“The Choisest View” by Modern English which clocks in at 11:40.
Modern English is a band you know because of one perfect song, and it’s not this one. That song, “I Melt With You”, is three and a half minutes of ’80s pop perfection. This song, “The Choisest View”, is a nearly twelve minute adventure into the realm early New Order before there even was an early New Order. It’s dark English New Wave moodiness to the extreme, and it’s not half-bad if that’s your kinda thing. I happen to love the track, but that’s not why we’re here. We’re here because of some synchronistic shuffling that occurred as I was searching the thousands of pictures on my computer for one particular shot of fresh snow I took while visiting Asheville, NC one spring.
So there I was digging through more concert pictures than you can imagine when the sugary April March tune I was enjoying gave way to the dirge you’ll find posted above. Cursed shuffle! I was in no mood to hear this song until it hit me: here I was searching for a picture of fairly “choice” view of some fresh snow when -whoa- when the song “The Choisest View”, from the album After the Snow, came on randomly. That’s like double extra-crazy synchronicity. A sign!
I made a deal with myself… find the picture of the snow (found it: above), and a variety of other “choice” views from pictures I’ve taken before the song ended, and those pictures and “The Choisest View” by Modern English would be our 8+ for this week. A scrolling picture show of a variety of “choice” views? Sweet. I’ll leave it up to you to determine the choisest. My vote is hinted at in the thumbnail from the front page that also appears as the final picture below…
ABOVE: canal in Amsterdam
ABOVE: looking Northeast from the Empire State Building
ABOVE: view of The Gates in Central Park
ABOVE: sunset in Coney Island
ABOVE: view of Brooklyn Bridge at night
ABOVE: mountaintop view in the Catskills
ABOVE: White Sands, New Mexico
ABOVE: Lake Tahoe from a chairlift
ABOVE: Crystal Cove State Park in California
ABOVE: sunset in Newport Beach, California
ABOVE: view of Virgin Gorda from the highest point on the island
ABOVE: sunset on the island of St. John
Buy After the Snow on Amazon.
EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.
07.24.08 2:49 pm
Great photos Matt - i particularly like the one of Coney Island.
You’ve got photog skills yo!
07.25.08 2:06 am
I’m partial to the CA pix but really like the ethereal ’snow-like’ feeling that the White Sands photo evokes. That’s my vote.
07.25.08 11:23 am
I always love to see a mention of the lesser known works of Modern English - like so many pop bands of that era - a dark, moody and completely weird 4AD band that is known in the states primarily for one excellent hit rather than the whole of their artistic vision. I am bummed that my copy of Mesh & Lace is at my parents’ place at the moment - that is a hell of an album, as is (of course) the rest of After The Snow.. I think Someone’s Calling and Life in the Gladhouse are another two of their best and most underappreciated tracks.