Mode St.

Write It Down is coming into the world with a celebration, and rightfully so. Tonight at the Cellar Lounge, 123 S. Walnut St., Mode St. is having a CD release party for the birth of its first professional album. These 10 songs are worth every candle on the cake.\nWith three of the members Bloomington natives and the other thoroughly immersed in the local music scene, the band has created an album that can proudly wave the Bloomington music flag.\nUsing drums, bass and guitar, Mode St. also throws in a keyboard for a bit of four-piece uniqueness. Adding a sprinkle of effects processors, the sound is mellow with a few twists and turns. \nStraying from the negativity trend of the last decade, the attitude portrayed by this CD is more that of Phish or other happy-go-lucky bands. Not that Mode St. lacks seriousness, as the songs address some serious topics. But it does so with a more colorful texture.\nOne standout track is "A Bar Scene." Beginning with a jaunty piano intro, it tells the story of a musician trying to decide what to do with his life with a rolling lyrical pattern. \n"All I wanna do is to write a song or two and than sing until I die, all right all right," says the musician while seeking advice from the bartender. \nContinuing, the CD attests to its instrumental value with solos of both structure and free-flowing style. In "Boy," the band even adds a bit of an acoustic-farm fresh country sound.\nOverall, the guitar and bass pair up in switching between funk, rock and whatever else might find its way stringwise. The keyboards solidify Mode St.'s sound while also lending themselves to occasional organ and synthesized tendencies. Peculating under the melodies, the drums add natural-sounding rock rhythms. And above the layers, the vocals finish the CD with both strong lead melodies and elusive harmonies. \nIn the genre game, the CD could be filed as funk fueled rock with jam-band tendencies. Filed under music, it could be considered worth prominence locally, and possible airwaves material. Otherwise, one could just call it good.