Based in Richmond, VA, The Melody Chamber features the songwriting talents of Wallace Dietz and Dan-O Deckelman, with both playing guitars and Deckelman contributing synth to an equation that’s boldly, and some might say brazenly, ’80s post-punk/ new wave/ college rock in orientation. For their debut album, Randy Mendicino plays the bass and Blee Child handles the drums.
It’s an admirable if not mind-blowing endeavor, available now on vinyl in the USA through Happy Happy Birthday To Me. For overseas buyers, the vinyl and CD are available through the To Good To Be True label.
There’s a considerable number of bands to which The Melody Chamber have been compared, including The Psychedelic Furs, R.E.M., The Church, The Smiths, The Cure, New Order, Echo & the Bunnymen, and even Wire Train. Indeed, that’s quite a range of like-minded reference points, but the band manages to avoid an England to Athens to Australia and back to England stylistic schizophrenia, even if The Melody Chamber playfully embrace the notion by describing their album as soundtracking an imaginary John Hughes film.
The main difference is that many of the bands that landed a spot in one of Hughes’ teen-focused flicks suffered from the era’s tendency for overproduction. The Melody Chamber has a consistently sharper (and occasionally tougher) sound, even when drifting into synth-driven territory. This is still a fairly subtle point of difference, and the influence that gradually comes to dominate is The Psychedelic Furs, largely in the vocal department.
The focus on original material helps keep the record out of the tribute category, and the quality of those songs means the project will be of interest to more than just the most hardcore of ’80s aficionados. The Melody Chamber do have the atmosphere down pat. Without breaking any boundaries, the album is a warm, vibrant, highly enjoyable affair.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B
