Martin L. Gore
Counterfeit ep

I was about to write the review of Martin Gore's second work when I accidentally discovered it had already been done, so I didn't get discouraged and decided to do the review of his first work "Counterfeit e.p" dating back to 1989.

There are 14 years between the two albums, and like the last one, the first one is composed of covers, an e.p with 6 songs by artists ranging from the seventies (Sparks, Comsat Angels) to the early eighties (Tuxedomoon, Durutti Column). For the period and for the almost self-production with which it was made, the album sounds very good and is very warm for the genre it represents, electronics have been used sparingly and rarely invade too much, strings sections, piano, and sounds of strange harmonics prevail, all compressed in a very dark setting.

The album opens with Joe Crow's "Compulsion," a melodic song with sounds that seem to come from Scottish bagpipes, moving to "In a Manner of Speaking" a beautiful song by Tuxedomoon, somewhat anguishing but very evocative. The third track is "Smile in the Crowd" by Durutti Column, a true orgy of sadness where a guitar arpeggiates over a decadent drum. Next is "Gone" by Comsat Angels, a beautiful song with a somewhat dramatic rhythm, where Gore lends himself to a dual vocal interpretation (Singing and Choir). The fifth track is "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" by Sparks, a beautiful song (the original) as well as this one, perhaps the most beautiful of the entire album. The album closes with "Motherless Child," a traditional Afro-American song, sad yet in line with the rest of the album. What to say, Gore is Gore; he didn't need this record to reveal his musical talents. As people say, he dedicates these reinterpretations to those who inspired him, and I'd say he succeeded excellently.

In conclusion, this CD stands out for the beauty of the sounds and the originality of the atmosphere that envelops it. A good 4 is well deserved; a 5 could have been achieved only if the songs were his, but since they aren't, I won't go further!!!