Modern English
小简介 有些乐队一辈子就只能出一张好专辑，五人乐团Modern English就属于此类。乐队成立于1979年的英格兰，最早做朋克乐起家，后来受到Joy Division，Bauhaos等后朋克乐团的影响而开始改变风格。82年乐队签约著名独立厂牌4.A.D，成为4.A.D早期昙花一现而又出类拔萃的后朋克乐队。 After Snow是Modern English第二张也是最成功的一张专辑，专辑卖出了50万张，尽管主打歌"I Melt With You"没有进入美国排行榜的Top 40，但它却被收录进Valley Girl的电影原声，成为80年代New Wave时期的不朽之作。"I Melt With You"最吸引人的是强劲连绵的鼓点，主唱Robbie Grey平稳矜持的英国式唱腔，加上新浪潮时期流行的Synth-pop流行合成器音色和流畅旋律。 Modern English 《 After snow 》 除了依旧沉重阴森的鼓声，同名曲目After The Snow相对乏善可陈，Carry me down则用略带迷幻感的富有空间层次感的吉他将专辑推向另一个高潮。专辑里还有另外一些颇为不俗的曲子，Someone's Calling in the night里阴暗的激情，Life In the Gladhouse里喜悦和悲凉的交织。Face of Wood里毁灭性的绝望情绪，分裂状的破碎节拍和同样起落的情绪以及清亮的和声。 Robbie Grey远不像Peter Murphy那样阴沉着脸唱歌，听起来似乎平和的声音却悒郁得可怕。Modern English的这张专辑只适合一次听一遍，尽管它有不少清爽流畅流行旋律。我现在就被专辑里那些没完没了的阴沉节拍搅得头晕。当然有人要说了，Modern English这样的作品在现在流行的Dark Wave浪潮中只是小儿科。而实际上，那些拙劣的装神弄鬼的哥特模仿者经常让我忍不住笑出来（那种装腔作势而无意中产生的舞台间离效果实在太强了！)也许与你擦肩而过的阴沉声音才使人真正不寒而栗。后来After the Snow这张专辑的bonus版本还附送了几首作品的Remix版本，要知道，他们在80年代的Dance Club是很出名的曲子。 Modern English《Life in the glad house 》 另外想说一句，Modern English虽然缺乏作为一只伟大的后朋克乐队所具备的持久的创作灵感，但After the Snow却是代表了80年代吉他流行乐的最高水准，它不逊于The Cure,Bauhaus,或是The Smiths的任何一张专辑。 The summery hooks and warm lyrics of Modern Englishs biggest hit, I Melt With You, gave listeners the impression that the band was an upbeat pop act in the early 80s. I Melt With You was actually an anomaly in Modern Englishs early discography. Formed in Colchester, England, in 1979, Modern English was originally a punk group called the Lepers. Featuring Robbie Grey (vocals, guitar), Gary McDowell (guitar), and Richard Brown (drums), the Lepers mainly performed at parties. After Mick Conroy (bass) and Stephen Walker (keyboards) joined the band, they changed their name to Modern English and were signed to 4AD Records. Inspired by the stylish gloom of Bauhaus and Joy Division, Modern English released the singles Swans on Glass and Gathering Dust before recording their 1981 debut LP Mesh & Lace. Boiling with raw anger, dissonant rhythms, and weird noises, Mesh & Lace confused some U.K. critics while mesmerizing others. A year later, the group streamlined their sound, dropping much of Mesh & Laces gothic experimentation on After the Snow. I Melt With You was included on the Valley Girl soundtrack, and its video became an MTV staple. Although I Melt With You didnt reach the Top 40 charts in America, After the Snow sold more than 500,000 copies. However, the bands next album, 1984s Ricochet Days, was a flop. Pressured by their U.S. label Sire Records to release another hit and exhausted from touring, Modern English began falling apart; Walker and Brown were fired from the group. Grey continued recording with different Modern English lineups. In the early 90s, I Melt With You was played in a successful Burger King ad. Modern English started recording another album with After the Snow producer Hugh Jones in 2001.
