Skip to main contentA decade ago next week, Portland's Exploding Hearts released Guitar Romantic, a near-perfect power-pop album now considered among the classics of the genre. Although the group's career ended tragically less than four months later, the great, brief burst of music it left behind remains a vital influence on an entire generation of bands. To commemorate the album's 10-year anniversary, Willamette Week partnered with Generator and Pabst Blue Ribbon and asked six young Portland artists to cover the record in full. Over the next week, we will be premiering exclusive videos of those bands performing all 10 songs from Guitar Romantic at Southeast Portland's Green Noise Records, home to Dirtnap Records, the label that released the album in America.
The Cry!, "Modern Kicks"
"I love the Exploding Hearts because they embodied everything I want in a great rock'n'roll band. Their songs are perfect power pop with great lyrics, tight hooks and killer riffs for days. But having great songs isn't enough. You have to have the look and the attitude to match, and they definitely had both. If you wanna know what a power-pop band should look like, just look at the cover of Guitar Romantic."—Brian Crace, the Cry!
The Cry - Modern Kicks from Generator on Vimeo.
WWeek 2015