Name: After The Snow
Brand: Modern English

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

BLXA836.1

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2019-12-06

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

850947008368

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Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Modern English

Genre US

New Wave / Post Punk

Label US

Drastic Plastic

Modern English is an iconic British band that was formed in Colchester, Essex, England in 1977. The original lineup consisted of Robbie Grey on vocals, Gary McDowell on guitar, and Michael Conroy on bass. Initially known as the Lepers, they gained recognition in the punk scene before being signed by 4AD. Richard Brown joined as the drummer and Stephen Walker as the keyboardist to complete the band.
Their debut single "Drowning Man" was released in 1980 under the Limp Records label. A year later, their first full-length album "Mesh & Lace" showcased their gloomy post-punk sound influenced by bands like Joy Division. Their follow-up album "After The Snow" marked a significant progression with warmer tones and strong guitar harmonies.
Modern English's popularity soared with American audiences, leading them to relocate to New York City. However, subsequent albums like "Ricochet Days" (1984) showed less experimentation and creative growth. Despite changes in lineup and record labels over the years, Modern English has remained active with consistent touring and new releases.

Modern English's album After The Snow.

"I Melt with You" will forever be the one specific moment that's Modern English's place in pop history, and the album it came from, After the Snow, isn't anything to sneeze at either. Indeed, in transforming from the quite fine but dour young miserabilists on Mesh &amp; Lace to a brighter incarnation who still had a melancholy side, the quintet found exactly the right combination best-suited for their abilities. Like contemporaries B-Movie and the Sound, Modern English used punk and post-punk roots as a chance to introduce a haunting, beautiful take on romance and emotion, while the contributions of Stephen Walker on keyboard helped make the album both of its time and timeless. That said, the secret weapon on the album is the rhythm section of Michael Conroy and Richard Brown, able to shift from the polite but relentless tribal beat clatter on the excellent "Life in the Gladhouse" to the ever more intense punch of the title track, the album's unheralded masterpiece. None of this is to denigrate the contributions of singer Robbie Grey and guitarist Gary McDowell. The former's seemingly mannered singing actually shows a remarkable fluidity at points -- "After the Snow" again is a good reference point, as is the fraught, slow-burn epic "Dawn Chorus" -- while McDowell works around the band's various arrangements instead of trying to dominate them. Some songs, like "Face of Wood," even find Modern English -- often dogged with Joy Division comparisons early on -- predicting where New Order would go before that band got there itself. Still, "I Melt with You" is the main reason most will want to investigate further. A perfect pop moment that didn't have to strain for it, its balance of giddy sentiment and heartfelt passion matched with a rush of acoustic and electric guitar overdubs just can't be beat.

After The Snow

Music US

Discover After The Snow by Modern English. Vinyl LP from Drastic Plastic. Haunting, beautiful take on romance and emotion.