Mode Moderne

Get out and make some noise with this edition of the Midnight Poutine Podcast:

Amylie - - Les Filles
Chinatown - Culpabilité
Mode Moderne - Nightly Youths
Distractor - Riptide
Enjoy Your Pumas - Walk it Off
Brigitte - Battez Vous
F&M - Lovely Lovely
Joelle Saint-Pierre - Cent Pas
Jérôme Minière - Rien à vous dire
Samian - Le Rap Pour Moi
JP Hoe - Conversation
Jon Mckiel - Fist Fight
Ramona Falls - Spore
Les Sonneurs - Aleas
Tango Charlie - Worthwhile Dilemmas - The Midnight Poutine

Vancouver's Mode Moderne are wrapping up a short East Coast tour -- their first American shows -- with two dates in NYC with Plastic Flowers: Lit Lounge on Thursday (6/7) with Black Marble and Contra, and Shea Stadium on Friday (6/8) with Night Visions.
As their name might suggest, Mode Modern owe a lot to '80s mope rock and their new mini-LP Strange Bruises is loaded with moody basslines, glistening synth-lines, delay-ridden guitars and vocals that fall on the melodramatic end of the spectrum. Perfect for any dark club with a fog machine. You can stream Strange Bruises below and watch a video for Mode Moderne's single, "Nightly Youths."
- Brooklyn Vegan

Vancouver dance quintet Mode Moderne released their new EP 'Strange Bruises' today via Light Organ Records. This band is one to watch for suresies. In fact, you should start right now with the above video for "Nightly Youths" from the new album. Want more? Head over to Chart Attack and stream the entire EP or save yourself a step and just buy it. Catch them on tour starting at home here in Vancouver on May 19th at The Biltmore (all dates below). It's always nice to be able to toot that hometown horn and Mode Moderne has certainly been a fave for a while (home court advantage not withstanding) and 'Strange Bruises' is their some of their best work yet. - Tasty Ears

If you’ve been hankering for some dark pop for those upcoming summer days, Mode Moderne have you covered. Hailing from Vancouver, the moody outfit’s latest EP Strange Bruises is out today via Light Organ Records, but you can listen to an exclusive stream of the entire seven-song affair below. “Perfecting the art of mope pop,” Mode Moderne are of the same breed as New Order and Morrissey, only Canadian. With glowing and driving sad songs that’ll make you sway while the tears are running down your face, Mode Moderne’s latest is a catchy cure for happiness.

The stream is below, as are the dates for the band’s upcoming tour. - Chart Attack

If you only caught the tail end of one particularly memorable live set by Mode Moderne, you might have walked away with entirely the wrong impression of the band. When the Vancouver five-piece played an outdoor show on Fourth Avenue during last year’s Khatsahlano! Music + Art Festival, it did so with motorcycles lined up along the front of the stage. At the climax of Mode Moderne’s performance, the owners of said vehicles revved their engines, the sound of which was picked up by the microphones and amplified, creating a seriously unholy racket.

“That was the guys who have the bikes’ idea, for whatever reason,” remembers the band’s singer, Phillip Intilé, interviewed on the Georgia Straight’s fourth-floor patio alongside bassist Clinton Lofkrantz. “I love it; I think it’s totally camp. There’s this group of three guys, who are bikers, and I don’t know how they know about us, but they love it, and they decided to muscle their way to the front of the stage and cause a big stink. It was fantastic, except I breathed in quite a bit of exhaust at the beginning.”

When the din subsided, the motorcyclists hopped on their bikes and rode off down Maple Street. It was the type of spectacle that you might not otherwise associate with a band given to writing lyrics about sipping tea and reading poetry, but this outfit has no interest in being one-dimensional. Intilé has a finely honed sense of irony, which is evident from a listen to Mode Moderne’s first album, 2008’s Ghosts Emerging. Over the dance-floor death-funk of “Disco Ruff”, for example, he delivers a dour castigation of a young girl whose inconvenient suicide has put a damper on his plans to dance the night away. Adopting the tone of someone whose pain and sadness are more painful and sad than yours, Intilé sings, “You’ve got blood on my shoes and it’s ruining my night.”

Lofkrantz says “Disco Ruff” is often cited by those who would label Mode Moderne a goth band: “People always quote that, like, ‘Oh, the suicide song.’ It’s making fun of darkness, and stuff like that. It’s a satire.”

