Melt with Them Over and Over Again (part 2)

(continuation of a definitive review of Modern English's full studio discography)
by aLfie vera mella

After the Snow (1982)

“Dream of better lives the kind which never hates

Wrapped in a state of imaginary grace

I made a pilgrimage to save this human’s race

Never comprehending a race that has long gone by”

The second album of Modern English, After the Snow, released in 1982, contains the song that catapulted the band to commercial popularity—“I Melt with You.” It was the band’s transition from its Gothic beginnings to its eventual New Romantic predilection. While the brooding theme of the lyrics remained, the instrumentation became upbeat and more intricate and the melodies more catchy and engaging.

I first heard "I Melt with You" in the summer of 1983 via my first viewing of the film Valley Girl (1983), which used the now iconic Modern English song as its main soundtrack song. 

My other personal picks off this album are “Someone’s Calling” (a WXB 102 staple in the mid-'80s); “After the Snow”; “Carry Me Down”; “Tables Turning”; and “Life in the Gladhouse,” which highlights the band’s trademark tribal drumming style.

“Someone’s Calling” was a staple on the Philippine FM radio station WXB 102, which was a radio station popular among many New Wave enthusiasts in the Philippines.

“Life in the Gladhouse” highlights the trademark tribal drumming style in the music of Modern English.

Another distinct aspect of the music of Modern English is the sound of the bass, which is heavy on chorus and flanger effects, serving not only as a backbone to many of their songs but also as a substantial component of their music’s instrumentation. The characteristic of the bass playing, particularly in “After the Snow,” may be described as a subtler take on the style of Peter Hook (bass player most-known for his works with Joy Division and New Order).

The influence of Joy Division's music is very apparent in the bass tracks of "After the Snow"--melodic, dominating, chorus-soaked and flanger-drenched.

(review of the rest of the albums, to be continued...)

Melt with Them Over and Over Again (part 1)

The Wave Splashes Eternal, part 17

(On Modern English & Its Music)

by aLfie vera mella

This English band may be regarded paradoxically as popular and obscure at the same time—popular because their 1982 single “I Melt with You” continues to be a favorite radio staple and to be used as a TV advertisement jingle; obscure, for many people recognize the song but not the band and usually dismiss them as a “one-hit wonder” despite their seven-album discography that spawned several radio singles

Personal Discovery

I discovered Modern English in the summer of 1983. I was on a vacation at the house of my Aranzamendez uncles and aunties in Better Living Subdivision in Bicutan, Parañaque, Philippines, whose friends were into Punk Rock and New Wave. I was only 12 years old! It was the era when youngsters organized house parties powered by mobile music because they were still too young to go to clubs. It was also the time when movies could be watched at home by way of Betamax films. There were no DVDs, VCDs, nor even VHS tapes yet. One day, my Uncle Edmon’s friend Rey Aguila came over with a new Betamax tape in hand. It was the 1983 film Valley Girl, starring Nicolas Cage (as a romantic New Waver who lived downtown) and Deborah Foreman (as a happy-go-lucky girl who lived in the valley). Importantly, the movie featured as the main theme song a track called “I Melt with You,” by a band known as Modern English.

The Origin

Formed in Essex, England, in 1979, Modern English may have eventually become more known especially in the 1980s as a Pop-leaning New Wave group alongside the likes of A Flock of Seagulls, ABC, Duran Duran, and Kajagoogoo; but it actually started as a Gothic-sounding band in the league of Joy Division and Bauhaus.

Discography Review

Mesh and Lace (1981)

“You didn’t know how much I wanted you

You didn’t know how much I needed you

Shadows on the wall, staring from the bags

Pent-up frustration, failed to explode”

1. Sixteen Days

2. Just a Thought

3. Move in Light

4. Grief

5. The Token Man

6. A Viable Commercial

7. Black Houses

8. A Dance of Devotion (A Love Song)

After Valley Girl, I craved for more of Modern English. Beginning in 1985, I finally acquired cassette-tape copies of the band’s albums. The first of these was Mesh and Lace, originally released in 1981 on 4AD Records. It introduced me to the Postpunk/Gothic sound of Modern English—dark lyrics and haunting vocals on a backdrop of low-register bass, tribal beats, angular guitars, and synthesizer drone.

My number-one favorite off Modern English's first album: "A Dance of Devotion (A Love Song)" 

Tracks that best represent the description are “Just a Thought”; “Move in Light”; “A Viable Commercial”; “Black Houses”; and “A Dance of Devotion (A Love Song),” a regular staple on WXB 102 during this Philippine FM radio station’s heyday in 1986. 

Paradoxically, the sonic mood of "Move in Light" is dark. 

