The Motion of Love

Gene Loves Jezebel

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The Motion of Love Review

by Jo-Ann Greene

That distinctive yelp, the soaring Ronson-esque guitar lead, the anthemic sing-along chorus, the oh-so filled with desire verses, a pulsing beat, the shimmering guitar riffs; it could only be another GLJ single. Producer Jimmy Iovine took a song the band claimed started out sounding like Joy Division and turned it into a radio-friendly pop song, with barely a hint of deeper depths. The group may have hated his mix, but America's college kids loved it. With its sparkling melody, breezy guitar lead, pulsing beat, and infectious chorus, how could they not? If that was nigh on perfect, the extended mix was sheer overkill and utilized every sonic trick in the '80s handbook. Loads of reverb, dub parts, looped vocals...as a studio tech's manual it's pretty impressive, as a remix, it was deathly even in its day. The flips "Vagabond and "Bugg's Bruises" in contrast, kept the band firmly in touch with their past, and the latter is actually a spiffed up version of "Bruises," a track from their debut album Promises. As always with Jezzies' B-sides, there's a moodier feel, although Stevenson's searing guitar tries hard to fight off the shadows. The band was now pulling hard between past and future was about to be torn apart, but you'd never know it from this single.

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