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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