Modern Skirts
Happy 81 EP
Self-Released
By Sam Parvin
With technology innovation growing exponentially by the day, a return to the good ole days is sometimes in order. When one is able to combine more primitive techniques and deliver a product worthy of competing with the rest of ‘em, well you’ve got gold.
Happy 81 EP is a departure from Modern Skirts’ earlier pop-tinged tunes, like 2005’s album Catalogue of Generous Men, no doubt about it. Whether intentionally or not, the EP insinuates a return to the roots; a throw-back to folk tunes reminiscent of a more adolescent time. Track three, “Rebecca St. Claire,” sings, “She comes from Alabama with a rose in her hair” and sounds like an innocent nursery rhyme, finger snaps and all. Title track, “Happy 81,” is definitely a bounce-on-your-toes-and-nod-your-head anthem, with a captivating drum riff and chorus. An onomatopoeia if I ever witnessed one, “Blip” reiterates that these songs truly originated as experiments. They lack the finesse and romance of previous works like “Pasadena” and instead promote quirkiness with confidence.
These songs and dozens of others were recorded to cassette tapes while touring and recording for previous albums. In fact, the band members only intended for the songs to act as demos for their own artistic gain. The lo-fi cassette quality of the recordings is sometimes distracting, but the beguiling percussion arrangements and melodies characteristic of Modern Skirts remain. It is worth noting these guys included a myriad of sound techniques, given they were using a home four track cassette recorder. The tracks selected for the EP were all recorded and mixed in the band’s Athens, Ga. home, and then the originals were digitized and mixed and mastered. Happy 81 is the precursor to a full-length available this fall, which is rumored to sound starkly different than the EP and was fully produced in-studio.
While at first glance Happy 81 EP may seem a rebellion against the pop mantra this quartet displayed in the past, these seven songs instead act as a step closer toward artistic independence. If you are looking for “pretty,” keep on walkin’. But if music as art and the use (or lack of use) in technology appeals to you, the EP is worth a listen. Several listens.
Download “Rebecca St. Claire” for free HERE.
