ARTIST: Modern Skirts
TITLE: All of Us in Our Night
LABEL: Self-Released
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 192kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 40m total
RELEASE DATE: 2009-01-20
RIP DATE: 2009-03-01
Track List
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1. Chanel 2:54
2. Soft Pedals 3:13
3. Chokehold 2:34
4. Radio Breaks 3:33
5. Yugo 3:34
6. Face Down 3:45
7. Conversational 2:10
8. Astronauts 3:29
9. Eveready 3:47
10. Motorcade 3:55
11. Mrs 2:59
12. Like Lunatics 4:37
Release Notes:
Thanks to our hiphop friends ;)
Ordinary music tends to get classified by genre. Some of this stuff is quite
exciting, really. It does what you expect it to, but it follows the formula well
enough that its derivative nature doesn't matter. We call it indie, or pop, or
modern rock, and we recommend it to listeners who enjoy those styles. But every
now and then, a band reminds us that when the songs are good enough, and
innovative enough, genre is the last thing that matters. You don't need to be a
music major to recognize that the twelve tracks on Modern Skirts' sophomore
album, All Of Us In Our Night, are unusually constructed. They have unexpected
twists and turns, chords that startle with their novelty, and melodies that feel
refreshingly original. And you don't need to be an aficionado to get excited by
such infectious choruses û they'll get stuck in the heads of neophyte listeners
and super-hipsters alike. So call it "pop", call it "rock", call it "indie",
call it "classic" if you must. Better yet, call it what it is- a collection of
fantastic, irresistible, entirely unclassifiable songs.
It's been an inexorable rise to prominence for the Athens quartet, and one that
will only be accelerated by the release of All Of Us In Our Night. Since the
group formed five years ago, Modern Skirts have sold out shows at the legendary
40 Watt Club and are regulars at Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle and NYC's Mercury
Lounge. This past summer, they traveled to the UK for a second time on a
successful two week tour, first appearing at the Glastonbury Festival before
crossing the channel to open for R.E.M. in Amsterdam and joining them in Belgium
alongside Vampire Weekend and The National at Rock Werchter. They followed these
shows with a performance on the MTV Stage at the 02 Wireless Festival in London.
Furthermore, they landed their debut album Paste Magazine's Best of 2005 list,
placed a track on a Q Magazine radio sampler, performed on the Mountain Stage
radio program, and showcased at the In The City music festival in Manchester,
England. Catalogue Of Generous Men, their debut, remains one of the best-loved
underground records from the Athens scene in years, and the video for their song
"Pasadena", directed by New Slang Films, received airtime on 40 different
networks.
Music fans all over the world are learning who this band is and are loving what
they're hearing. So are industry insiders and some world-famous friends. Mike
Mills of R.E.M. produced a track on All Of Us In Our Night (the insanely catchy
"Motorcade"). David Lowery of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker produced another
five. Nevertheless, as the group proves on the six cuts they produced
themselves, these songs are so good that it's hard to imagine Modern Skirts'
sophomore offering being anything but a success. Lead singer and principle
songwriter Jay Gulley's knack for crafting an undeniably catchy melody keeps our
ears glued to All Of Us In Our Night from beginning to end. Many cuts are built
around vintage keyboards and surprising progressions- the gorgeous opener
"Chanel", for instance, and the radiant "Radio Breaks", which concludes with a
chorus of muted horns. Phillip Brantley's rhythm guitar pushes along the
punchier tracks- the marvelously Beatlesque "Astronauts" and the
Badfinger-dazzling "Soft Pedals". Pianist JoJo Glidewell bounces and struts
through these twelve songs, illuminating their corners, burying dark layers of
chords under the aching "Mrs." and sprinkling electric piano over the top of
"Yugo". Long days spent on the road have turned the band's rhythm section
(anchored by drummer John Swint) into an unstoppable unit, capable of imparting
sensitivity to the heady "Soft Pedals", then turning on a dime to storm through
the rollicking "Eveready". And in keeping with Modern Skirts' classic models,
everybody sings, and the harmony-vocal arrangements are sophisticated, sweet,
and effortlessly discharged.