New OMD material on the way?

The first classic synthpop groups that I got addicted to in the 80s were Thompson Twins, Alphaville, and OMD (in that order). My brother bought "The Best of OMD" on cassette tape and neither of us could stop listening to it. According to OMD's MySpace page, they are back together touring and working on a new album. They have a new song in their playlist called "She's Leaving" that's a collaboration with a modern synthpop group called Marsheaux. If you've ever been an OMD fan, you should check it out.

While on their site, I also saw their live performance of "Maid of Orleans" with a live orchestra. It brought back lots of memories and gave me chills. Check it out below. Can't wait for the new album.

Trademark=Geek Pop

Last time I signed up for eMusic I stumbled upon a group called Trademark. Their music, while still synthpop, is different than most of what I've been listening to lately. People like to compare Trademark to the Pet Shop Boys, but I don't think the similarity is very strong. The instrumentation seems more simple and limited than bands like Universal Poplab, Foxglove Hunt, etc., and yet there was something really appealing about the clips I heard on eMusic. So, I downloaded the 18 best-sounding songs from their two albums and two singles that eMusic has available.

These songs have grown on me quickly, and Trademark is now one of my favorite new (to me) bands. I classify Trademark's music as "Geek Pop." The lyrics on most of the songs are gloriously nerdy, which adds an element of fun and humor to the music. But unlike other geeky bands like They Might be Giants (whose music I also enjoy), there's real beauty in many of Trademark's songs. For a taste of one of Trademark's best songs (and one of their more mainstream ones), play their music video for "Come to Love" that you'll find below:


Here's what I think of the songs I have by them, most of which are from their albums Raise the Stakes, and Want More:

5/5 stars: Come to Love, Sine Love, Interim
4/5 stars: Toe the Line, It Wasn't Right, Where You Went Wrong, Helpless, Stay Professional, Hold That Thought, Stuck in a Rut (a strange sounding song, that I really like for some reason), More Than I Deserve, Three Strikes
3/5 stars: All Too Late, Square Wave Anger, I'm Alive, My Life in Stereo, Unemployed, Trust in What you Know

Official Trademark Homepage
Buy from A Different Drum

The Foxglove Hunt-- "Stop Heartbeat"

If you like New Order you'll probably also like The Foxglove Hunt. They are definitely channeling Bernard Sumner and Co.; a couple of songs on this album sound like they were just lifted right off of Substance. As a big New Order fan, I'm fine with the imitation aspect of this CD.

I found out about The Foxglove Hunt through A Different Drum's weekly synthpop update. If you haven't signed up for it yet, you probably should. You'll get weekly emails with information about new synthpop releases, discounts, etc.

Anyway, this is fun, feel-good music that will remind you of the mid 80s. The vocalist sounds a little like Joy Electric's vocalist, only not whiney. I found that interesting, because Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric is part of The Foxglove Hunt, but he isn't the vocalist.

I really like this CD. It's one of the most consistently solid releases this year (along with Midnight Resistance and Universal Poplab).

Here's how I rate the songs:

5/5 stars: The Life Highrise (reminds me a little of New Order's "Blue Monday")
4/5 stars: A Concealed Weapon (sounds just like New Order), Business Casual, It's Not Effective, Love My Way (yes, it's a Psychedelic Furs cover), The Mayflower Compact, That's Getting Personal
3/4 stars: Don't I Know the Way, The Pure in Heart, Strength Early
2/5 stars: NONE
1/5 stars: NONE

Midnight Resistance-- "Remote"

The man behind Midnight Resistance is Niko, a former member of the band ReActivate. A couple of prominent synthpop reviewers disliked ReActivate's last album "ReActivate Your Mind," but I loved it. So I was excited to see Midnight Resistance added to A Different Drum's label.

Finally the album is available, and it's a great one. It's got lots of fast-paced, catchy songs as well as a couple of nice slower ones. Niko's vocals are much better than the singer for ReActivate.

