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