Soft Cell
This Last Night In Sodom

THE REVIEW

For me, it is unusual to talk about Marc Almond and Soft Cell.

I have never paid attention nor wasted praise towards the proposal of the most well-known and tormented "dandy" of the new wave.

I've never even listened closely to the discography of the enigmatic singer and the group he chairs.

I know the first Soft Cell album, sure, but little else.

Fortune had it that, while rummaging through old vinyl, I stumbled upon a copy of this "This Last Night In Sodom" album which, from the cover itself, intrigued me positively.

What to expect, then, from the authors of "Tainted Love" in the most mature phase of what was their career? It only took putting the vinyl on the turntable, listening to it without expectations and without easy enthusiasm to understand it.

The "easy" rhythms of the early career are far away along with the mischievous and catchy litany. We are not faced with Throbbing Gristle or some other diabolical formation, of course, but the change brought by Almond (the main author of the work) is remarkable. The "ambiguous" and feminine elements of old remain but, in its entirety, the album presents scenes of morbidity-laden desolation. Predictably, synth-pop rhythms are accompanied by decidedly negative lyrics and the inclusion of voices, noises, and hardly harmonic whistles.

Here there's room for sensuality, for the (desperate!) search for "beauty," and for nocturnal suggestions. However, it is not possible to overlook the more restless and tormented side that ours wanted to attribute to the last album of the Soft Cell entity.

Roxy Music and New Order meet in a danceable and semi-industrial sound. But in this case, a fundamental aspect, you will also find a heavy percentage of anxiety, perplexity, and disorientation in the face of a world that no longer presents almost anything fascinating. Everything was beginning in that period and everything is still far from being exhausted!

Coitus reduced to a surrogate of existence and daily communication. The so-called perversion conceived as the only way out of an oppressive, alienating, and barren system. There is even room for a reflection on murder (obviously not in an apologetic tone).

There is an unhealthy air, and it is not difficult to imagine "This Last Night In Sodom" as the album of maturity and disillusionment.

I particularly appreciated tracks like "Mr. Self Destruct," "The Best Way To Kill" and "Surrender To A Stranger".

But the album is lovable for its originality and its dramatic frankness.

In short: MAYBE I'll start appreciating them from their latest creation!