 29/05/2009 Nuts and Bolts: Matt Lamkin, Matty McLoughlin, Dave Lantzman, Brian Hill
Stomping Ground: San Diego, formed 2005
Set to Soundtrack: many, many Ipods
Destined to Upset: People that like a nice clean, crisp production
You’re in Business if you like: The Strokes, The Walkmen, The Velvet Underground, the Stooges, the Modern Lovers
Notion misses the Modern Lovers. In the early seventies they were crafting clever, inch-perfect pop music with a solid backbone of art-rock and new wave. Don’t get us wrong; some of their later work was a bit dodgy, but the early material - circa ‘Roadrunner’ and ‘She Cracked’ - was incredible. Well, the heirs to their long-vacant throne have arrived in the shape of the Soft Pack. The four-piece sound like Jonathan Richman’s old band but with a less off-kilter sense of weirdness.
They played a triumphant set on the ‘Levi’s Ones to Watch’ stage at the Great Escape and Vice magazine and the Guardian are among the publications claiming they are in-line for big things. Rightly so. Their tracks are low-fi, underproduced gems with the occasional heart-breaking melody that will have you coming back for more time and time again. ‘Extinction’ is a simple, straightforward track that drips with emotion; its minimalist guitar refrain and snare driven beats are paired perfectly with absent minded vocals that are strangely captivating. While ‘Bright Side’ is a bass driven number that occupies the fertile ground between the Only Ones and massively underrated Compulsive Gamblers with slightly out of tune - in a good way - ooohs and ahhhs. If you miss the Modern Lovers, or just like great music, check them out. |
