Melody Club
At Your Service
Virgin
Like fellow Swedes Alice in Videoland, Melody Club have their finger firmly on the disco/new wave pulse of America and England circa 1982. The group’s dynamic relies heavily on a clockwork synthesizer chug, rock hard 4/4 beat, and chunky power chord riffery. It helps that the songs the group pulls out are full of instantly familiar, slightly tweaked melodies from hits of Top 40s past. “Baby” is full of the breathy disco that buoyed Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” to dance floors worldwide, while “Cats in the Dark” cops the asymmetrical rhythm of Naked Eyes’ take on “There’s Always Something There to Remind Me”, and “Stranded Love” has all the goofy strident urgency of a lost Europe track.
No one will ever accuse Melody Club of artiness, obscurity, or even originality, but their name alone should be enough to convince any possible listeners that the group’s goal is simple entertainment and enjoyment. It’s one of pop music’s loftiest and hardest goals to attain with any sort of consistency and At Your Service is as solid as they come.
The Saturday Team: http://www.thesaturdayteam.com
