Modern English: Ricochet Days (1984)

I tend to think that Modern English were a one-hit wonder. I mean, apart from I Melt With You, what else is there? They even re-recorded that tune, for no apparent reason and with questionable results. The band's first record received this review:

Trouser Press panned the album, calling it "a load of monotonous droning and shouting by a precious art band oppressively weighed down by its self-conscious 4AD pretensions." [source]

Wow. And, how about this review of the second record:

Record reviewer Nick Burton gave After the Snow a mixed review, saying that the album's eccentric mix of genres and styles lacks direction but is interesting nonetheless. He warned readers that the hit "I Melt with You" is completely unrepresentative of the album, and concluded that "If nothing else, After the Snow provides some offbeat, if not unintentionally amusing, listening." [source]

For the third record - Rocochet Days - Alllmusic says this: "Ricochet Days begins Modern English's slow decline toward the status of just another synth band." [source]

But, I will say that Hands Across the Sea is a very good song. By the way, the 7" EP (which is missing from my copy) was a label sampler, with cuts from The Cocteau Twins, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Icicle Works, and Death Cult.