The title of the track "Move in Light" is a reverse of the song’s mood—dark, aggressive, cunning, calculating, unyielding, and relentless until the end. “Black Houses,” on the other hand, exemplifies Modern English’s beginnings as a Gothic-driven band in the veins of fellow English bands Bauhaus and Joy Division.

"Black Houses" best exemplifies Modern English's Gothic beginnings

(review of the rest of the albums, to be continued...)

The Church releases new album

(New Wave Update)

by aLfie vera mella

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A classic and prolific New Wave band, originally hailing from Australia, The Church has just released its 18th proper studio album, Further/Deeper, in late 2014.

"Pride before a Fall" is a song off the new album--a slow burner with shimmering guitars, psychedelic mood, and the distinctive voice of Steve Kilbey. The overall style of The Church in this new offering delves on the psychedelic and shoegaze quality of its music--marked by fuzzy, swirling, effects-drowned guitar and drowned-out vocal tracks.

To many New Wave enthusiasts The Church is best known for the upbeat classic rocker "Unguarded Moment" from the band's debut album, Of Skins and Heart (1981);

"Unguarded Moment" (1981)

and the chilly, dreamy, hazy-sounding ballad "Under the Milky Way," from the fifth album, Starfish (1988). 

"Under the Milky Way" (1988)

However, my number-one favorite remains to be "Already Yesterday," from the fourth album, Heyday (1985), primarily because of the beautiful choral vocal arrangement in the song.

"Already Yesterday" (1985)

The common distinctive characteristics of the music of The Church are the psychedelic style of the guitars--swirling, flanger- and reverb-drenched, which hark to the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd; the bright jangly guitars rooted in the '60s psychedelia of The Byrds; and the laidback, almost unintelligible, buried-in-the-mix low-register vocals. For all these, The Church may be easily cited as one of the sowers of the seeds of what came to be known as Shoegaze music.

"Pride before a Fall" (2014)

Formed in Sydney, Australia, in 1980, The Church has released 21 full-length albums (18 proper studio albums, two acoustic albums, and one soundtrack).  The current members of The Church are longtime bandleader Steve Kilbey (lead singer-songwriter, bass player), Tim Powles (drummer), Peter Koppes (guitar player), and Ian Haug (guitar player).

"Dreaming of Me" by Depeche Mode

(Personal Stories behind Favorite Songs)

by aLfie vera mella

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While finishing my articles for my columns in the latest issue of Filipino Journal, playing loudly on the entertainment system was the first album of Depeche Mode--Speak & Spell (1981). Surely it would be hard for many music enthusiasts to realize that this album is 33 years old!

The first time I listened to Speak & Spell in full was in the summer of 1985, when I was 14.

My favorite song in this album remains to be "Dreaming of Me," which never fails to remind me of the countless mobile-powered New Wave parties that I attended in the mid-'80s. I just close my eyes while the song is playing and I could immediately see Joan, Iris, Daffy, Meg, Beng, Jim, and Buddy on the dancefloor.

Although, of course, "New Life," "What's Your Name?", and "Just Can't Get Enough" are equally important songs off the album, and all had the power to move the hands and feet of many partygoers in my New Wave party heyday in the mid-'80s.

"Dreaming of Me" starts with a short slow, haunting moog-sounding melody, followed by a catchy staccato-ish keyboard line that blends well into Dave Gahan's distinctive baritone voice. The spinning of the vinyl record is vivid in my mind.

The Music Never Really Ends

I started my first blogspot in October 2004; so, that's more than a decade ago from now. There I wrote a diversity of topics, issues, and stories delving on an eclectic variety of subjects--music, literature, cultures, languages, grammar, philosophy, religion, and many more.

After some time of having partially abandoned my blogspots, I suddenly felt the need to start blogging again; as if I haven't been regularly posting similar musings on Facebook.

Of course, I enjoy being on Facebook, especially among the community of friends, family, and acquaintances. However, I thought of going out here again, outside the confines of Facebook.

This time though, to achieve focus and direction, I thought of blogging only anything about music and genres, at least for the time being.

Here where I will share my thoughts about music and genres; my album reviews; lists of favorite songs, albums, and artists and bands; updates on bands especially their new releases; and personal recommendations.

I may also share here updates about the activities of my current band, haLf man haLf eLf.

But, for the most part, I'd love to share band profiles, music reviews, and new albums by my favorite bands.

My articles may tackle mostly New Wave music, but they will not be limited to this; for I love also other genres of music, particularly Classical, Metal, and Progressive Rock; and I'm also open to others as well, like Pop, Hip-hop, and whatever I could lay my ears and hands on.

I hope that readers of my blog and fellow music enthusiasts get to enjoy what I would be sharing here.

My ultimate musical motto remains to be "Be open to any kind of music. I discourage music discrimination, or dissing music just for the heck of it or derogating music without intelligently made bases."

aLfie