“It’s a joke, because life would be boring if you just viewed it one way,” Intilé adds. “I mean, life is miserable and it’s hilarious. Those are the two things. And there are some other things in there, too. But if you only saw it as being miserable, you’d be a boring, boring person.”

Mode Moderne returned to this same well for last year’s “Real Goths” 7-inch, which was the band’s first release for the Light Organ label. Putting on a mope that would make Morrissey proud, Intilé opens the song with “Real goths don’t dance/We just sulk to circumstance/And sit in darkened corners/And fumble with our hands.”

“Real Goths” was a major leap forward in terms of both songwriting and production. If Ghosts Emerging was a little rough around the edges, however, you won’t catch Lofkrantz or Intilé apologizing for that. As it turns out, the two never set out to start a band when they, along with their friend (and guitarist) Felix Fung, began writing and recording synth-heavy postpunk tunes as a lark in ’08. That what they ended up producing has garnered comparisons to the likes of Joy Division and New Order seems to amuse and frustrate the musicians in equal measure.

“We have grown a lot,” Lofkrantz says. “That was just me, Felix, and Phil having fun. There was no seriousness involved. We did expand over the record, learning how to play songs together, and writing. And I guess we started developing a formula then. I mean, that’s definitely the roots. Yeah, you can say there’s a lot of Joy Division or Cure or whatever, and Phil sounds like this or whatever, but those are just three guys hanging out in a studio with a drum machine and some guitars, and we were literally like, ‘Let’s put out a record.’ ”

For his part, Intilé admits that he didn’t know how to sing four years ago. “I was just not really that great of a singer and only capable of achieving a certain sonic quality with my voice. And - Straight.com

There's little doubt where Vancouver's Mode Moderne draw their influences from. Their forthcoming mini-album Strange Bruises is dripping with the sound of early '80s Goth-infused indie rock.

The album opens with the lead single "Nightly Youths". It's a songs reminiscent of early work from The Cure. The soaring "Foul Weather Fare", with it's catchy refrain and Joy Division-esque bassline follows.


More modern influences are weaved in. The most obvious moment comes on "Guns", a track that wouldn't sound out of place on an Interpol record.

The vocals are suitably menacing, matching the eerie arrangements.

This is a sound that is extremely identifiable with a particular time and place, so it takes a deft touch to ensure that it doesn't come across as dated. For the most part Mode Moderne manage that feat. However, there are moments, like the track "Private Library", when the music is more of an aping tribute than it is a fresh piece of art.

Mode Moderne play Parts & Labour in Toronto on June 1st.

Best tracks: "Nightly Youths", "Guns"

Track listing for Strange Bruises:
Nightly Youths
Foul Weather Fare
Strange Bruises
Guns
Private Library
Electrocute
Open Air
7.0/10 - Snob Music

It’s almost impossible to talk about Vancouver mope poppers Mode Moderne without citing tried and true influences. The easy sounds like – Joy Division, The Smiths, New Order – all fit, but that’s more about how MM delights the listener with the same blissful melancholy those bands created so well than potential legacy.

There’s a reason why people love Morrissey and Marr, and write Ian Curtis lyrics in their yearbook. The currency of sadness and nostalgia become more valuable over time and it’s hard not to push our memories into expectations and saddle MM with the weight of our awkward angst and teenage crushes. Whether or not this Vancouver band has the chops to keep writing these gems that warrant the high praise, I don’t know, but I know about 100 people I would happily send this EP to and that is something I can’t say about many bands.

Often times bloggers fancy themselves (guilty) to be some sort of musical Drägerman, valiantly trying to free shimmering melodies from the crumbled rubble that is indie rock, but to be honest, Strange Bruises connect instantly. This EP is twenty-four minutes of new wave, postpunk goodness. The songs, the production; both are just right and if Goth night is still a thing, well, we’ve found the new soundtrack. If not, my friend Liz can sneak these songs onto her New Wave brunch playlist and NO ONE would be the wiser.
- Hero Hill

It’s almost impossible to talk about Vancouver mope poppers Mode Moderne without citing tried and true influences. The easy sounds like – Joy Division, The Smiths, New Order – all fit, but that’s more about how MM delights the listener with the same blissful melancholy those bands created so well than potential legacy.

