alex 82

Fosca...last Saturday I heard on the radio a song by Simple Minds with a dance rhythm that I would say is "very recent" and a guitar that had a bit of a "useless" solo (in terms of sound, you know!) from the DM at the end of each verse! What is this? New material or Sparkle in the Rain which I don't remember? Many thanks and happy "new gold" Ferragosto!

I love that coldness... I hardly know the album, so I won't rate it. Very good review as always, :) PS – I've listened to the samples of "the garden" by John Foxx. I instinctively prefer it to "metamatic", sooner or later it will make its way into my CD holder.

(3.5 on the record is fine) "You know, Ege, if it's said that it's a more than decent record, they'll downgrade us to the category of listeners of commercial rubbish... (but now) I can only agree with your conclusion." (by odradek). Let them do it! There’s commercial and commercial. The important thing is that the music conveys feelings, right? Here I find it, I find it! I'm quite happy to be commercial at this level! And then, that saxophone played there on some of their tracks... drives me crazy. By the way, last night I listened to a live show of the Nomadi at a friend's place: the most famous tracks rearranged (very well, I must say) with acoustic guitars and slightly reverberated from 1982-84 (see "Big Sleep" from "New Gold Dream" to understand what sound I mean) and... that sax again! A revelation!

the artwork: one stares intently at the sky to understand when the storm will arrive. So far, all is quiet, calm reigns supreme. Wasn't that the situation in Germany until the end of 1940? a few bombings, order and prosperity in the country... and then you see the scenes from 10, 100, 1000 war films? farmers in the tranquil countryside scanning the horizon because there is WAY TOO much calm... this creates tension for the viewer, tension that explodes when the air raid sirens sound. And that sunset light reminds me so much of the "Enola Gay" video by OMD, we all know what I'm referring to. One last thing: the cooling towers seen in a photo could belong to a nuclear power plant. It still brings to mind Strangelove: a love-hate relationship with the discovery of nuclear energy and the inevitable opposition between its benefits and its horrors. In any case, great album, great photo, and great places (France and Denmark)!

maybe I'll vote again

Qzerty, there are some strange theories about this album. Starting from the fact that 1-Martin Gore is obsessed with modern history, especially WWII 2-in his songs there's often much more than meets the eye (in my opinion) 3-Agent Orange is explicitly referring to Vietnam 4-der pimpf was a Nazi propaganda newspaper active until 1943, and more than one has ventured to say that MFTM is actually an album "dedicated" to war. Could the megaphones sound like air raid sirens? And then the artwork often points towards the sky (there's something unsettling about it, at least for me). "Strangelove" would be dedicated to the love-hate relationship that scientists may have with their war creations. Nothing and Never let... could express solidarity among trench mates, especially the former also indicates a conflicted relationship with God; you wait, you wait for something, He doesn't come to meet you, doesn't give signals, but you could even thank Him for that because in war "no news is good news," meaning I'm still alive. I can’t recall what they had come up with on Little 15... anyway, it’s undeniable that the lyrics lend themselves to various interpretations... behind the wheel remains a mystery. But imagine if it were really an anti-war album, maybe subtly anti-American! We could expect that from Gore! And where do they gather overwhelming support? Right in the States!!!! Can you imagine the laughs? (and I would bow down to such magnificence, this is f...ing great..)

and then, HOW HE SINGS that "I rush for you"!!!!!!!!! do you know how they achieved that effect? Wilder recorded and then processed the reverb of Dave's voice on the tiles of a wall in the villa in Madrid where they recorded, precisely, "rush" and "condemnation"!

How nice, ege, finally! Just think that I have all three main albums by TFF... Memories Fade and Watch Me Bleed are among my favorites; in particular, the former is, in my opinion, the natural mother (melodically) of that beautiful (and underrated) song called "The Working Hour" from 1985 (Songs from the Big Chair, the one with "Shout," the one that was the definitive commercial hit!)

Can you believe it! I take this opportunity to point out that there’s nothing by the Pet Shop Boys on Debaser... I have "Alternative" from 1995 in my hands, a double album that includes b-sides, remixes, and some lesser-known tracks made by the group between 1985 and 1994. The import double album costs €35, there's also the single but I don’t know the tracklist for that. CD1 85-90 really hits hard, although in reality, it’s their entire production from those years that’s impressive.

I was expecting a different album. Not better, not worse, I simply had an idea built in my mind, and the listening surprised me. That said, the triple is the most balanced version. 3.5