Summer Salt Subway Sun

Very few pop/rock groups that were around in the early 1980s were able to avoid sounding dated in the late 2000s. U2 and R.E.M. managed to pull that off, but then, U2 and R.E.M. were playing alternative pop/rock before it was called alternative pop/rock — and the same thing can be said about Eyeless in Gaza, a group that was formed in 1980 but still managed to sound contemporary by late-2000s standards. Summer Salt/Subway Sun was recorded in 2007 and 2008 — which is 27 and 28 years after Eyeless in Gaza's formation — and all things considered, it really doesn't sound like music that belongs to another era. From moody, atmospheric vocal offerings to moody, atmospheric instrumentals, this two-CD set is relevant to the alternative pop/rock scene of the late 2000s. And after all these years, Eyeless in Gaza's work continues to be quite listenable, quirks and all. That isn't to say that pop/rock artists who started out in the early 1980s and sounded dated in 2007 and 2008 lost their artistic value along the way; the word "dated," when you think about it, is merely a synonym for "classic." So is the term "old-school." The fact that the 1980s recordings of Run-D.M.C., Berlin, Bon Jovi, the Fat Boys, Madonna, and Queensrÿche sound very dated (or classic, if you prefer) in the 21st century doesn't mean that those artists didn't offer their share of great music in their heyday. But still, you have to admire the fact that Eyeless in Gaza, like U2 and R.E.M., have essentially managed to transcend the 1980s in a way that so many other 1980s groups have not. In fact, some of the younger fans who they acquired in the 2000s were surprised to learn that they go back to 1980. Summer Salt/Subway Sun isn't Eyeless in Gaza's most essential release, but it is certainly a consistent, solid testament to their durability and longevity.