You never know quite what to expect in a game of hide and seek. It could be a nice surprise or a nasty shock, or you might be one of those poor unfortunate people who hides for ages whilst everyone pisses off and gets on the with the party without you; I know I was. But enough of my unfortunate introduction to the cruelty of childhood let’s get down to business with this bunch of Canadian Gothic synth popsters; a band who have been putting the spook into parties perfectly for five albums now. The cover art is again as striking as ever and also eerie as hell. Summer is over we are told and the dark is drawing in, so it is time for nightmares for the young but all in a very fantastical Tim Burton kind of way. Of course this is perfect for any Halloween party too and out just in time to really turn the event into something different but it is a case of plastic spiders in the jelly not razor blades so be afraid but not too afraid.
Things have been kept compact and quite accessible. It’s a bit like playing pass the parcel and you know roughly where things are going to stop with ten tracks honed in at a poptastic average running time of around 3-4 minutes each. Emphasis is placed on singer Chibi’s perfect voice on first number ‘Leaving Tonight’. It is a bit of a ballad and a bit of a love song but it is gorgeous and passionate and it kind of has me swooning with its sultry beat and electronic backbone. It makes me wonder why this lot are lurking so much on the fringes and shite like Evanescence blew the mainstream apart. Jagged and more up tempo sees some Manson etched beats taking us into ‘Down.’ There is a little bit of the Pet Shop Boys in the underlying keyboards and the angry emo tantrum vocals are ace but when the (party familiar) “we all fall down” chorus line hits, wham; yep it has you in its grasp and will not let go. It’s an excellent number and an unforgettable one.
Again this is one of those albums that each and every song has some sort of identity about it and something that makes you go ooh and want to talk about it. I have a feeling that at times it might be a bit too commercial sounding for some of our readers but it’s just so enjoyable that there is no way that songs like ‘Need’ powered by upbeat bopping beats should not have you smiling and nodding along. Despite the modern mix courtesy of Rainbow and Dave (Skinny Puppy) Ogilvie there is also a very retro feel and the programming and keyboards will have someone who grew up in the 80’s like me name checking the likes of Yazoo, Thompson Twins and early Depeche Mode on songs such as ‘Calling.’
Like the sweetest treats its difficult not to gorge yourself on this and due again to the perfect running time this has been getting plenty of spins. Luckily I am not feeling sick yet and every giddy run around song is counterpoised by one that allows you to sit and chill out a bit.
If you have kids you can always use them and buy this for them and tell them they will love it (no doubt they will) then you can enjoy it when they put it on repeat and cunningly love it yourself.
As it’s my birthday in a couple of weeks I am tempted to buy it and throw a party and put it on. Oh if only anyone would come I would.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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