Positive Noise “Change of Heart” 1982. This LP has been sitting on my desk for a week or so – Joe picked it up somewhere – so in the spirit of cleaning up the crap, I’m spinning an unknown today. The web wasn’t very helpful on finding out about the band; it seems that they were a small blip in new wave musical history. What I learned: Positive Noise was a new wave band out of Scotland and active from ‘79-’85. Change of Heart was their second album (out of three), charting at #31 on the UK chart. From the site Trouser Press, Ira Robbins writes, “The title of Positive Noise’s second album signifies the drastic change that took place after the group’s debut LP as a result of the departure of Ross Middleton, the band’s singer/leader/lyricist who left in mid-1981 to form Leisure Process with saxophonist Gary Barnacle. The Scottish band began as a five-piece (including two other Middleton brothers who stuck it out to the end) and in late 1980 recorded Heart of Darkness, which is pretty dire — a badly produced mishmash of art-funk, Skids-like cheering, PiL noise and assorted pretentious nonsense. It suffers from indecisive direction as much as a lack of originality.For Change of Heart, guitarist Russell Blackstock also assumed the vocal chores, and Positive Noise transmuted into a slick electronic dance machine, churning out precise rhythms with anxious, semi-melodic vocals. Gone is the audio clumsiness and uncertain footing of the first LP; Positive Noise’s niche is definitely in club music.”

In my opinion it’s a fairly dull club filled with early 80′s drab office workers sipping on watery cocktails and performing, badly, that distinctive boppy new wave dance – you just about smell the spills of white wine spritzers on tracks like “Positive Negative.” Overall Change of Heart is sad formulaic new wave pop. Saxophones? Check! (“Waiting for the 7th Man” – actually one of the better songs on the album) Bright production? Yes! Manufactured, glossy faux-artistic sensibility? For sure! Songs like “Hanging On” and “Tension” try hard to convey a sense of urgency and drama, backed with bright and cheery keyboards, and the result is a bit eye-rolling, like a privileged teenager who bemoans just how. hard. life. is.