Peer Review: Mothers, Modern Life

Cowbells.  Bass.  “Low Rider”?  No.  Thank god.  “Modern Life”.  That’s right.  Verses of talk-singing sketches of everyday life.   Wordless choruses of chaotic guitar.  No hooks.  No bridge.  Only one thing that could be described as a melody.  Really just the droning narration of an average modern life, periodically broken up by crashes of chorus.  A fitting musical canvas on which to paint a depressing lyrical story.  At first, our narrator’s life seems exceedingly modern as he searches for a wife on Facebook alone at night. From there, he continues to do things that aren’t particularly modern: goes to work, goes to the store, visits his wrinkly-elbowed, macadamia-nut-enjoying father.  Silly and fun, but not particularly modern.  It is not until the song’s final lines that the title truly sinks in: “I don’t get paid to think / You don’t get paid to think / Don’t touch that phone / My whole life’s on that phone”.  The first thing that actually enthuses our narrator is his phone.  That is modern life.  At least, that is the depressing aspect of modern life that Mothers are getting at.  We are drones that go through our daily mundane routines.  Constantly connected.  Go to work.  Get our chores done.  Watch TV shows.  Whatever.  We care about nothing but our phones.  Don’t touch our phones!  It is this idea that drives this song and makes it equally entertaining and depressing.  Ok, I’m going outside now.

By New England Axe Factory
(read their review)