2.09.2016

MODERN ENGLISH - Mesh And Lace

Artist:  Modern English
Album: Mesh And Lace
Year:  1981
Genre:  Post-Punk / New Wave

My god 1981 was forever ago.  I was only 10 at that time and still thought the first eight Kiss releases ruled the world.  Thanks to my older cousins, I'm pretty sure I was listening to some Boston, Queen, Genesis, Abba and J. Geils too.  It was right about that time I caught the FM radio bug.  The Detroit area had a wide variety of stations which included rock, jazz, classical and everything in between.  The hard rock stations introduced me to Zeppelin, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Van Halen and so much more.  It was not long after that I started listening to what was considered Top 40 radio.  This, along with the birth of MTV, which I watched anywhere I could until my parents got cable television, opened me up to a new world of music.  Soon, I also knew who Rick Springfield, Pat Benatar, Hall & Oates, Blondie, Air Supply and many other were.  In 1982 and 1983, my horizons were expanded because so called “new wave” artists were staring to get air time on both radio and that previously mentioned TV station which went from playing videos 24 hours a day to only featuring a plethora of horrible shows such as the one that glorified rich, bratty, spoiled 16 year olds and their birthdays, or the one that tried to get Tila Tequila laid by everybody, and the one that made Ozzy look like a utter doofus.  But, before MTV went to shit, music was new and exciting as they spun songs by so many cool artists including Prince, Duran Duran, The Police, Tears For Fears, Joan Jett, Soft Cell, The Human League, A Flock Of Seagulls, The Go-Go’s, Men At Work and the band I’m going to be writing about, Modern English.  This is the era of music that is forever embedded in my head. 

In 1982, the song “Melt With You” got heavy rotation on radio and MTV.  Now, as a kid, I loved the song.  Knew it back and forth, but never actually bought their full length record.  One, I was still in hard rock / metal mode which was my primary focus.  Two, I recorded it onto a cassette off the radio so I could listen to it whenever I wanted.  Did anyone else have tapes made from the radio that had the DJ talking either at the beginning or end of the song?  Ah, the memories.  It wasn’t until I was older that I dove back into the full length catalogue of releases by a lot of 80s bands.  Some were wonderful like Tears For Fears, Prince, Duran Duran and A Flock Of Seagulls.  Some just ended up being one hit wonders to me like Big Country, Real Life, Berlin and Dead Or Alive.  Not only do I believe the first two Modern English albums to be pinnacle representations of 80s music, I also believe them to be stellar examples of the new wave that was hitting the mainstream, with their debut, Mesh And Lace, being a prime example of the ingenuity happening in what would soon be titled "alternative" music.

Mesh And Lace, the third full length release for the groundbreaking 4AD label, is both beautiful and brutish.  It's an experiment as much as it is a collection of songs.  Modern English were young, raw and willing to take risks.  Although a melodic nature persists throughout the album, a sense of angst seeps through the imperfect, emotionally charged performances; taking large cues from Joy Division on how to catch the listener's attention and remain coarse.  Hints of proto-industrial elements lurk on the record in the form of keyboard interludes, instrumental noise and samples that connect many of the songs in an effort to give the album some continuity and flow which, for the era, was rather cutting-edge.  As much as the record was riding that new wave crest, the band solidified itself directly into the annals post-punk history.  At this stage, Modern English had more in common with the sonic rumblings of Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Joy Division, Wire, Christian Death, and The Chameleons (yes, they were later, but you get the idea); and they were easily as good as their contemporaries.   Mesh And Lace is driven and moody. A touch outside the smooth “Melt With You” exterior they displayed on their follow up LP After The Snow.  Which, by the way, is another wonderful record that leans much more toward their new wave sensibilities, yet keeps a very independent feeling of creativity throughout the album.  Remember, 4AD was not a major label, so “Melt With You” was actually an independent single that became huge and now is seen as a prime representation of “80s” music.  And, although I listen to their debut much more consistently, you cannot go wrong with either of these records by this highly innovative band.

Listen to "A Viable Commercial" here.

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