Anyway, this is the best $12 I've spent this year. Highly recommended!

Here are the songs:
5/5 stars: A Tear in Every Moment, Recall These Days, Second Skin
4/5 stars: Edge of Time, House of Cards (really cool slow song), Wide Awake, Phoenix (reminds me of Fantazja), Cold Reading, Scars from Falling Down, A Tear in Every Moment [people theatre mix] (starts with a neat piano accompaniment then transitions into a more danceable version of the song)
3/5 stars: Remote (pretty song, but generally I don't like instrumentals), Second Skin [Sidechain Mix] (The original is so much better)
2/5 stars: NONE
1/5 stars: NONE

Universal Poplab-- "Seeds"

This is one of my favorite new CDs. If you haven't heard Universal Poplab before, give them a try.

I'm not sure who to compare them to. I hear a little A-ha, maybe a little OMD, fairly similar to Echo Image. My wife compares them to Alphaville. None of those comparisons work very well for me, but they're in the ballpark.

Most of the songs on this CD are highly addictive, and very catchy. My four year-old daughter has memorized the lyrics to several of the songs, just from hearing them in the car, and requests that I play them when we're home.

I had heard that this group likes to throw in lots of swearing (which would bother me), but on this album I only hear one (and for some reason in the context of the song it doesn't bother me).

To get a taste of their music, try listening to their version of Morrissey's "We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful" that you can find in my Modern Synthpop Playlist in the upper-right-hand corner of my blog. That song isn't included on "Seeds," it's from a previous album, but it fits right in with the songs on "Seeds." If you want to buy the album, it's available from A Different Drum (like all other good music), and also on eMusic.

Here's my breakdown of the songs:
5/5 stars: Pearl (has a great message), Fame and Hate, Don't Believe the Hype, Touch
4/5 stars: Summer Struck, On the Run, Another Last Time, The Toast that Never Ends (slower song but still memorable), Maximum City (another slow one I like)
3/5 stars: The Way Things Work (fun song, but a little too repetitive)
2/5 stars: NONE
1/5 stars: NONE

KieTheVez-- "Non-Binary"

KieTheVez's album "Opium" was one of the first modern synthpop albums I bought in the late 1990s. I bought it because it sounds very much like Depeche Mode, with a cool, dark feel to the vocals and synths.

Ten plus years later KieTheVez is finally back with a new album, and things have changed since the last one. "Non-Binary" gets its name from the fact that KieTheVez is no longer using only synthesizers in their music. It sounds like they're using "real" drums, guitars, etc. It's the synth in synthpop that makes me a fan of the genre, so this change had me worried.

After several weeks of listening to "Non-Binary" my worries have disappeared. It's a very solid album. I highly recommend it to KieTheVez fans, and, because they're using more "mainstream" instruments, I do think this album would appeal to a broader audience than "Opium" did.

There are several standout songs that I could listen to over and over and not get bored. The rest of the songs are solid too. Here's my opinion of the songs:

5/5 stars: One World for the Next (Wow! This is a gorgeous song, best one on the CD.)
4/5 stars: End of a Bright Night, A Million Days, Non Compos Mentis, Always a Boy
3/5 stars: M, Niamh, Three, Be Alone Together, 26
2/5 stars: How Are We Doing Today? (Too slow and sleepy for me.)

Elmodic-- "Monoism"

My decision to buy this CD was based solely on its description on A Different Drum's website. Elmodic was compared to bands like Beborn Beton and De/Vision, and I like those two groups, so I bought Elmodic's CD.

It turned out to be a great purchase for me. Most of Elmodic's songs are upbeat and full of fun, interesting synth. But they're also not afraid to throw in some electric guitar. I usually prefer that my synthpop be "pure," without any guitar, but Elmodic pulls it off extremely well. Two of the best songs on the album feature electric guitar. The singer's voice is deep and sounds great, and I do hear similarities to Beborn Beton and De/Vision.