There’s a reason why people love Morrissey and Marr, and write Ian Curtis lyrics in their yearbook. The currency of sadness and nostalgia become more valuable over time and it’s hard not to push our memories into expectations and saddle MM with the weight of our awkward angst and teenage crushes. Whether or not this Vancouver band has the chops to keep writing these gems that warrant the high praise, I don’t know, but I know about 100 people I would happily send this EP to and that is something I can’t say about many bands.

Often times bloggers fancy themselves (guilty) to be some sort of musical Drägerman, valiantly trying to free shimmering melodies from the crumbled rubble that is indie rock, but to be honest, Strange Bruises connect instantly. This EP is twenty-four minutes of new wave, postpunk goodness. The songs, the production; both are just right and if Goth night is still a thing, well, we’ve found the new soundtrack. If not, my friend Liz can sneak these songs onto her New Wave brunch playlist and NO ONE would be the wiser.
- Hero Hill

Listening to Mode Moderne's new EP Strange Bruises (released on Light Organ Records yesterday, 15th May) is a wonderful experience. It's like travelling back in time on a cloud or a magic carpet. And while you're travelling back, soaring through the skies of the past, the voice of Ian Curtis sounds in the air like a charm or magic amulet. Maybe that's unfair. There's an acrobatic side to the vocals, at times, that is more reminiscent of Morrissey, as in EP opener, 'Nightly Youths'.
This darker side to Strange Bruises is highlighted by the natural melancholic desperation, which creeps in the crooning vocals, noticeable especially in the aggressive minor vibes of 'Electrocute Me'. This is evident also in some of the painfully contrasting lyrics of the track: "Some things lead something, others lead to nil"; "I apologise, but I wanna die"; and "I cross my legs, uncross my legs, and cross my legs".

Other lyrical statements include the gloriously inane, "Raise your hand for sugar in your tea, raise your hand for luxury" in title track, 'Strange Bruises'. There must be plenty of others, but I cannot quite transcribe all of the lyrics here. It deserves a couple of listens, basically - you catch something new every time.

There's a lot of energy, as shown in most of the songs, but the wall-of-sound, sunny overdrive of 'Foul Weather Fair' is a good illustration, as is the demi-sad 'Electrocute Me'. This is an energetic anti-dirge of a dirge about, I suppose, being in a constant state of two minds over something or other. The refrain that begs "Electrocute me..." is a plaintive cry amidst the jangly distortion of the guitar and it sounds positively, or negatively, great.

It's new new-wave. If you like The Drums, or Editors, and want something that sounds more authentically past-future (or future-past) than both, then get on board with Mode Moderne.


Either way, twofold irony and non-irony of a name that means 'modern fashion' is quite a nice touch. It is not modern music as it sounds like the post-rock-synth-pop of the 80s. But it is modern because bending our necks, and ears, back to this era is a trend at the moment. Realising this is like hearing birds sing on a May morning as the trees rustle under the sleepy gaze of a cool sun.

'Guns' is brilliant, displaying the pop-rock sensibilities of the band, sounding like a cross between Joy Division and The Stone Roses - kind of like Editors, too. It's earthy, rich and altogether a joy to listen to (no pun intended). At other times, the sound is entirely a more psychedelic, more cheerful and less darkly lo-fi as Joy Division, as in the flanger-happy earworm breeding 'Private Library' and the agoraphobics' nightmare of a last track, 'Open Air'. This last one really gives a sense of being outside, a kind of warm suburban feel of languishing exploration twinned contrapuntally with a been-there-done-that ennui.
- Yes/No Music

Vancouver's Mode Moderne are wrapping up a short East Coast tour -- their first American shows -- with two dates in NYC with Plastic Flowers: Lit Lounge on Thursday (6/7) with Black Marble and Contra, and Shea Stadium on Friday (6/8) with Night Visions.

As their name might suggest, Mode Modern owe a lot to '80s mope rock and their new mini-LP Strange Bruises is loaded with moody basslines, glistening synth-lines, delay-ridden guitars and vocals that fall on the melodramatic end of the spectrum. Perfect for any dark club with a fog machine. You can stream Strange Bruises below and watch a video for Mode Moderne's single, "Nightly Youths." - Brooklyn Vegan

As an exercise in treating one’s cross-border guests graciously, it was no one’s idea of sporting. And when it was all over, you had to feel sorry for the members of Portlandia’s Blouse, who got their asses handed to them by Vancouver’s magnificently morose Mode Moderne.

Sadly, there’s no joy in following a band that’s just killed in front of a hometown crowd.....

