Martha and the Muffins
Danseparc

Martha And The Muffins are (still) an obscure Canadian synth-new wave band from Toronto. I discovered them by chance a few years ago when I stumbled across the video for one of their very first hits: "Echo Beach." I was fascinated by the dark but catchy sounds of that track, as well as the sax solo, which gave it that typically "1979newwavegloomybutcatchy" vibe, and I decided to delve into their history.

Their sound is, in a few words, a sort of fusion of white pop-funk and new wave, a very dry, refined sound, suitably tinged with electronics. In my opinion, M+M represent the classic case of a band that ended up prematurely (and undeservedly, IMHO) in oblivion.

This "Danseparc" is a work from their classic period, released in early 1983, regarded by many as one of their best, just below the work considered their most representative and accomplished of all, the previous "This Is The Ice Age" from 1981.

In this album in particular (but not only), Martha and the Muffins sound like a mix between the rhythmic physicality of Talking Heads from 1978-80 and the hypnotic-danceable attitude of The B52’s. All of this is, however, permeated by the electronic technology typical of the advanced "Eighties." At the end of the day, the result is something akin to the Eurythmics of "Touch."

Listening to it again several times, you get the distinct impression of a well-structured work, extremely precise, imbued with colorful music.

Some hypnotic rhythm also recalls the conceptual-art King Crimson of "Beat" and "Three of a Perfect Pair."

The sound fabrics and sharp interweavings are definitely offspring of the new wave, but in this record they appear more sunny and expressed in a "modernist" style typical of 1983, with flickering and nervous synth passages.

"Obedience" is an energetic, bouncing, and lively start. The wonderfully pulsing and "Byrnian" rhythms are found in "Walking Into Walls" and "Several Styles of Blonde Girls Dancing." "Sins Of Children" is wonderfully atmospheric. Also noteworthy is the tasty and well-measured use of the sax in the track "World Without Borders," where they seem like Devo with a saxophone in hand, or the compact and perfectly integrated sound between drum machine and synthesized guitar in "Danseparc."

Notable is the beautiful extra track "These Dangerous Machines," a kind of tribal-synthetic tune that would definitely not have looked out of place in the original album lineup.

The version I have is the remastered one, and the sound is bright and clean, thanks mainly to the initial work done at the time by His Majesty Daniel Lanois at the main mixer.

In short: this work was a truly delightful surprise for me. Well-played, well-produced, with the typical electro-funky-wave sound of the early '80s. In my opinion, they deserved more recognition in the modern rock landscape; currently, they are practically almost entirely removed from the memory of the music scene.

Other albums will follow, including the next and equally valid "Mistery Walk" and the subsequent "World is a Ball," more poppy but plastic and a bit inconsistent. Then a long break until the early 1990s, but the golden age for our band ends for me with WIAB in 1986.

The rating for me is a solid 4 stars. Which is ultimately a rating for the group as a whole. Not 5 because they are somewhat derivative of Talking Heads and (to a lesser extent) The B52’s. But the musical quality is all there.