Richman laid the pretext for the wry, self-deprecating indie icons of the 1980s and early ’90s he was the first to stiff-arm rejection, exalt the suburbs, and topple rock stardom’s lofty pedestal of unattainable coolness. Patched together from various sessions with John Cale in 1973, the Modern Lovers were defunct by the time their self-titled record had its belated release three years later, but its emotional honesty and musical prescience hadn’t (and hasn’t) waned.
Although Jonathan Richman is something of a weary traveler himself, his knack for extracting love and humor from portraits of mundane Americana and teenage disarray goes unmatched. Two chords are enough gasoline for “Roadrunner” to soundtrack any expedition and reaffirm a weary traveler’s will to push ahead. If there’s one thing this world will always need, it’s a late-night driving anthem, and Modern Lovers features one of the best.
0 kommentar(er)