......Holding down the middle slot, Mode Moderne was the gold-star attraction of the night. Much of the group’s considerable appeal comes from singer Phillip Intile, who, both vocally and visually, comes across as a sleep-deprived depressive who could probably use a Paxil prescription. What made his magnetism weirdly inexplicable was that he was practically rooted to the stage, his signature move consisting of holding the mike out with one hand, the looped mike cord up with the other. Intile practically bled bored-by-life charisma; although guitarist Felix Fung was front and centre for Mode Moderne, often staring cooly off into the cosmos, it was the band’s singer who you ended up watching.

Visual appeal aside, the quintet has a heart-of-darkness post-postpunk sound that would have had the suits at Factory Records drooling back in the ’80s. Somewhere in heaven, Ian Curtis is looking down with a smile, and not just because a random chick leaned over to me halfway through Mode Moderne’s set to ask the following question: “What was the name of that old band from Manchester with the singer that hung himself?”

The answer, sister, is Joy Division, and if you like Mode Moderne, you’ll love them. - The Georgia Straight

Halloween is a strange time of year for us. Simply put, we don’t get it. That is to say, we fundamentally disagree with the notion that anyone above the age of, like, 4, surely by which time they would have had some sort of interaction with the big wide world of commerce and trade (or at least the idea that in most instances, save for begging), should feel entitled to simply bop up to any poor sod and ask for several items of confectionary or whatnot – and if they feel so inclined upon the otherwise fairly standard response of “fuck off and buy your own”, they are actually entitled (according to a fairly frank policeman we consulted on the topic towards the end of last week) to egg, slap, tease or, technically, assault you. In other words, it reads like public muggings as tolarated by society at large; plus some of the bastards, usually in the latter stages of secondary school we can surmise, are dressed really scary and simultanously able to conceal their own identity while they basically loot you, thus circumventing any possible retaliatory action once this madness has subsided and a semblence of normality returns to the mean streets of Ealing. At the same time, we don’t want to be party poopers, even though it is outrageous. Canada’s Mode Moderne seem to have come to terms with the conundrum that currently baffles us – from what we can tell, they like to dress like it’s halloween on the reg. We’d like to assume they do not ask their audiences for money or confectionary at the same time. In line with our ever-growing list of assumptions about this band, we like to think this strong set of principles has only served to increase their fanbase exponentially, ourselves included…

So, other than a darkly aesthetic and a tendency to pen songs about goths like to sulk over dancing any day (it is unlikely that truer words were ever spoken), what on earth is the happy-haps with this strong-looking fivesome? We’ll tell ya. Mode Moderne have been around in form or another since at least 2010 banding about their synth-pop take on the likes of The Cure, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and Joy Division (according to yours truly), the above track itself first seeing the light of release via a split-EP with another band called Dizzy Eyes back in 2010 via the Lust Neuvo label. People liked it. In fact, lots of people liked it. Even the online world’s big-boys started feeling these guys’ soft take on darkwave, and pretty soon the likes of Pitchfork, This Is Fake DIY and, ultimately, Vancouver indie Light Organ Records, the latter of which decided they liked it so much they wanted to give the track a release proper in the form of a double-A side 7?, the other track in question being Undiscovered Country, a more upbeat, zestier outgoing type in comparison to its sombre-and-very-much-staying-in-tonight older brother. This newer track co-incidentally happens to be the name of one of our favourite Star Trek movies – so as you can imagine, this lot are ticking all the right boxes and are indeed ticking ones outside of those as far as we’re concerned. Got all that? Good. Now listen to the track in question below. It’s not safe for work because the video has lady-lumps rife throughout.

Pretty good right? Yeah, we think so. With it being relatively safe to say that everybody concerned are suitably impressed with what we’ve seen so far, the big and obvious question is when are these dudes going to get their mitts on some of that Canadian Government dollar that they so generously give to their musical exports so that they may resonate their soundwaves further abroad? Well, “soon” is the word on the street, and also this press release. Aside from a string of live shows currently being assembled for the fabulous five which more likely than not will include a date at an as-of-yet-to-be-announced East London-based club venue (just a guess…) due to take place on the other side of the new year, rumour has it that a full length recorded work is also in the mix. So get your eyeliner and black nail varnish out – this is all treat, and absolutely no trick. - Killing Moon Limited

Up until now, we've never associated Vancouver goth pop outfit Mode Moderne with butt-naked naturalists, but that's all changed now that we've seen their new clip for "Undiscovered Country."

