You're ripping up the road and tooling through the hills with the top down - that left arm is getting quite the driver's tan, and a frothy root beer wiggles comfortably in its place between your knees. With one hand out the window and the other on the wheel, no doubt tappin' away, you're singing at the top of your lungs. And you don't care who sees you. In fact, it's hard to care about much of anything when listening to Lucky Motors besides the superb brand of punchy rock this Houston trio belts out with optimistic fervor.
Lucky Motors operates, excuse the pun, like a well-oiled machine. This, the group's debut release, is a great showcase of Ben Murphy's fluid, snappy guitar stylings and buttery vocals, Melissa Lonchambon's sonorous, melodic basswork and Jeff Senske's grounded, enthusiastic percussion. Both "Package and the Prophet" and "Ashtray of Kisses" induce head-bobbing and the occasional hand-clap. The members of this rock triumverate pride themselves on listening to a lot of the classics - undertones of The Who are apparent in Lucky Motors' dynamic, cheery song structures.
This machine definitely drives down sunny, windy roads; the kind of roads in
commercials. There's no traffic, no superfluous detours, and no annoying stop signs. The tank's
always full of gas, and your turntable's operating on all eight cylinders. Indeed, there is no need
to feel silly about singing along to such an incredible release. - Joan Hiller
Although this could easily be compared to Chisel without the '60s mod
influence, Lucky Motors are so much more than that. Package and the Prophet
is a pop gem of upbeat energy and catchy antics that results in an
impressive debut from this Houston three piece. Even though the B-side of
"Ashtray of Kisses" captures more of a complex fashion of choppy, silly
David Bryne-inspired wackiness, the diversity contained on each side equals
an original inspiration of unpredictable pop. - Mike DaRonco
As 7" singles go, this Austin trio's effort is likable stuff. "The Package and
the Prophet" bounces along with a pleasantly jangly sixties swagger -- it's the
sort of song that makes you anticipate the bit where the horns come in, but
(unfortunately) ends before they arrive. There's a tinge of southern-rock twang
in there somewhere, but the chorused vocals are sunny and cheerful and the lyrics
are blurry stream-of-consciousness stuff, like a less precious Of Montreal.
Flipside "Ashtray of Kisses" owes more to Dinosaur Jr. than dinosaur rock;
frenetic, angular and seething, it cleaves to an indie-rock aesthetic that, while
somewhat out of favor these days, still makes great listening. With such
divergence between tracks, I wouldn't be sure what to expect if I went to see
Lucky Motors play. -- gz