MODAL MELODIES - "MODAL MELODIES" LP

LULUS:

The name MODAL MELODIES should be a clear hint at what's inside this box. A strict adhereance to chord progressions as a staunch building block for exploration. There is no need to stray too far from a good movement, but that doesn't mean there isn't room to push that envelope in all sorts of directions. Drum programming is indeed very 80's, mostly oscilatting between meaty and beaty new wave, punk and dance music steps. The layering of melodies and leads over these aforementioned building blocks feels like a lucky dip, experimenting with the inherent potential for any three or four chords to take on many forms of life. Some call for a snazzy effected guitar lick, some call for a twinkle and a bleep on the keys, some call for space and quietness, some call for cinematrack storytelling. And I'm sure all could have been turned on their head and gone into another direction entirely. This album is brought to you by an unlikely duo - Violetta (Primo!, The Glass Picture) and Jake (Alien Nosejob, Ausmuteants) who have formed like Voltron to lend each other their strengths. A balanced middle ground making way for something new; harder and punchier than Vio's usual work and more tender and patient than Jake's. By throwing simple ideas out there and sculpting them to completion, MODAL MELODIES' mixed bag approach could have been a rapid fire string of 7" singles, each touching on different paths, but this LP format feels like a more true representation of their collaborative effort together and an exciting insight into how two talented people can join forces to explore fresh expressions of modes and melodies.