Check out the nudity-filled vid for yourself below. And yeah, you might not want to watch this one at the workplace.

As previously reported, "Undiscovered Country" appears on the B-side for the band's new seven-inch on Light Organ Records. - Exclaim!

....Thankfully all sound issues were cleared up in time for Mode Moderne. They were the centrepiece of the evening in more ways than one and their goth rock distinction, though apt, is a label they easily outshine.

Mode Moderne’s set jumped around from tunes off their top-notch self-released long player,Ghosts Emerging, to their recent Real Goths 45 to some new material, too. All of which brazenly echo a distinct dispatch of inky artists like Peter Murphy, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode. Live there is an urgency and danceable determination driving their material, and yes, vocalist Phillip Intile communicates an Ian Curtis-like intensity and aesthetic. For a few numbers, though, he was joined by keyboardist Rebecca Law Gray’s backing vocals, which added added a nice summery feel to their sometimes bleak dance floor dirges.

Guitarist Felix Fung also deserves strokes for his boisterous guitar, anchoring Mode Moderne into the sweep of Johnny Marr. This segued nicely into the headliners, Seattle’s Craft Spells, who also share an amity for the Smiths. - Discorder

By John Lucas, July 23, 2011
On West 4th Avenue on Saturday, July 23

What the hell happened to the rain? The sudden appearance of honest-to-God summer weather came as such a shock to my system that I might have actually started hallucinating at some point in the seven or so hours I spent wandering up and down West 4th Avenue during the Khatsahlano! Music + Arts Festival. Maybe there were trace elements of the psychedelic hippie spirit in the air, but there were moments when I didn’t know if what I thought I saw was actually real, but one thing was for certain: the folks at Zulu Records did a damn good job curating the all-local music portion of the 10-block event. There wasn’t a sub-par act to be found on any of the four stages.

Rich Hope kicked things off at 4th and Pine, holding down the 11:30 a.m. slot, which he noted was “an ungodly hour for rock ’n’ roll”. While it’s true that Hope’s brand of distorted blues raunch seemed a more suitable soundtrack to drunken roadhouse brawling than to a gloriously sun-soaked day in the heart of Kits, that didn’t stop him from barrelling through “Let’s Jump Around Some” and “I See Trouble” as if it were half past midnight on Beale Street.

In fact, the early part of the day turned out to be a bit of a blues explosion. At 4th and Maple around 12:14 p.m., D.B. Buxton was moaning like the long-lost love child of Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart while his band banged out a raw boogie. Kind of weird but also kind of awesome.

At about 12:49, my hallucinations began. On-stage at the intersection of 4th and Yew, a dude with the head of a horse was playing a synthesizer. He was either a figment of my imagination or the keyboardist for Hot Panda in a mask. The band’s carnivalesque music was topped with lyrics about the CIA. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I suppose if I can take UJ3RK5 seriously, I can tolerate this spirited silliness.

It started to seem as if every time I went by the Vine Street stage I would see Ian Brown manning the drum kit. He had already filled in for the absent Adrian Mack as Rich Hope’s drummer, and at 1:14 p.m., I caught him again, doing a fine job of propelling Catlow through surging indie rock featuring the sort of guitar work that suggested the group’s members have fond memories of ’90s indie rock.

There was no doubt that summer had at long last arrived in Vancouver by 1:38, when I went back to Yew Street to find Flash Palace playing. Postrock music tends to be either epic or cold and technical, but Flash Palace imbues its compositions with considerable warmth, their circling bass patterns and chiming guitars sounding almost tropical. Or maybe all that sunshine was really starting to get to me. Either way, the youthful quartet’s sound proved to be a perfect fit for a stage where part of the backdrop was the sailboats in English Bay.

While Flash Palace played, I watched a man who carried the fantastically horned head of a merino ram on his shoulders stroll by, a beautiful girl in a purple bathing suit on his arm. I am not making this up.

There were no animal-headed people in sight when Louise Burns and her mellow, rootsy band the Sunshine Boys struck up at 4th and Cypress at around 2 p.m., but the guy strumming the acoustic guitar looked like Devendra Banhart, and that’s close enough. Also, I swear to God, the plastic deer outside the Sitka store winked at me.

Back at the Yew Street stage, the Shilohs looked like they might win the award for least stylish act of the day, threads-wise, but the shorts-and-loafers-wearing quartet seemed unlikely to care about that. And what the hell do I know about fashion, anyway? What I do know is that Johnny Payne coaxes some tasteful tone and fluid leads out of his Telecaster, and anyone who makes me think of Tom Verlaine playing for the Byrds can wear any damn thing he wants to.

