The new album from London's Moderate Rebels, Shared Values, dropped on Everyday Life Recordings last Friday. The record is a bit abrasive but within reason, melodies jutting up against angular post-punk flourishes.
Even as numbers like "The Value of Shares" and "Faith and Science" suggest bits and pieces of acts like Pere Ubu, The Fall, and The Raincoats, the lighter "Facade" goes down easier, hooks not entirely submerged under New Wave affectations. Similarly, "Beyond Hidden Words" nicely nudges things into other directions, brief indications of a Joy Division-like sheen heard throughout the song. Elsewhere, "Have To Save Myself" and "Eye In The Sky" offer up hints of American acts like Television and Sonic Youth, the sound of Moderate Rebels here more accessible even amidst brief, largely safe excursions into the truly transgressive.
Shared Values is a decent record, and one that indicates that Moderate Rebels have crafted a compelling sound, even if it's one that owes so much to many acts from the glory days of post-punk. If the band's influences remain crystal-clear, at least the resulting music stands on its own as something cohesive and compelling.
Shared Values is out now via Everyday Life Recordings.
More details on Moderate Rebels via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Colin Williams]