synth pop Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Diane Coffee “Internet Arms”

sfilzen — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 20:12:17 +0000

Diane Coffee “Internet Arms” 2019. Polyvinyl Records, limited edition (300 copies) on clear fuchsia vinyl. Internet Arms is Diane Coffee’s (aka Shaun Fleming, former Disney actor and Foxygen drummer) fourth album and he’s still playing around with gender-bending, glammy and synthy dream pop, with a focusing on internet relationships and our relationship to the internet (spoiler: it’s not all chocolate and roses). Lots of “futuristic” electronica, some auto-tune sprinkled with gospel (ie “Simulation” and “Work It”), funky dance grooves (ie the title track “Internet Arms”), 80′s alternative pop inspiration (ie “War”) and show-tune musical flavors (ie “Good Luck” – Fleming has also performed in rock operas). I really like Diane Coffee – we’ve seen him perform a couple of times in the last few years (though we skipped his latest tour for this album because there was a bunch of other bands playing the same evening) and in concert he’s a master at working the stage and the audience. But I have to say that live experience doesn’t translate well onto wax – at least not on Internet Arms, or maybe I’m just not into this style of music when there isn’t a charismatic performer standing in front of me: it’s not mellow enough to be shoe-gaze dream pop to space out to on a long evening drive but it also doesn’t have enough energy for a sweaty dance session in my living room. It’s fine but I’m not sure how often I’ll be throwing this one onto the turntable.

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Thompson Twins “Into the Gap”

sfilzen — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 18:04:56 +0000

Thompson Twins “Into the Gap” 1984. I’ve rarely gotten rid of records throughout the years but for some reason I must have purged a small portion of my collection, probably sometime during the 90′s, and have slowly began to recoup those losses. Thompson Twins’ Into the Gap was one of those records. I bought it originally back in ‘84 as its British new wave synth pop sound appealed exactly to my tastes back then (and still does today).

Into the Gap was the fourth LP by Thompson Twins and was their most successful, hitting #10 in the US and #3 in the US. The first single released, “Hold Me Now” (released in late ‘83), was my favorite and it charted at #3 in the US and #4 in the UK. It was the height of the MTV era and its video got super-heavy rotation. I also really liked the second single, “Doctor! Doctor!” (#11 US, #3 UK). I’m not sure I remember hearing their third single “You Take Me Up” (#44 US, #2 UK – same goes for the fourth, “Sister of Mercy” which I think was only released in the UK, hitting #11 there) but this is one of my favorite songs from the album. The last release from Into the Gap was “The Gap” which Thompson Twins did not release in the UK but it did hit #69 in the US even without a video to accompany it.

Into the Gap had uneven reception among music critics at its release. Smash Hits wrote that it had “several songs with empty words and plodding tunes sung in a whiney voice and slung together with fake sentiment. The success of the terrible Twins represents the usual triumph of naked ambition over talent” and NME called it “1984’s most instantly kitsch mass program of monosodium glutamation of the brain.” However, through the lens of history critics have softened considerably, viewing Into the Gap as a great snapshot example of popular culture and musical trends of its time. Allmusic says Into the Gap “remains a classic as far as ‘80s new wave pop is concerned. Nearly every song on this set differed from the others, with each track taking the listener on a different musical journey…Thompson Twins were quiet visionaries, blending intelligent lyrics, Eastern sensibilities, and new wave pop to create a wholly unique and unforgettable listening experience and an album that ranks as one of the ’80s’ most unique.”

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Scritti Politti “Cupid & Psyche 85″

sfilzen — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 22:30:50 +0000

Scritti Politti “Cupid & Psyche 85″ 1985. This is probably the first time I have listened to the entire album (I was super-into the hit “Perfect Way” back in the summer of ‘85 but don’t think bothered to listen to any other songs). It’s rather sickly-sweet snyth-pop fronted by British falsetto blue-eyed soul so I was a bit shocked to read that the origins of Scritti Politti were influenced by founder/main member/vocalist Green Gartside’s attendance of the infamous Sex Pistols concert in December ‘76 in Leeds (the first show of their Anarchy in the UK Tour), that the band name was an homage to an Italian Marxist writer and that they toured with Gang of Four. Cupid & Psyche 85 gives absolutely no indication of this: it’s “smooth, non-alternative, chainstore pop” with an 80′s post-disco high polish. The track “Small Talk” was produced by Nile Rodgers! Three other tracks (“Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin),” “Absolute” and “Hypnotize”) were produced by Arif Mardin whose other work included collaborations with the Bee Gees, Chaka Khan and Phil Collins, hardly lefty anarchist punks. Anyway, the poppy boppy sound worked for Scritti Politti and Cupid & Psyche 85 reached #5 in the UK with three top 20 hits, plus “Perfect Way” which hit #11 in the US and stayed on the charts for 25 weeks. I’m not sure I’ll be listening to the full album again anytime soon, though I am kinda enjoying “Perfect Way” for nostalgia.

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Duran Duran “Is There Something I Should Know?”

sfilzen — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 19:46:53 +0000

Duran Duran “Is There Something I Should Know?” 1983, b/w “Careless Memories.” It’s the first day of school for our young Vault member and I don’t have a lot of back-to-school music (who does?), so a hit single with lyrics questing for knowledge will have to fill the need. (Granted, the song was not referring to a 6th grader’s desire to learn history, science and math but rather “the typically artsy Duran Duran lyrics deal with a difficult romantic relationship in rather obtuse terms, including such odd turns of phrase as “and fiery demons all dance when you walk through that door/Don’t say your easy on me ‘cause you’re about as easy as a nuclear war.” – Allmusic) (though I would argue that my kid walking through the door does often recall fiery demons AND a nuclear war)

“Is There Something I Should Know?” is D2′s 8th single, released as a stand-alone and then included on the US re-release of their debut Duran Duran album. The single debuted at #1 in the UK and reached #4 in the US in 1983. In the UK the 7″ single has the instrumental “Faith in This Colour.”

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