Van She and the Softlightes October 28, 2006

Van She (modular records)
http://www.myspace.com/vanshe

Many (many many) bands attempt to pull off the idea of reviving old styles of music. I don’t mean singer songwriter old, but 80’s synth pop old. Most of the bands that make this attempt suck at it, and put out obnoxious dance pop that invokes cheesy outfits and hairstyles. Modular Records has recently been promoting the band Van She, who successfully pulls off the 80’s post punk dance pop style quite well, and is a blast to listen to.

This band falls somewhere between the modern Lansing-Dreiden and Flock of Seagulls. At first skeptical, as the EP opens with the dance-rock Mission. The song is fantastic to listen to, but it made me wonder if the band could still hold substance throughout their horseplay, that question was quickly answered. The second track, entitled Kelly is a beautiful pop ballad reminiscent of a great Phil Collins song (but think of beck’s Sea Change voice singing). By far my favorite track on the 5 song EP.

This Australian band has something special. That something is not so much the sound of their music, as I stated earlier, its been done before. That special something is the talent and the meaning that the music contains. The fact that they are able to take a sound from 20 years ago and make it fresh and appealing to a whole new audience is a feat of amazement.

The disc wraps up with the 5 minute Kelly Video which is probably the most meaningful of the tracks on the EP, and closes things out perfectly. One more thing about this EP is that it is an enhanced cd with a music video for the second track Kelly. In case you needed one more reason to buy it.

Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/thebeautybar