***"Preferable in terms of immediacy is the vinylization of MODEY LEMON's 2000 CDR, House on the Hill. The original line-up of this Pittsburgh garage trio had a certain Cheater Slicks feel to their loose and mungy take on the form, with blues readymades that are as feckless as the Gibson Bros., except when they're sliding around like teenage atheist hamburger chefs playing what they imagine the Gun Club sound like. A lost listen of very high gearness."—Bull Tongue Review
LP $14.25
07/01/2016
The last two years have been very, very interesting for the Pittsburgh's most loved sons, Modey Lemon. After signing with Mute Records in the UK and opening for Dinosaur Jr. at San Francisco's granddaddy of all venues, The Fillmore, the band took some time off to regroup and work on new material. The result is Season of Sweets. With one foot in the sci-fi darkness of their last record, Curious City, one foot in their past angst-ridden garage wreckage, and one foot in the kautrock brilliance of the German Frontier (what, three feet?), Season of Sweets is a fuzzed-out, driving masterpiece with catchy hooks beaten to death by guitar/synth mayhem. Driven by drummer extraordinaire Paul Quattrone, the songs twist and turn through the imagery and dark rock that has made Modey Lemon famous. Jason Kirker (engineer as well as band member) uses various keyboards, Moog synthesizers, and other instruments to flesh out the sound. At the heart of this album is the energy and mysticism of singer Phil Boyd. As primitive as they are futuristic, Modey Lemon recreates the present, molecule by molecule, every second of every breath. "Modey Lemon [is] a perfectly capable band with obvious influences, attacking proto-punk and garage rock with aplomb, ability, and a glint of self-awareness." --Pitchfork "A face-melting beast machinery soundtrack. Like Suicide, the band." --Arthur Magazine
LP $13.00
05/13/2008
CD $13.00
05/13/2008
***These are dark times for rock 'n' roll, brothers and sisters. The chill wind of the zeitgeist has swept in and awarded savage riffs and sussed singers some temporary modicum of cool. In the interim, any number of shallow-hearted Xerox pretenders to some blues/garage/punk-rock throne have snuck through this back door to assail, insult and degrade our beloved noise, until it's little more than a catalog of pouts and poses that amount to zilch. We need bands willing to claw back the magic and mythology of rock 'n' roll, to give us something we can really sink our teeth into, art that's hot-blooded and literate and impassioned, something deep and tangible that'll stir the spook in our souls. A band like Pittsburgh, PA's Modey Lemon. It would figure that a band like Modey Lemon would hail from the town that gave the world George Romero and Night of the Living Dead. Modey Lemon's songs conjure images of mechanical dinosaurs, cemetaries and the entire universe coming undone. The Curious City, Modey's third full length, is their strongest and most adventurous release to date. Ten tracks of metal mayhem, psych sickness and all-out rock 'n' roll psychosis. Be afraid.
CD $13.00
08/16/2005
2XLP $14.25
08/16/2005
***A lot of hyperbole has been spewed about Pittsburgh's Modey Lemon and with good reason. The two-piece has toured the US, UK and Australia, blowing away audiences with their over-amplified, art-damaged, garage punk metal. Lead singer / guitarist / synth-player Phil Boyd receives as much attention for his Calvin Klein good looks as he does his musical prowess, and drummer Paul Quatrone is the most wildly accomplished rock percussionist since Neil Peart. A plethora of enthusiastic press, a deal with giant UK label Mute, a bevy of nubile groupies, and a coveted place on the Birdman Records roster - some bands get all the breaks.
CDEP $6.75
01/20/2004
***MODEY LEMON are a two-man hurricane of sound and a genuine force to be reckoned with. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA (home of George Romero) and clocking in at barely 20 years of age, The Modey Lemon have developed a sound unlike anyone else’s. Guitar, drums and Moog synthesizer, equal parts late ’60s hard rock, early ’70s hard rock, and early ’90s grunge filtered through punk from all three decades. This inventive, creative duo are caked in gritty, high-wattage garage punk and B-movie rock’n’roll, a twisted influence of greaser / garage rock sounds, adjusted with an art punk mentality, channeled through some big amp rawk. This album is packed full of rock nuggets with dirty boogie tempos and challenges the listener with nontraditional ideas. Everything from The Cramps to Iron Maiden to Beck goes into the blender, gets distilled, and comes out one very lethal brew. Drummer Paul Quattrone is a human whirlwind — the best since Keith Moon or Neil Peart. Frontman Phil Boyd wails like a Banshee and looks like a Calvin Klein model. Hello, ladies, NME says they’re “hearththrobs.” They’ve toured the UK to rave response with the Von Bondies, have toured the US extensively, and will do it again in support of this whirlwind of an album.
LP $8.25
10/07/2003
CD $12.00
08/19/2003
***"The hottest band out of Pitt-town since The Swamp Rats," says Jack White of The White Stripes and he should know a thing or two about hot bands. This two-piece (guitar, drums, synth) has toured the US and UK already extensively and have received a buttload of airplay from John Peel. Spastic sci-fi inspired hard rock. This double single reissues their first classic single (only 500 pressed—now LONG gone) with three brand new songs. Comes in a handsome, glossy gatefold sleeve. Watch for their new full length later this year on Birdman. Songs: Enemy, Crows, 6 Minutes Of Blackness, You Bug Me, Combustion.
2X7" $7.75
03/04/2003