Mode Moderne
Occult Delight
Reviewed by: Stephen Krock
Mode Moderne opens their new Occult Delight with a reverb fueled marriage of The Smiths and The Velvet Underground, offering a beat that is dreamy, yet driving, and easygoing vocals that are just invested enough to be hip. “Strangle the Shadows,” the opening track, is indeed a delight. As the album title would suggest. It lays the groundwork for an ethereal, otherworldly rock excursion.
It starts in the timeless void with the opener and then plops you down into the 80s with the robotic “Grudges Crossed.” The mood is the same in “Thieving Babies’ Breath,” but the beat is much more danceable. We travel to the early 90s in “Severed Heads,” dripping in angst and anguish and suitably whining vocals to match. All in a good way, though. The lead singer does, however, increasingly sound like the guy from the B-52s, for better or worse. I opt for better, personally. The title track is a fitting anthem for Occult Delight; it’s beautiful and about as epic as a bored hipster can get.
As the album progresses, the eras mesh. The 90s emotion and the 80s ether melt with 50s beach party guitar riffs in “Times Up” and the utterly fabulous “Unburden Yourself.” The latter welcomes charming female backup vocals in a synchronistic match that I wish would permeate the entire album.
Mode Moderne whips up a dreamy frenzy. The whiney tinge to the lead vocalist might discourage a casual listerner; it also keeps Occult Delight from becoming truly dynamic. There’s a lot of sound, but the mood and heartbeat remains the same throughout.
Rating: Listenable
