December 4, 1997
One of the first shots fired in the punk revolution, The Modern Lovers' debut is a bright chunk of bracing, stripped down rock and roll. Actually predating The Ramones by a full year, Boston's Jonathan Richman offered up a childlike optimism that was lost when the Sex Pistols later exploded out of England with their crackling version of punk aggression.
Inspired by The Velvet Underground, Richman and the Lovers took that band's primal drive and minimalist guitar, leaving out the seedy drug references and psychosexual experimentation. Richman keeps his lyrical content refreshingly simple, gleefully calling out his love for rock and roll and girls with adolescent fervor.
The opening track, "Roadrunner", is a perfect example; taking the two chord organ stomp of VU's "Sister Ray", he makes his point clear: "I'm in love with Massachusetts / I'm in love with the radio on." It's invigorating to hear such direct joy, particularly from proto punks, and "Roadrunner" is an anthemic embrace of rock's pleasures. Future Talking Head Jerry Harrison flavors the album with raw organ riffs, and David Robinson's primitive snare and kick drum keeps things grooving at an infectious pace.
Richman's odd, endearing vocal style and jittery guitar work serve him well on the fiery, foreboding "Modern World", the romanticized "Dignified and Old" and the sneering, sarcastic put-downs of "Pablo Picasso". The lo-fi electric strum and hyped pulse of "She Cracked" and "Girlfriend" show off Richman's fondness for unstable women, and "I'm Straight" deftly and hilariously mocks the hippie drug culture.
Punk is about speaking your mind simply and directly - the Lover's pure joy in simple rock and roll inspired countless bands to do the same, and their seductive sound has held up remarkably well. Because it existed outside the margins, this prime root of modern rock sounds just as fresh, exciting and unique as ever.
- Jared O'Connor
proto-punk optimism