Roboteyes
True Love In Modern Stereo

Oh look at that, something new, actually more than that, an absolute debut! (more or less, this would just be an appetizer, hoping the main course arrives soon) Pretty cool, right? Absolutely yes, this time yes. This intro, anything but random, is a (boastful and self-satisfied) self-citation from my review of last week, the one where I (bad)talked about Years & Years: a bit of scouting among emerging names never hurts, randomly fishing with occasional suggestions from my Guru and point of reference in this field, namely the celebrated musicologist and writer Prof. Dr. Caso, you might come across unlistenable duds, but also in very remarkable novelties, often harder to find, like these Roboteyes. And for this pleasant and fortunate discovery, I have only chance and... Klaus Nomi to thank. Yes, Klaus Nomi indeed, these Canadian "underdogs" dared to cover none other than "Total Eclipse"; in the past, the Rosenstolz with the collaboration of Marc Almond had already tried, with not very exciting results, the much less celebrated Roboteyes have managed to do much, much better thanks especially to the splendid performance of the chubby girl you see portrayed on the cover, one Kate LaDeuce.

Obviously I immediately set out to trace this "synthpop band from Canada", discovering that, to date, the Roboteyes are still a mysterious object, whose production is limited to a couple of EPs, including this "True Love In Modern Stereo" released just this year. A sure path towards the first album, or at least this is my hope; if it were up to me they would already be in heavy rotation, but knowing the mediocre mentality, the narrow-mindedness and myopia repeatedly demonstrated by the bigwigs of the record industry, (the Rational Youth, among other compatriots of ours, could testify, and it is just one of hundreds of possible examples), the thing is not at all certain. Whatever happens, the five songs on this EP are enough to assert that the potential is here, and it's quite explosive. Be clear, it's not a case of shouting a miracle, but...

The paths Roboteyes are beginning to tread have already been traveled by many others before them, but there's a way and a way to be derivative: you can do things well, putting enthusiasm and personality into them, you can muddle through without infamy or praise, you can be horrible, and "True Love In Modern Stereo" is a fine example of the first case. Key features: a very immediate and pleasantly varied sound, more than synth-pop tout court I would define it as a lively pop rock with strong synth veins; Kate LaDeuce plays a bit the ace of spades at the image level, (probably Roboteyes are indeed her thing), but there is also a guitarist who makes himself heard significantly impacting the group's style, as much as the keyboards, and then of course the explosive and polarizing voice of the frontwoman. Obviously, singing "Total Eclipse" that way is not something everyone can do, and their own material just confirms her talent: KLD is a Cyndi Lauper, sharing her grit and liveliness, but with a less high-pitched and more full-bodied timbre, no less distinctive and recognizable for that.

One-two-three-four-five, never missing a beat: "In Flames", dominated by electronic sounds, "Coattails", with that soulful singing reminiscent of certain things from the latest P!nk, "Call My Name", adorable, purely 80's Lauper-style, "Waiting And Watching", an enveloping midtempo of excellent class, and finally "Change For Me", a melancholic ballad performed with the right dose of theatricality. Songs that hit immediately, stick naturally, entertaining and fully convincing, thanks especially to an excellent melodic taste and a fresh, stylish, and down-to-earth approach, absolutely unpretentious. Simply well-made Pop, that's all, no need to add any silly label, sorry for the track-by-track but in this case, it fits perfectly.

And it will be really interesting to see how the situation for Kate LaDeuce and company will evolve: should they fully confirm the potential expressed in this EP, gaining deserved success, I can "brag" about having signaled them in advance, of what I'm sure is that, given and considering certain unworthy people who linger in the big shot circles, it would be scandalous if the potential of Roboteyes remained confined to marginal areas. The ideal would be to create their own dimension, in the mainstream but in a sideline position, a bit like Little Boots, Robyn, Saint Etienne to cite the ultimate example; it's not easy at all, it requires both luck and brains. But to date, this is just reasoning on possible hypotheses, better to focus on the certain fact, that is "True Love In Modern Stereo", which among other things in the unbearable summer heat has a very pleasant refreshing effect.