Down at Cypress, No Gold took the stage at around 3 p.m., going from spacey micro-synth ambiance to Afro-pop in the space of two songs. Yes, Afro-pop, from three very white Vancouver guys. That might have seemed weird in a world where Vampire Weekend and the similarly named Fool's Gold don’t exist. But they do, so it didn’t.

Back up at Maple, B-Lines made quite a racket. These boys have been touted as the standard-bearers of Vancouver's “weird punk” scene, but it just sounded like regular old punk rock to me. It had the kids in the front dancing, sort of.

Later on, at the same stage, the weather had taken a turn toward the cold and cloudy and either I was thinking more clearly or all the freakish beasts had gone into hiding. Which meant I could enjoy Mode Moderne without being distracted by man-animal hybrids. With its synth washes and melodic, up-front bass lines, Mode Moderne seemed tailored for anyone who identifies with the line “I've got the body of a man who reads poetry.” Frontman Phillip Intile also does a pretty good Ian Curtis impression. Well, vocally at least. He doesn't do the dance moves - Georgia Straight

Sled Island featuring Chad VanGaalen, Mode Moderne, the Dandy Warhols, Twin Shadow Calgary AB June 22-25
REVIEWS CONCERT JUN 27 2011

By Andrea Warner
Sled Island is brought to you by copious quantities of beer and BBQ. But the five-day Calgary festival is more than just gluttony and vice -- it's a veritable smorgasbord for the senses, offering up over 200 bands at 30 venues for as motley an assortment of music lovers you're likely to ever see within a five-kilometre radius. And while the international acts -- the Dandy Warhols, the Raveonettes, Of Montreal, Buzzcocks -- got the prime placement, it was the homegrown talent that stole the spotlight. Well, mostly.

Justin Townes Earle earned his headliner status at Republik on Wednesday night, but second-billed Jenn Grant of Halifax made for a confident, sassy lead-in. Grant has added some rock edge to her traditionally folk pop sound, bewitching the crowd so completely that a muscle-head jock ditched his loud crowd of idiot friends to stand solo, transfixed.

Collectively, Thursday night's set at the Gateway proved to be Canada's strongest showing. Vancouver's Rococode were the loudest act of the night, but there was nothing sloppy about the sound: it was tightly orchestrated, pure pop rock. Regina's Library Voices continued to threaten the Hold Steady's grip on the title of North America's bar band, with a particularly memorable closing number, a charming sing-along version of John Lennon's "Oh, Yoko." But the real discovery was Saskatoon's Slow Down, Molasses, a seven-piece indie folk band that surprised and soothed in equal measure, from trombone solos to a totally shredded mandolin.

Former Vancouverite Adaline, who now calls Toronto home, showed off her powerful indie-pop pipes at the Palomino on Friday to a mixed crowd of festivalgoers and bar regulars looking for a little TGIF release. Mode Moderne, also from Vancouver, followed with an entertaining set that owed its existence to the back catalogues of the Cure and No Order. Later that night, hometown hero Rae Spoon took the stage at the Marquee Room, his clear voice floating beautifully atop a variety of pop, folk and dance club grooves. He also previewed the new album he's currently recording in Calgary with "London Destroyer," one part thumping goth, one part sweet electronica.

Saturday's main stage at Olympic Plaza proved a curious comedown from the rest of the fest, despite a few great moments. Seattle's Minus the Bear offered instantly forgettable indie rock, while Danish indie pop band the Raveonettes continued to put on listless live shows despite some great songs. The Dandy Warhols picked up the pace, playing crowd favourites and previewing a new song, "Wild Flag," featuring pummelled drums and plenty of guitar flourishes. New York's Twin Shadow busted out their new wave grooves with sunny energy, and Calgary's other indie icon, Chad VanGaalen, brought it all home, working his eclectic repertoire of folk, pop, and rock gems. - Exclaim!

badly to use by this point) was the Gateway Lounge – a fair trek away from Ship & Anchor downtown. With a fair amount of comfortable seating and a wide dance floor running next to the fully-stocked bar, it is a truly spacious venue… one that unfortunately takes far too long to get to, but it is ultimately worth the trip. We grabbed a few more drinks and sat down to listen to the first band.