Here's my opinion of the songs:

5/5 stars: In Touch, C.A.W., Beyond the Horizon
4/5 stars: The Voice of Night, Platinum, Lost Inside, True Affection
3/5 stars: Solitude, Close to You, Shallow Man, Autumn Winds (These are really cool songs, but just a little too repetitive for me.)
2/5 stars: Sotoneu (I can't stand instrumentals)

Elmodic's "Monoism" is very listenable from first song to last (although I do just skip the instrumental Sotoneu). I recommend the album highly, especially to fans of German synthpop.

B! Machine--"The Falling Star"

It took me a long time to really appreciate B! Machine. The music was just so minimalistic and seemingly simple that it didn't really grab me. Finally, after hearing the song "In Thrall" for the 30th time or so (I had my MP3 player set to randomize all songs) it hit me how good it was.

So, I eventually ended up getting all of B! Machine's music through A Different Drum, and I discovered lots of good stuff and several of my all-time favorite synthpop songs. My favorites include: Forget, This Dark Day, Temple, Angels, Opal, Door Inside a Door, Atmosphere, and In Thrall.

So, when "The Falling Star" came out I knew I'd have to eventually get it. I'm happy to report that it has its fair share of great B! Machine songs, and the rest of the album is pretty good too. If you've never heard B! Machine, I'd say the singer, Nate Nicoll, has a sufficiently Depeche Mode-like quality to his voice, though he's not just another David Gahan immitator; his voice has a unique quality that's hard to describe. On this album his voice starts sounding a bit like Martin Gore at times, with a slight quiver in the voice.

So here's a breakdown of what I thought of the songs on "The Falling Star":

#1 My Beautiful Friend-- This is my favorite song on the album. It's a great addition to my list of favorite B! Machine songs. Great writing, and a very beautiful song overall. 5 stars

#2 Mystery-- A pretty good song. It's less catchy than the best B! Machine songs are. 2.5 stars

#3 Hear Me-- Really good song. Almost as good as track 1. 4.5 stars

#4 RedRed-- Beautiful song with haunting synth and a great chorus. 4 stars

#5 Illumination-- Pretty song, but just a bit too drowsy for me. 2.5 stars

#6 Cloud Burst-- Similar to track 5, but a touch better. 3 stars

#7 A Place Called Home-- Great song! This is another great B! Machine song. Everything works for me in this one; the lyrics are strong, the voice is perfect, and the beat and synths are mesmerizing. 5 stars

#8 Walkaway-- Very slow song, with beautiful vocals. 3 stars

#9 Eden-- Another slow, very beautiful song. These types of songs do start to blend together in my mind a bit. 3 stars

#10 Believer-- Solid song, not a standout though. 3 stars

#11 Consequence-- More upbeat than the last several songs, this one arrives just in time to end the album on a really high note. 4.5 stars

Actually, "Consequence" isn't quite the end; the album finishes up with three remixes, two of which are of songs (Muse and Lost) from The Evening Bell album. All the remixes are solid.

"The Falling Star" is an above-average B! Machine album, with more than its fair share of great songs.

Favorite eMusic Synthpop

I buy most of my synthpop from A Different Drum, the great synthpop label and online store that has led the way for the underground synthpop movement since the early 1990s. But my second-favorite source of synthpop is eMusic. Here are my top eMusic "finds":

#1 Mesh--"We Collide" (Also "Original 91 to 93")
WOW. (See my first review for details.)

#2 Lavantgarde--"Inside Out"
Almost perfect.

#3 Beborn Beton--"Tales from Another World"
What a find! The CD itself is very expensive, but you can get the music almost free on eMusic.

#4 And One--"Bodypop"
Great stuff.

#5 Iris--"Reconnect," "Wrath," "Hydra," "Awakening," "Disconnect,"
Why isn't Iris a huge hit in U.S.?

#6 Wolfsheim--"Spectators," "Casting Shadows," "55578," "No Happy View," etc.
Lots of incredibly good synthpop.

