Soft Cell “The Art of Falling Apart” 1983 on Some Bizarre/Sire Records. 80′s new wave synthpop. The Art of Falling Apart is Soft Cell’s second LP and this is an early copy of the album which includes a bonus insert 12″ EP of “Martin” b/w a Hendrix Medley of “Hey Joe,” “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).”  The album reached #5 on the UK charts and a couple of the singles did alright: “Where the Heart Is” hit #21 and the double-A side of “Numbers”  and “Barriers” went to #25. Soft Cell released “Loving You, Hating Me” and “Heat” in the US but I don’t think either one charted at all. The entire album is kinda weak, the beat and the vocals are pretty monotonous and the synth is uninspired, especially as compared to their ‘82/’83 contemporaries in the genre like Depeche Mode, OMD and Duran Duran or even to Soft Cell’s own big hit from ‘81, their cover of “Tainted Love” (originally recorded by Gloria Jones in ‘64). A couple of songs are really awful, like “Kitchen Sink Drama” which is sappy plink-plunk piano’d and slightly off-key (I’m guessing intentionally, but still, yuck) and “Baby Doll” which is melodramatic and over-orchestrated.

The bonus EP is a mixed bag. The A-side, “Martin,” is an epic 10+ minute dark synthpop dance track that’s pretty much better than the entire LP that accompanies it. But, wow, the “Hendrix Medley” is epic, too, epically bad. I love Hendrix and I love synthpop but I really don’t think the two should have been put together, or at least not like this.