MoTel Aviv – Post Modern Nation (self-released)

On Post Modern Nation, MoTel Aviv evokes a specific era of postpunk pop music, when guitars soared over nimble, danceable rhythm sections and the vocalist sang unabashedly to the furthest seat in the hall. U2 is obviously a big touchstone for the Austin quartet, particularly in guitarist Cole Hanson‘s ringing chords and echoing riffs, but the band is by no means a clone. For one thing, bassist Misti Watkins and drummer Jayson Altman would much rather move your feet to dance than march, and singer Rodney Connell has a bratty catch in his voice that deflates pretension before it starts. Thus the band’s widescreen melodic sense is dramatic, but not melodramatic, and tracks like the brash “Lack Lust,” the moody “Mission Bell” and the skyscraping “Raise Yr Love” boast as much self-confidence as wild-eyed innocence. Not to mention hooks – if you ever enjoyed an episode of 120 Minutes, have the Trouser Press record guides on your bookshelf or are a regular reader of this very magazine, you’ll have an almost Pavlovian reaction to MoTel Aviv’s passionate, assured tunes. All this makes the band sound like retromongers, but don’t be fooled – for MoTel Aviv, this isn’t a nostalgia trip, but an assertion that the big music is as vital in 2011 as it was in 1985. And on the evidence of Post Modern Nation, they’re not wrong.

http://www.myspace.com/motelaviv