Mode Moderne plays an infectious set of music. Not catchy in the general sense, but more of the kind of music that gets under your skin, pulling you deeper and deeper into the scene and not letting go. After they finally let the crowd come up for air, we stopped them for a few cigarettes and a quick interview.

iM: How did you get involved with Sled Island this year?

How did we get involved? I guess our record label, Organ Records, got us on for their showcase, and um… Sled Island’s people got really stoked and put us on (this show) and that’s pretty much it.

The rest is history.

iM: Besides the Gateway, where else did you perform?

We played last night at the Palomino, upstairs. We, um… we didn’t get any Barbecue – kind of disappointing. We played while a barbecue was going on; everyone was eating, so we didn’t get any… but it smelled delicious!

Everyone we talked to said it was good.

iM: Oh, sorry about that. We’re horrible hosts! Bring you all the way here and we don’t even feed you…

It’s okay. We’re horrible guests!

iM: So you’re from Vancouver, of course. How would you compare the music scene in Calgary to Vancouver?

Well, it’s a festival here, right? So it’s a different vibe. There’s lots of people coming out for a lot of big bands. There’s always people coming out to every show… Well, this one was kind of… It was kind of “Out There”.

If you want to know what a Vancouver show is like, this was pretty much it. You have a REALLY GOOD band headlining, and NO AUDIENCE. That’s the Vancouver scene.

iM: Tell us about the inspirations for your songs. How do you find your sound?

Oh… GOD, man. Where do we begin?

Yeah, um, the obvious ones: New Order, The Cure, Joy Division, sports cars, sunsets, track magazines, bicycles, muscles? Muscles and cars. So, obviously muscle cars are pretty good too.

Yeah, all that… pretty much all in one. It’s your record collection, basically: dance/pop/rock.

iM: Is that how you would describe your songs?

No, that’s how the sound guy described it – not THIS one, but recently. We’re definitely on the darker side of things; we’ve got a lot to cry about. We’re the “sad boat festival” for sure. But we do have the pop hooks in there too.

As long as boys are wearing their saddest sweaters, and girls are reading their really sad books, and they’ve got us on the turntable, we’re okay.

Heading out the next day, they all shook our hands warmly and headed off to load their van. The feel of the music, however, was harder to shake. Keyboards vs. guitars, with bass and drums piping in over the ongoing battle had taken hold, and – if you’re not familiar with Mode Moderne – it is one you definitely won’t mind.

- JOSH MILLER
Photo by MIKE HENDRIX
- The Indie Machine

Mode Moderne
July 10 @ Biltmore Cabaret
Review By Angela Yen
Vancouver’s own Mode Moderne is one of those bands that have clear musical influences and are able to meld it all together with such ease. After seeing the band open for the Raveonettes back in November, I couldn’t wait to catch them live again. Glory Days at the Biltmore featured the Goth/New Wave group and it’s confirmed, they really are the love child of The Smiths and Joy Division.
Instantly, the thumping bass had the crowd bopping their heads and lead singer, Philip Intile, pulls you in with his powerful haunting voice. Intile’s vocals are often compared to Ian Curtis and on songs such as “Disco Ruff,” the comparison is obvious. However, when the band slowed it down with the alluring track “Rattle,” the vocals possessed a warmer and almost romantic quality, proving that Intile is doing much more than simply imitating.
Guitarist Felix Fung was intriguing with his skills on the 9-string Vox Teardrop, something you don’t see everyday and Intile, who was constantly closing his eyes and doing the occasional delicate hand gesture, seemed like he was off in another world. You feel like you’re invading his personal space, watching him pour out his deepest emotions into the microphone.
One of Mode Moderne’s newest tracks, “Undiscovered Country,” (it’s Donkey Kong meets The Cure, can’t get much better than that) was noticeably absent from the set. It’s a shame because it’s the type of song that would have gotten the entire place up and dancing. They closed with a respectable cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “A Promise,” which fitted so well into their set that they could have passed it off as one of their own. At the final chorus, Intile’s vocals reached an ultimate crescendo and it was as if every single person in the building was being enveloped by a hypnotic wave of eighties nostalgia. - Discorder

Gothy Vancouver outfit Mode Moderne have a self-released album, Ghosts Emerging, that's out now digitally (you can grab it here). Check out this particularly shadowy track, which should hold you over until the next Crystal Stilts album. (via G'RRRIZZ'LY) - Pitchfork

