Modovar are an electro/synth band from London and Essex comprising Christopher Beecham (words) and Glen Wisbey (music) and have spent the past year writing and composing their latest album Of Uncertain Origin, which coincidentally is where the word Modovar derives from, in Arabic.
The album is an eclectic melange of tunes which are focussed on the undercurrent of love and the human condition, chronicling a year in the life of love lost and found, betrayal and heartache, breakdowns and break-throughs of broken dreams and hopeful new tomorrows.
The album opens with One Life which is a joyful song bursting with positivity and which is lyrically about the precious closeness of a personal relationship. Musically there are echoes of Erasure which is reflected in a more obvious way later in the album. The second track Borrowed Time is a melancholic ballad which gazes introspectively about life before a relationship and how is strengthens and nurtures. Musically it’s mellifluous layers of melodies which carries you along like a gentle river.
Homeward Bound is a tush-shaking track that guarantees your place on the dancefloor and is pure Erasure in its influence (on first listening I had to double check my iPhone hadn’t skipped to an unknown Erasure track! I was THAT convinced). Andy Bell… move over! This track is one of my favourites on the album and is pure joy, filled with positivity.
The tempo is reduced once more with Cold in pure contrast to the previous track and possesses all the characteristics of a torch song; think disillusioned lover, sitting on a lonely bar stool, reminiscing and regretting about previously ill-judged relationships. This song was released as a single as long ago as 2014, yet still feels as valid now as it did then ie completely relatable. Beecham’s adaptable vocals will lead you down a number of winding roads, each one delivering a convincingpersona as the last, whilst Wisbey’s expertise with synths is second to none, perfectly capturing the required mood, with each song.
Walk Away, a single release from December 2017, continues with melancholic lyrics albeit with the synth treatment being delivered in a crescendo of impact as the song progresses. Higher Love is my other favourite on the album, with its flourish of swirling strings accompanying the driving synth beat. It’s a highly accomplished track which has been given a professional production by Lloyd Price (The Frixion) and mastered by Pete Mayer, and which sounds highly polished throughout. Modovar have certainly upped their game to play alongside the big boys in the past few years, and they deserve every bit of success which comes their way.
Shadow showcases the cutting lyrics with their tinges of film noir regret to a mid-tempo synth backing, building and building to the crescendo of multi-layered vocals to great effect. Despite the vengeful lyric the song has a positive feel about it which segues into Another Heart where the mood is lightened into that Erasure-esque sound, with more sweeping strings and dramatic drumbeats to add more layers to the synth backing delivering a rich and diverse sound making it another song to hit the dance floor to.
Ritual meanwhile continues with feelings of analysing a failed past relationship declaring, “waste of time, you’re just a stain upon my heart”. Released as their latest single in February of this year, it’s been given a ‘dirty remix’ treatment which can be heard via Bandcamp.
The final track of this 10-track delight is Love for The Sake of Love, was a single release in June 2016 with an accompanying Remixes release and has a mesmeric backing which travels you through the track whilst Beecham’s vocals cut through with a healthy dose of reality about the often transience nature of romantic relationships.
Modovar have said that they don’t wish to identify with any particular genre of scene, citing that their influence is somewhat eclectic in style; from torch singers, film noir soundtracks and still containing more than a nod to the dancefloor. This album delivers on all counts making it a richly diverse body of work. I really like this album and have played it several times since the first listening. It’s a highly accomplished set of songs, lyrically rich yet immediately accessible, musically highly adept, with a polished production which elevates it amongst its peers.
Of Uncertain Origin by Modovar was released on 11th October 2021 and is available to listen to on Spotify and purchase from Bandcamp
Vodkaangel22 