"On Post Modern Nation, MoTel Aviv evokes a specific era of postpunk pop music, when guitars soared over nimble, danceable rhythm sections and the vocalist sang unabashedly to the furthest seat in the hall. U2 is obviously a big touchstone for the Austin quartet, particularly in guitarist Cole Hanson‘s ringing chords and echoing riffs, but the band is by no means a clone. For one thing, bassist Misti Watkins and drummer Jayson Altman would much rather move your feet to dance than march, and singer Rodney Connell has a bratty catch in his voice that deflates pretension before it starts. Thus the band’s widescreen melodic sense is dramatic, but not melodramatic, and tracks like the brash “Lack Lust,” the moody “Mission Bell” and the skyscraping “Raise Yr Love” boast as much self-confidence as wild-eyed innocence. Not to mention hooks – if you ever enjoyed an episode of 120 Minutes, have the Trouser Press record guides on your bookshelf or are a regular reader of this very magazine, you’ll have an almost Pavlovian reaction to MoTel Aviv’s passionate, assured tunes. All this makes the band sound like retromongers, but don’t be fooled – for MoTel Aviv, this isn’t a nostalgia trip, but an assertion that the big music is as vital in 2011 as it was in 1985. And on the evidence of Post Modern Nation, they’re not wrong."
-The Big Takeover
*********************************************************************************************************
"MoTel Aviv are an Austin foursome with a particularly potent brand of poppy rock and roll. Their major strength is in the songwriting. When all systems are firing 100 percent, it’s hard to find fault in MoTel Aviv’s assembly of the moving parts or their delivery of a hook. If the jangling, ringing guitar work doesn’t get you, you ignore the stomping beat and you’re somehow impervious to a chorus that easily gets lodged auditory canal like an earwig, then, who knows, you might be allergic to fun."
-The Austinist
**********************************************************************************************************
"Filled with well-dressed, hook-riddled songwriting, jerky almost terse riffs and three-chord crunch, MoTel Aviv kept the near packed house moving non-stop from start to finish. While MoTel Aviv are certainly indebted to bands like XTC, The Clash and The Smiths, they still manage to box an audience about the ears with some actual creativity and by crafting shrewd, ringing, melodic three-to-four minute post-punk-pop, they’re rightfully maintaining that their scope stays broader than that of a revivalist band.
Frankly, it was one of the better shows I’ve seen in Dallas in the last three years, here’s to wishing them frequent returns to the Big D or the Town of The Cow…Lola’s, Cavern…I’m looking at you."
-The Squawker
***************************************************************************************************************
For 35 minutes, Motel Aviv turned back the clock on the fickle Parish hipsters to a time when bands like the Smiths, New Order and the Clash ruled the airwaves. Effusing a polished, mid-80s pop radio sound sans keyboards, Aviv delivered a sweaty, danceable set. A subtly shifting blend of bright guitar chords, simple, energetic drum parts, a deep, clean and hollow JJ Brunner-sounding bass, and Morrissey/Bono-esque vocals kept the show from veering into a saccharine monotony.
They're absolutely professional in sound and showmanship. These kids are stylish pop song writers, vivacious live performers and sartorially consistent with their music without seeming pretentious. If Motel Aviv can find their audience, they have the potential to be the next Killers.
--London Ferguson,
The Deli
**********************************************************************
