When you combine the musician behind Erasure, Yazoo andformer writer of Depeche Mode along with one of the driving forcesbehind Heaven 17, you're bound to have pretenses about how it's goingto sound. Before playing a single note I can guess that: there's noguitars anywhere, it's poppy and bouncy, and neither are a singer sothere can't be lyrics anywhere. Technology changes all the time andeach 1/2 of this duo have been reasonably active over the last 20 yearsso I would imagine the music to be somewhat current. So is this indeeda pretentious release? Since it's not made out to be more then what itis, I would say this is hardly pretentious. I'm sure readers with akeener eye for semantics will be poking fun of me come the morningafter the review is posted. Oh? The CD? It sounds exactly like you'dexpect. It's cheery, happy, soaked in electronics and samples with nota whole lot of thought put into new or exciting directions in melodies.The CD represents a collection of electronic pieces commissioned for anexhibit at the National Center for Popular Music in Sheffield, UK,designed to be played in the soundscapes 3D auditorium. While it doeshave its pleasant moments, it might as well be cheesy PBS documentaryscoring. A note to the listener recommends the CD should be listened towith headphones to hear the magical 3-D processing they explained, butwell, it doesn't make the songs any stronger or more appealing. Thisdisc may very well be only recommendable to the hardcore fans of eitherof these guys' bands.samples:
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