Posted on: November 15, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Femurs – Modern Mexico / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thefemurs

“Vitamins” is the first song on the new Femurs album. For those that did not know, the Femurs (or “Los Femurs”, as they are known on the front cover of “Modern Mexico”), have been around for a few years. “Modern Mexico” is a collection of these songs, and shows off why exactly the band has been accumulating fans since they first played together. “Vitamins” shows that The Femurs play a brand of punk-infused rock music, with a little more focus on the pop-punk instead of the rock side of that designation. The band continues with the bouncy, fast-paced punk music with their “Round and Round”. The band does not have the same type of jags and sharp points that a great deal of punk bands have, and in many ways sounds like a more sedate Face to Face or early Unwritten Law.

The vocals during “Round and Round” approach that of one of the Joes from They Might Be Giants. “Crazy Girl” has the same general subject matter and humor that a Vandals or Ten Foot Pole placed onto their late nineties recordings. The same general sound that has been present throughout the entirety of the disc continues during “Crazy Girl”, and while many other acts would start to grind to a half at about that point, the increasingly detailed and intricate vocal harmonies that are present during this track push the band to an entirely whole new level. The back and forth of the vocals represents another interesting development during “Not Giving Up”, but the instrumentation (the guitars primarily) step up even further to match these vocals.

As one continues to listen to the rest of “Modern Mexico”, there is a struggle present between these two segments of the band, each creating something more impressive until the band decides to end things at the end of “Listen Up”. The Femurs provide a more organic approach to punk music that does not come forth in the musical style until the band creates it with “Modern Mexico”. What results is a disc that is chock full of hits and songs that individuals will sing along with for months to come. The style may not be what is needed for The Femurs to get on rock rotations, but I have a feeling that they do not care that much about that accolade. Give the disc a go if you have any love for punk music.

Top Tracks: Crazy Girl, Plastic Swords

Rating: 7.3/10

Leave a Comment