Vancouver’s synthetic underground is bubbling for the second time since the 80s when labels and artists were populating basements, clubs, cassette racks, and ideas with bleak drum machines and coarse synthesizers. COSMETICS, magneticring, N.213, Twin Crystals, MYTHS, Von Bingen, Haunted Beard, [insert band I'm forgetting] and now the industrial gothic Mode Moderne project Vancouver as a city on the brink of a synth-adjective explosion. Ghosts Emerging live centre-stage in the unassuming minimal-synth-pop arena with secret conviction and harmonic prowess, drifting listeners on their currents of nostalgic woe. Vocalist Phillip Intile’s non-chalant industrial modulations makes the whole trip strangely manipulative as you wake up mid-album unaware of your new musical surroundings: pulsing drum machines, swathy synthesizers, ethereal guitar leads, and blankets of ambient-satin. Let’s welcome the new age. - Weird Canada

Automatic first impression is these guys sound similar to Joy Division. If you ever wondered what Joy Division's next album would have sounded like if Ian Curtis hadn't passed away you might end up with something very similar to Ghosts Emerging. There are a lot of bands that try to mimic the post punk/synth pop era such as the killers and Interpol but these guys capture that charm better than any other band I've heard. The lyrics are a bit dark and foreboding with themes like suicide and such...not really a shocker I suppose.
The song Disco Rough is really kind of scary because it almost seems like the band conjured the spirit of Curtis when they recorded the track...maybe that plays a role in the albums title? I have to say this is a really authentic sounding album and although I prefer my music a bit more chaotic I think they did a good job of creating a really cool nostalgia with Ghosts Emerging. Get your eyeliner and hankies out cause this is album is somewhat depressing and gothic.
Vocals philip Intile, Bass guitars Keys clinton Loftkrantz, Guitars keys sounds felix Fung


Continue reading on Examiner.com: Mode Moderne Album Review. Haunting Vocals meets Synth Pop. - Sacramento underground music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/underground-music-in-sacramento/mode-moderne-album-review-haunting-vocals-meets-synth-pop#ixzz1CsXNCjAr - Examiner.com

Long-lost Joy Division recordings being unearthed in a dusty Strathcona basement may seem unlikely, but take one listen to Ghosts Emerging, the debut record from local newcomers Mode Moderne, and you'd swear that's the case.

A stunning affair of haunting electro-pop, the album smoulders with retro-inspired hooks and poetic lyrics that recall a forlorn Ian Curtis. Fittingly, front man Phillip Intile sounds eerily like the legendary singer. While the similarities are undeniable, the trio is by no means confined to Unknown Pleasures-type doom. Drawing on the moodiness of other greats such as My Bloody Valentine, the Cure, and Echo and the Bunnymen, Mode Moderne offers up its own sonic turbulence with slinky standout tracks like "Ashes" and "Les Neuf Soeurs". - Georgia Straight

Vancouver’s own Mode Moderne is one of those bands that have clear musical influences and are able to meld it all together with such ease. After seeing the band open for the Raveonettes back in November, I couldn’t wait to catch them live again. Glory Days at the Biltmore featured the Goth/New Wave group and it’s confirmed, they really are the love child of The Smiths and Joy Division.
Instantly, the thumping bass had the crowd bopping their heads and lead singer, Philip Intile, pulls you in with his powerful haunting voice. Intile’s vocals are often compared to Ian Curtis and on songs such as “Disco Ruff,” the comparison is obvious. However, when the band slowed it down with the alluring track “Rattle,” the vocals possessed a warmer and almost romantic quality, proving that Intile is doing much more than simply imitating.
Guitarist Felix Fung was intriguing with his skills on the 9-string Vox Teardrop, something you don’t see everyday and Intile, who was constantly closing his eyes and doing the occasional delicate hand gesture, seemed like he was off in another world. You feel like you’re invading his personal space, watching him pour out his deepest emotions into the microphone.
One of Mode Moderne’s newest tracks, “Undiscovered Country,” (it’s Donkey Kong meets The Cure, can’t get much better than that) was noticeably absent from the set. It’s a shame because it’s the type of song that would have gotten the entire place up and dancing. They closed with a respectable cover of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “A Promise,” which fitted so well into their set that they could have passed it off as one of their own. At the final chorus, Intile’s vocals reached an ultimate crescendo and it was as if every single person in the building was being enveloped by a hypnotic wave of eighties nostalgia. - Discorder