Grey March - Grey March (Hand/Eye)

It’s rare for a band that’s been on hiatus for over 25 years to come back and do anything worthwhile. It’s even more rare for that band to release a new album that’s any good. In a strong testament to their love and dedication to their music, Baltimore’s Grey March have done both.

Grey March offers re-recordings of two-thirds of the band’s original legendary LP (reviewed here), a new take on an old compilation track and three new songs. Rather than release bland, unnecessary re-recordings that serve no purpose, these are truly new, updated versions of songs that show where the band is now. Most notably, original guitarist Mikey Dub is no longer continuing with the reunion and has been replaced by Paul T. Anderson, who adds his own psychedelic vibe to the songs he plays so faithfully. Bassist Stuart Berlinicke and drummer Eric Wiegmann remain the tightest rhythm section in post-punk, but vocalist Trip Burch has toned down his Ian Curtis influence, allowing his own voice to resonate his signature monotone. Perhaps the most striking difference is the new version of “Isle Of Quiet,” formerly four minutes of Joy Division worship, now a barely two-minute vehicle for keyboardist Ron Weldon, whose somber Erik Satie-like melody brings a perfect close to the album. “Beneath the Sea,” a compilation track that bore the mark of The Bad Seeds, breathes new life as a rollicking, psychedelic number, while the three new songs prove the band can pick up where it left off a quarter of a century ago and still remain relevant.

Hopefully this is only the beginning of the reformed Grey March. As this album attests, they still have a lot to offer. Let the trajectory be vertical.