Modey Lemon

Once stuck in a synthesis of scorching garage rock and ferocious synth-driven punk, Pittsburgh’s Modey Lemon have steered their ship toward a more complete sound that finds the band in a much more agreeable position. The Curious City, their third full-length, is a riff-driven blast of psychedelic freak-outs and power rock that never settles down in its desire to make rock’n’roll dangerous again. The heaviness of the music relies on building irrepressible grooves to keep it from relaxing into a coma of straight-up rock. Such a winning formula works best on the funk rhythms of "Red Light,” a jacked-up rock behemoth that moves so uncontrollably in its five minutes that it resembles a kid with ants in his pants. "Bucket of Butterflies” is an immediate statement that Modey Lemon are also looking to conquer the great pop song with this catchy dynamo. It’s "Trapped Rabbits,” however, that will get people talking with its dogged determination to keep both a formidable beat and unbroken noise going for all of its 16 minutes. Such endurance is impressive, but then again, that’s just one of the many great things about this band.