A favorite new band : The Modern Lovers. (New to me, anyway)

There are few things I love more than finding a band that stylistically links other bands - one that drops neatly into the gap between two bands that sound somewhat similar. Suddenly, the connections become obvious, and I draw another node into my great mental musical map. A few months ago I heard Gang Of Four for the first time, and they filled in a big gap between early punk and later new-wave. This time, it's The Modern Lovers.

The original lineup only put out one record: self-titled and released in 76, long after the original band had dissolved (a band which contained Jerry Harrison - eventually of the Talking Heads, and David Robinson - of The Cars). They were clearly influenced by the Velvet Underground, and half the record was produced by John Cale of the V.U.. But The Modern Lovers were more direct, more fun, less pretentious, younger in spirit, and a few years more modern than the V.U.. There also seems to be a bit of Doors influence (ex. "Hospital") - something I don't run into very often. The songs on this record were actually recorded as demos, so they feel spontaneous and live, instead of polished and fussed-over.

I called this number three times already today
But I, I got scared, I put
It back in place, I put my phone back in place.
I still don't know if I
should have called up.
Look, just tell me why don't ya if I'm out of place.
'Cause here's your chance to make me feel awkward
And wish that I had
never even called up this place.
I saw you though today walk by with hippie Johnny.
I had to call up and say how I want to take his place.
So this phone call today conerns hippie Johnny.
He's always stoned, he's never straight.
I saw you today, you know, walk by with hippie Johnny.
Look, I had to call up and say, I want to take his place.
See he's stoned, hippie Johnny.
Now get this, I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Now look, I like him too, I like hippie Johnny.
But I'm straight
and I want to take his place.
-- I'm Straight

20-year-old Jonathan Richman's lyrics and delivery are wry, dry and sarcastic, often (seemingly) improvised, and he has one of the rarest things in rock vocals: a touch of a Mass. accent. That "Hippy Johnny" comes out with a long, drawled "Hippy Jawwwwnny". Wikkid cool.

So who did they influence? The Sex Pistols, obviously, who covered "Roadrunner". The Feelies, too. While it's clear that the Feelies sound like the V.U., upon hearing the Modern Lovers, it's clear that The Feelies actually sound like V.U. as filtered through The Modern Lovers, then polished and streamlined. The Violent Femmes entire first album could've sprouted directly from the middle of The Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso". The Talking Heads and The Cars, for obvious reasons. And more modern bands, like Spoon and Stereolab, are still keeping that more-taught-VU sound alive.

And what I find really interesting is that the album sounds perfectly like a mid-70's punk record. It was released in 76, and it sounds exactly like a 76 record: it has that same raw energy and defiant attitude of early punk - though not the loud, fast and charmingly-dumb style that the Ramones popularized, more like Television. But, this was actually recorded in 71/72. It sounds like it should've come out at the peak of early NY punk, but it predates that scene by what seems like an eternity in musical terms. Ahead of their time! And I can't stop listening to it!

So, The Modern Lovers first record. Check it out, if you don't already love it.