#7 Conetik--"Carbon Elektriq"
Songs are so catchy and fun.

#8 Soil and Eclipse--"Archetype," "Meridian," "Purity"
They have some stunning songs in my opinion. My favorite: "Whispering Trees."

#9 Minerve--"Breathing Avenue" and "Sensefiction"
Basically unknown band with some fantastic songs. Favorites: "Escape" and "Take Me Higher."

#10 Leiahdorus--"Parallel Universe"
Beautiful, creative, original synthpop.

#11 B! Machine--"The Evening Bell"
eMusic only has one album by B! Machine, but it's got their best song: "Forget." It's one of the most haunting and unforgettable (no pun intended) songs I've ever heard. In my experience, B! Machine takes some time before it grows on you. Give it time, though, and you'll find a lot to love.

#12 Dignity of Labour--"The Dignity of Labour"
Very fun old-school synthpop with great vocals. They shouldn't have called it quits.

#13 Neuroactive--"Fiber-Optic Rhythm"
This is really good music, but "Transients" is even better. Pick it up from A Different Drum.

#14 Sero.Overdose--"No Time for Silence"
Really energetic, mostly fun synthpop. I did find one song with serious swearing in it. I forget which one, because I deleted it.

#15 De/Vision--"Subkutan," "Remixed"
Not their best work, but still very good. Pick up their best stuff from A Different Drum.

#16 Raindancer--"Audio," "Response"
It's fast, energetic music. Interesting vocals. To get the gist, listen to "Come With Me," "Sleepless," "Regret," and "Falling Stars."

Honorable Mentions:
#17 Resurrection Eve--"Rapture," "Ascension"
Similar to Soil and Eclipse. Just a small step down from them in my opinion.

#18 Melotron--"Propaganda"
At least get "Broken." It's a brilliant synthpop song. One of my all time favorites. Most of the rest of their work is in German.

#19 Camouflage--"Motif Sky"
This is just a single, but it has Camouflage's best song in years: "Conversation." It's a must-have for Camouflage fans.

Fantazja's "Help Yourself"

Fantazja is a new band from Sweden that made their debut with A Different Drum near the end of 2007. "Help Yourself" is their first full-length CD.

I got this CD for Christmas, but it took me a while to get to it because of how much I enjoyed Michigan's latest album.

I already owned Fantazja's "Sing this Song" single, and liked it okay, so I thought I knew what to expect from the full-length album.

Now that I've heard the CD several times I have to say I'm surprised at the consistently high quality of the music. This is fun, catchy, light synthpop somewhat similar to Echo Image, early Blue October (UK), Cosmicity, etc. And, I think if you are a fan of those modern synthpop groups, you'll really like Fantazja.

Here are the songs:

1. How I Feel-- The album starts off with a fast, fun song. This is exactly how I like my "light synthpop." 4 stars

2. Remedy-- The second track on the CD is slow, but the chorus is gorgeous and sad at the same time. When a music group can keep my attention on the slower songs, that's when I know they're up to something good. 4 stars

3. Kathy-- The tempo picks up a bit for the third track. "Kathy" is a good, solid song. It has a sad mood running through it. 3 stars

4. Tension-- This song, for me, is the first letdown on the disc. The song's okay, but it all seems too disjointed for me to enjoy it much. It features a thumping sound whose beat I didn't find very pleasing. Then the song suddenly ends very abruptly. I always just skip this song now to get back to the good stuff. 1.5 stars

5. Make a Wish-- Love this one. Again there's a bit of sadness in this one, but the synths are fun and interesting, and I love the hook "Quick, quick, make a wish . . ." 4 stars

6. Thoughts are Dust-- Another very disjointed song in my opinion. "Thoughts are Dust" is just not catchy enough for me, and I can't skip it quickly enough. 1.5 stars

7. Instruct me Further-- Here we get the highlight of the album! Catchy, bouncy, well-written; I just love this one. 5 stars

