting from songs like “Don’t Turn Out the Lights,” “Crew’n Up,” “The Price to Pay,” “Another Girl,” and “Riff’n On the Freeway” completely weakens the knees. But the way the whole album blushes with SoCal sunshine, New York drawl, red carpet romance, and shout-along choruses means Modern Kicks shouldn’t have any trouble at all keeping up with The Joneses. If they ever decide to add some keys into the mix, I’m done. Bless these kids and their million dollar sound.
Note: If the fonts on the album cover look familiar, it’s ’cause they are. They were cleverly pinched from this. And this as well. It’s ok, though. Tuk approves. Yet another reason why Modern Kicks are all right.
Listen to “Riff’n On the Freeway” from Rock ‘N Roll’s Anti Hero!
Posted by Jeff on Jun 23 2012 in Reviews
Tags: Another Girl, Bay Area, Biters, blues, blush, boy scouts, champagne, Cheap Trick, Crew'n Up, Don't Turn Out the Lights, drawl, glam, glitter, glitzy, gun, Hanoi Rocks, hearts, heartthrob, hooks, leather, lipstick, melodic, mischievous, Modern Kicks, New York, party, pin-up, Poison Arrows, pop, Power, Punk, Riff'n On the Freeway, Rock 'N Roll's Anti Hero, Rod Stewart, romance, Snarky, SoCal, SP Records, strawberry, Sunshine, sweet, The Adjusters, The Exploding Hearts, The Joneses, The Price to Pay

