If you happened to be around Melbourne forty or so years ago, Schism was apparently a thing. As near as I can tell, Schism was one of those post-punk new-wave bands that straddled the Joy Divison/New Order line. Schism 21C is two members of the 1980s Schism (Gordon Graham and Simon Rashleigh) who decided to take those old Schism songs, MIDI them up something proper and re-record them in full New Order mode, giving them a modern darkwave sheen.

Schism 21C Only the Shell Remains (self-released)

It's a weird idea, especially given the time elapsed. Oddly enough, though, it works. I think I would have preferred the analog renditions (just for that wonderful amateur 80s sound), but these versions are clear enough to imagine almost any sort of antecedent.

The songs themselves prove to be winners. The original Schism never quite made it (and it's hard for me to tell, but possibly only a cassette demo was released in the "old" days), and I imagine these versions will not exactly set the web on fire, but this set more than holds up.

By and large, the past is best left in the past. Every once in a while, though, taking pieces and refashioning them into something new works beyond all expectations. This doesn't sound like a modern album (the musical ideas are dated), but the darkwave setting and all-electronic musical re-creation are satisfying as hell. This century's Schism has proved its worth and brought light to the original. An intriguing set.

Jon Worley