8. Dwell-- I like this one. It has some cool synths going on in the background and some whispered lyrics behind the sung lyrics that creates a cool effect. 3 stars

9. You Ask Nothing of Me-- More fun, light synthpop. Definitely one of the better songs on the album with a great chorus. 4 stars

10. Speechless-- Good song. 3 stars

11. Fist Meets Face-- Based on the title of the track I thought this song would be dumb, but it's quite excellent. 4 stars

12. Sing this Song-- This was the first single from the album, and it's a good choice (although I think four other songs would have been good candidates as well). 4 stars

13. Something Else-- Good song. Watch for the fun hidden track at the end of this song. 3 stars

After such a strong album, Fantazja deserves a strong following. Now I just need to figure out how to pronounce their name.

New album by Michigan: "Pulse of Pain"

After seeing the music video for "The Nomad" on YouTube (see below), I was impressed enough to pick up the CD, "Pulse of Pain," from A Different Drum.

I'm mostly glad I did. It was clear immediately that Michigan knows how to write excellent, memorable synthpop. After only two or three listens, several songs were firmly planted in my mind.

My only hesitation about "Pulse of Pain" is that it strikes me as being fairly top-heavy. The first four songs are the best ones on the album in my opinion, although the last two songs are also very strong. In between are several songs that all blend together for me. Still, six very good songs on one CD is pretty good, and maybe the rest of them will grow on me with repeated listens.

Here are my ratings of each song:

1.The Nomad-- This is a great song. It's got pounding drums and great vocals. It's starts off sounding very David Gahan-ish, but as the chorus approaches that changes--but in a good way. Based on the video, "The Nomad" seems to be about the singer's daughter. The line "Now she is my fortune" (repeated several times in the song) fits that theory too. This is a new favorite song of mine. 5 stars

2. Decadence-- The second song on the CD also happens to be the second best song. It's another fast-paced song with a great chorus. It sounds much less like Depeche Mode than "The Nomad." My second time through the album I was already singing along. It has some religious themes and content. 4.5 stars

3. Juveniles-- Yet another great chorus that sticks in your head and won't go away. This is another favorite of mine. 4 stars

4. Valley of Death-- This is the first slower song on the album. It's pretty while still being catchy and interesting. Good stuff. 4 stars

5. Hang On-- This song is a very solid, competent one that most people will probably like quite a bit. I just can't get over my problem with crunchy guitars, and this song starts off very crunchy and brings the crunch back into the song several times. 3 stars

6. The Gravity-- "The Gravity" is a slow song that starts off with some nice piano followed by a foreboding drumbeat. The vocals are really nice here. I expect this song will grow on me and eventually become a favorite. 3.5 stars

7. Shine in Silver-- This is a good song, but kind of forgettable in my opinion. 3 stars

8. Mysterious (Infected World)-- Slow, pretty song, but a little boring for me. 2.5 stars

9. Love's a Disease-- This one is a nice mid-tempo song that has some cool sounds and will probably grow on me over time. But right now, like the previous couple of songs, it's a bit forgettable. 3.5 stars

10. Demons Inside-- A solid song. My thoughts on this one are similar to "Love's a Disease." It's catchy enough; it's just that the songs are sounding pretty similar to one another at this point. The title is reminiscent of "Devil Inside" by INXS, but the meaning of the two songs are quite different. In "Demons Inside," the singer is asking that someone pray for him to set him free from demons inside. It's a tad more hopeful than INXS conceding that everyone's evil. 3 stars

11. Pioneers-- "Pioneers" begins with a sample of what sounds like a southern preacher quoting scripture. I've read several comments by atheists saying that the preacher sample ruins this song for them. I don't think they should let it do so. The stereotypical sound of the preacher makes me think the song might be making fun of preachers a bit. It could go either way, though. The song itself is beautiful. 4 stars

12. Pulse of Pain-- This one finishes the album solidly. Nothing that distinguished, though. I'll give it: 3.5 stars.

Overall, I'm glad I bought Michigan's "Pulse of Pain."