Sure, "I Melt with You" is here, but the question persists: how to remind people that Modern English were so much more than one-hit wonders? The first two albums from 4AD legends Modern English are being reissued. And if you haven't heard them before, now is the time to give them a chance, as these expanded editions from Blixa Sounds are superbly-realized reissues. Packed with rare bonus cuts on the CD versions, and also available on vinyl, Mesh & Lace (1981) and After The Snow (1982) are out on Friday.
Mesh & Lace from 1981 reveals a band deeply in debt to the templates crafted by Joy Division and Bauhaus not so long prior to this. Robbie Grey (vocals), Gary McDowell (guitar, vocals), Michael Conroy (bass, vocals), Richard Brown (drums), and Stephen Walker (keyboards) crafted a uniquely dark form of art-rock, one which remains distinct when heard now in 2019. "Move in Light" sounds a bit like Siouxsie & The Banshees, even as "16 Days" nods in the direction of The Cure and Bauhaus. Modern English were not exactly re-inventing the wheel on their debut LP, but they were at least wholly committed to this kind of music. That commitment gives "A Viable Commercial" some genuine power, while "Dance of Devotion (A Love Song)" is primitive and cathartic. If this music is not nearly as dangerous as Modern English at the time probably thought it was, it is at least fairly solid. For fans of the genre, especially those enamored with the early sound of the 4AD label, Mesh & Lace remains an invigorating release, if not an entirely essential one. However, this edition of Mesh & Lace is made more valuable by the inclusion of early singles tracks "Gathering Dust", "Swans on Glass", and "Incident", numbers that suggest a far more nimble style of music that the early incarnation of this band was capable of making.
The album that, of course, gave us "I Melt with You", After The Snow (1983) is full of other excellent selections. Opener "Someone's Calling" is lighter and more anthemic than anything on the band's first album. Similarly, the wonderful "Face of Wood" is positively spry and airy, the kind of thing that's so much more accessible than anything from earlier in Modern English's career. The playing here seems better too, with the musicians, particularly drummer Richard Brown and bassist Michael Conroy really anchoring these New Wave numbers. While "I Melt with You" remains one of the great songs, an absolute stormer of the era, there are loads more on After The Snow that suggest that the band was very nearly coming up with songs almost as good. "Tables Turning" shimmers and pulses with energy, while the title cut is buoyed by guitar-lines and bass-work that mimic the earliest singles from New Order. These selections, along with the bonus cuts here, including "I Melt with You" flip-side "The Prize", still charm, with the overall sound here much more enchanting than the heavier stuff on the 4AD label in the era. After The Snow is remarkably solid, even if "I Melt with You" seems so transcendent right in the middle of the record.
For students of the early post-punk scene in the U.K., these two Modern English reissues are likely essential purchases. In 1982, Modern English were the only act on 4AD making (nearly) radio-friendly music, with this particular strain of New Wave being just light enough to get some real attention outside of the usual places. The music press didn't entirely love Modern English, and one can understand that when listening to the weighty Mesh & Lace (1981), but the reviews should have been far better for After The Snow (1982) as it's an album that still pleases tremendously.
Mesh & Lace and After The Snow are out on Friday via Blixa Sounds.
More details on Modern English via the band's official website.
[Photo: Blixa Sounds]