r/synthpop

or does it sound outdated

Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids

Artists listed below in order:

1. Dead or Alive
2. Kajagoogoo
3. Tears for Fears
4. A Flock of Seagulls
5. Japan
6. Duran Duran
7. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
8. Pet Shop Boys
9. Thompson Twins (Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie)
10. a-ha (Morten Harket)
11. ABC (Martin Fry)
12. Soft Cell (Marc Almond)
13. Depeche Mode (Martin Gore)
14. Human League (Philip Oakey)
15. Visage (Steve Strange)
16. Gary Numan
17. La Roux (Elly Jackson)
18. Magdalena Bay (Mica Tenenbaum)
19. Empire of the Sun (Luke Steele)
20. MGMT

Albums and release years listed below:

1. Wonderland (1986)
2. The Circus (1987)
3. The Innocents (1988)
4. Wild! (1989)
5. Chorus (1991)
6. I Say I Say I Say (1994)
7. Erasure (1995)
8. Cowboy (1997)
9. Loveboat (2000)
10. Other People’s Songs (2003) [Covers Album]
11. Nightbird (2005)
12. Light at the End of the World (2007)
13. Tomorrow’s World (2011)
14. Snow Globe (2013) [Christmas Album]
15. The Violet Flame (2014)
16. World Be Gone (2017)
17. The Neon (2020)
18. Day-Glo (Based on a True Story) (2022)

In 1983, I bought a copy of this album without hearing any of the music on it. Back then, you had to do a lot of "chance buying" because only college radio stations would play the cool stuff and unless you had read a review by a trusted music critic, you had no idea what to expect when walking into a record store and thumbing through the new releases. I was "expecting" this album to sound like Bauhaus or Sisters of Mercy based on the excellent cover art. What came out of the speakers when I got the album home was pure Synth Pop. Don't get me wrong.I did like the album - it just wasn't as dark as I was hoping it would be. I did hear Effigy played every now and then at the goth clubs, but I always felt the cover was misrepresative of the music the album contained. A year later Ministry released (Every Day Is) Halloween as a 12" Single on Wax Trax!, which is a very strange track itself. Gothic lyrics over Synth Pop/Dark Wave music. I know Al Jourgensen was going through an identity crisis back then, finally landing in the "Industrial" camp with the album Twitch (one of my all-time favorite albums).

I'd be interested to know how many Elder Goths had this album in their collection back in the day?

Listen to the song Internet killed the video star by the limousines. https://youtu.be/bhRaScvnFXI?si=rZPddcFArF5yqExn

The “oh oh ohs” in that song sounds super similar to another song that I can’t think of! I think it’s by like passion pit or m83 or something along those lines. It was really popular maybe like 10 years ago idk. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE ITS DRIVING ME NUTS

I am terrible at singing, but I tried to record it here: https://voca.ro/1imsrXHxvWxP

I'm a Japanese indie artist and I've always been deeply inspired by the nostalgic grooves of 80s synth-pop and City Pop. Finally I ended up with a self-produced track BABY BABY and directed a genderless 80s homage MV.

Just wanted to share the vibe with fellow fans here. Hope it brings a little nostalgia to your day! Sent from Tokyo.

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/1po1wKEBgehWb0lo0HidHb?si=4ff10d0043124cf8

📺 MV: https://youtu.be/KWaV3_qbTAE

Synopsis: 

Released in 2018—just over a year after the hyper-loaded, guest-heavy   Humanz—The Now Now served as a direct and immediate tone change.  If the previous record was an anxious, apocalyptic block party where Damon Albarn barely got a word in, The Now Now is a breezy, melancholic summer road trip where Albarn is firmly in the driver's seat. The  genesis of the album was practical: Albarn wanted an album of new material that he could perform live on tour that didn't require flying in dozens of guest stars. Written primarily in hotel rooms across America, the record captures a distinct sense of transience, loneliness, and Americana seen through a rearview mirror.
The Review:
The album opens with "Humility"  . It has this hazy electronica yet soulful vibe. Jazz guitarist Geroge Benson is featured and brings some coolness to this breezy summer drenched track. The album kicks into high gear with “Tranz” with its EDM/brit-pop hybrid melodies. It creates an 80’s synth pop throwback vibe.  “Hollywood” is the only track that is heavy on featured artists. Snoop Dogg has one of his most chilled laidback guest verses and house music artist/producer Jamie Principle creates a backdrop of electronica fuckiness. The track has this catchy soulfulness that just feels fun. “Kansas” doubles down on the funky beats of the previous track. That bassline just feels so juicy and phat. When Albarn comes in he lays down one of his more chilled and hazy vocals. “Sorcerez” has this 70’s soul/space disco groove. It just feels so hypnotic and chilled out. “Idaho” is the one of the closest things the Gorillaz ever got to Albarn’s Blur sound. Inspired by a stay in a cabin in the country landscapes of Idaho. The song sounds eerie, haunting and beautiful all of the same time. I love 2-D’s (Albarn) vocal presence on the track. “Lake Zurich” is a mostly instrumental hard hitting funked up disco groove heavy track. “Magic City” was named after a billboard Albarn saw in Miami. The track features warm synthesizers that gives the track this dreamy hazy vibe. It feels futuristic and nostalgic at the same time. “Fireflies” Built around a slow, brooding, and heavy bassline that throbs like a heartbeat. The synths swell up that makes the instrumental feel so dreadful. The song is about 2-D’s self-doubt and loneliness. Albarn does an excellent job at purveying those emotions with his excellent vocal vulnerability. “One Percent” is the shortest track on the album. It has this chilled out ambient melody that sounds so soft and quiet. Albarn’s vocals feel hazy and echoed to give the track this luminesce. The album closes with “Souk Eye” begins with a soft, acoustic guitar loop and a gentle bossa-nova rhythm before layers of synthesizers, and soft orchestra notes.  slowly stack on top of one another that builds momentum until the climax then it slowly disappears into nowhere. 
Final Thoughts:

For a cartoon band this album hits on another level. Abandoning the guest heavy track list. Albarn creates a record that feels personal and has this late night road trip vibe. I might be crazy but this might be my favorite Gorillaz project to date. Crazy right? Maybe top 3. If you haven’t checked this album out put it on your bucket lists soon.

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