Album Of The Week: Modern Vices

Chicago’s music scene has recently gotten cooler. You have old stalwarts like Wilco, Dwarves, The Lawrence Arms and even Earth, Wind & Fire going strong, but the interesting thing about what’s happening in Chicago is the rock ‘n’ roll that’s been coming out of there recently. Bands like self-proclaimed “Flower Punks” The Orwells, “Heavy Pop” act Twin Peaks and fuzzy post-punks Empires have been burning up The Windy City as of late and there’s another band that’s soon to join their ranks. Dirty doo-wop garage rock act Modern Vices have their debut album currently out and it’s quite the introduction to the music spectrum.

Vocalist Alex Rebek leads the band sounding like Morrissey without the pretentiousness, while groovy guitars and beats form a very cool sound. If you like the crooning of the ’50s along with ’60s pop, then Modern Vices is definitely the band you’ve been looking for. It’s as if The Strokes started out listening to Frank Sinatra instead of The Velvet Underground. A plethora of rhythms and mellow tones set this album apart from the rest. Could Modern Vices be the next big thing in rock? This debut shows they could be.

Squirrels have been quite the rage lately, especially since one made downtown Providence lose power by fidgeting with a few cables. If you’re the non-fidgeting type who appreciates electricity, then give your music taste a shock by plugging into the top tracks off of my Album Of The Week. Trust me, you won’t feel short-circuited.

The riffs in “Cheap Style” are absolutely infectious; Rebek’s romantic lyrics have a lot of heart and soul to give it a sense of love and affection that you can’t let go of. A little laid back with steady beats, “As It Never Came” has drums that serve as the spine with complexities and pizzazz giving the track a spectacular background. I love the guitar intro to “You’re So Special,” followed up by an immense amount of energy, making it the most danceable track on the album.

Modern Vices will play at The Cake Shop in New York City on October 22 as part of the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival taking over The Big Apple, but let’s hope these dynamos come through New England sometime soon. Until they roll through your friendly neighborhood music venue, you gotta get the debut album from Modern Vices. It could be one of the landmark albums of 2014.

Modern Vices’ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernvices