Virtual Server's newest album: "Setup"

I was very pleasantly surprised by this new CD from Virtual Server. It has several outstanding tracks and most of the rest of the album is good as well. I listen to a ton of synthpop / ebm / electronic music, so when a CD almost instantly stands out and grabs my attention I'm impressed.

My favorite tracks are:

2. The Earth (featuring Iris): The vocals are incredible in this mid-tempo track. Interesting lyrics and good synth work make for one of my new favorites. 5 stars

6. I Will Fly (featuring Colony 5): Catchy tune and lyrics. Fast tempo. 5 stars

12. In A Hour From Now (featuring Color Theory): Amazing vocals from Color Theory, and beautiful synth to match. Another favorite new song of mine. 5 stars

4. Desperate Man (featuring Echo Image): Good to hear something new from Echo Image. Catchy and memorable as always. 5 stars

7. It's in All of Us (featuring Perfidious Words): Another excellent track. Sounds like recent Depeche Mode to me. 5 stars

8. Kept You (featuring Wave In Head): A beautiful and catchy song. 5 stars

Most of the rest of the songs are enjoyable but don't quite match the excellence of the above tracks. The best of the rest include:

1. My Preservation (featuring Psyche): I've never been a Psyche fan, but this one is good. 4 stars

3. My Inner Peace (featuring Rename): In my opinion, Rename can do no wrong, and this song, while not their best, is still very enjoyable. 3.5 stars

11. Tropfen Im Ozean (featuring P24): I'd rank this one higher, but it's a foreign language track, and I like to be able to understand the lyrics. 3 stars

The only song that I don't enjoy is Razor (featuring Assemblage 23). It just doesn't measure up to the quality of the rest of the album, nor does it match the quality I'm used to hearing from Assemblage 23's latest CDs.

I hope you buy this one, for your sake. The LTD edition comes with a second disc with excellent alternate versions of the songs. The version of "The Earth" that's on the bonus CD is actually better than the original song and makes the extra cost more than worth it.