Robert Kinsler's Electronica Rock Round Up - Music Worth Buying 04/28/09

The 1980s saw an explosion of ‘80s rock known as new wave, with artists such as Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys and New Order becoming prominent voices in the electronica movement. 

Although the future of New Order has been in question since the departure of bassist Peter Hook in 2007, both Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys have released outstanding new albums that will please fans of the seminal outfits. In addition.

 



Huntington Beach-based Color Theory is back with an outstanding full-length effort that is truly one of the electronic artist’s best-ever albums.

Color Theory’s “The Thought Chapter” was released in November 2008, but has been thrust into the well-deserved spotlight this year with the song “If It’s My Time to Go” named Grand Prize Winner as part of the annual John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

The making of “The Thought Chapter” was a five-year project for singer-songwriter-keyboardist Brian Hazard. The album is packaged in a wonderful six-panel Digipak with original drawings by Maya Klein; “The Thought Chapter” features 11 Hazard originals, as well as a creative cover of Death Cab for Cutie’s “Photobooth.”

For listeners who enjoyed the Color Theory’s 1999 effort “Perfect Tears” or 2003’s “Color Theory presents Depeche Mode,” “The Thought Chapter” marks another dramatic step forward for Hazard as an artist and producer. Both introspective and artful, songs such as the involving “Figured Out,” probing “Hypothetically” and wonderful “If Not Now When” prove that “The Thought Chapter” was well worth the wait.   

Thought Chapter on Mp3

Thought Chapter On CD

 

After an edgy instrumental introduction that marks the beginning of “In Chains,” Depeche Mode’s “Sounds of the Universe” settles into the welcome stride of a veteran act that remains securely at the top of its creative powers.

 Both “In Chains” and “Hole to Feed” showcase singer Dave Gahan’s powerful baritone positioned against a backdrop of interesting programming and electronic flourishes. Things get even better by the third track, with the radio-friendly “Wrong” finding Gahan’s lead vocals blending with Martin Gore’s tenor in counterpoint fashion as the song builds to a fitting finale.

This is dazzling album that boasts fine songwriting from Gore and Gahan, and a disc that reveals more depth with repeated play. Standouts on the album (“In Sympathy,” “Peace,” “Miles Away/The Truth Is”) will likely be equally explosive when the band embarks on a world tour this spring.

Listening to “Sounds of the Universe – the band’s 12^th full-length effort – it’s clear that Depeche Mode’s influence continues to grow. A growing crop of 21^st century heroes have been influenced by the band, including the Bravery, Franz Ferdinand and the Killers. There was a time when rock ‘n’ roll was reluctant to welcome the techno likes of Depeche Mode: no more.

Depeche Mode’s “Sounds of the Universe” is available as both a single-disc audio CD and as a deluxe edition that includes the 13-track CD and a bonus DVD with a “Wrong” video, a short film, the album mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound and more bonus material.

Long-time fans of Depeche Mode will want to not only pick up at least one of the versions of “Sounds of the Universe,” but also get the newly-issued DVD “The Dark Progression,” a full-length documentary film from MVD Visual that traces the 30-year history of music’s most successful electronic band. Set for release on June 16, 2009, the 97-minute documentary notes the creative development of the band from it’s beginning in Essex, England at the dawn of the 1980s through a variety of triumphs and struggles – notably the departure of Alan Wilder in 1995. 

The release features interviews with band members, as well as Gary Numan, Thomas Dolby, OMD’s Andy McCluskey and other notables to provide an excellent look at the group.

Mp3 Version

Standard CD version

Deluxe CD/DVD version

 

Depeche Mode isn’t the only legendary artist to celebrate a big return in 2009.

England’s Pet Shop Boys (singer-keyboardist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe) haven’t lost a sonic step. “Yes” is a bona fide gem, with the instantly- “Beautiful People” recalling the duo’s best-known classics (“West End Girls” and “It’s a Sin”). But “Yes” is a strong album from start to finish, with “Love etc.,” “Did you see me coming?” and “The way it used to be” also delivering dance-minded songcraft.

The album’s production is excellent, with the lushly-textured “King of Rome” and “Legacy” showcasing the dreamy reaches of Pet Shop Boys’ magical blend of electronic and synthesizer pop soundscapes. 

YES mp3 Version

CD Version