Maybe I do have really, really not-right taste.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Release: October 29, 1984 (Original release)
Unknown date 2010 (25th Anniversary special edition)
Genre: New Wave
Label: ZTT Records
Length: 64:04

Nick's Rating: 3.5/5

I started writing this review in a philosophy class. Anyone who's taken a philosophy class knows that, after a point, brain-aches are a common occurrence. However, compared to trying to figure out where I stand on this album, philosophy class is downright therapeutic. This album is incredibly weird, formed of hundreds of heavy layers of a mix of new wave and sonic garbage... slathered precariously over simple backbeats by producer Trevor Horn. This probably looks like an unerringly simple conclusion, but let's be honest here. Welcome to the Pleasuredome is arguably more of a testament to Trevor Horn's skill as a producer than the musicality of Frankie's membership. Its fame is arguably because of its over-the-top nature and its excessive ad campaigns. It's kind of cute and kitschy -- I even wanted to try and find one of those old "FRANKIE SAY RELAX" T-shirts out of nostalgia for this, and I wasn't even alive when the record came out. "Relax" continues to get a lot of airplay and has been heard (in various forms) in many films and commercials for them (e.g. it was in Zoolander, a film I primarily remember because of the presence of a remix of this song in it.).

This album is a lot of fun to listen to, but there are no great revelations, musically or otherwise, contained within, especially if viewed with a modern lens. Arguably, the album has been completely outdated and outshined as an album of dance songs. This is possibly true, on some level. After all, this is a far cry from Daft Punk or whatever else is popular in dance music. Most of the music is, at least, still natural. Don't think of it as you would a dance album, think of it as you would INXS, for example, because that's actually a lot closer to what this album is than what one usually thinks of when thinking of dance music. Somehow, this is a hell of a lot more fun to listen to.

Example: "Welcome to the Pleasuredome," a towering thirteen minutes long, is a dense jungle of only partially-related sounds which basically adds up to a long song with a dance beat and prominent rhythm section throughout. Folded, spindled, and mutilated in places by producer Trevor Horn, I... guess you could dance to it, but more importantly, the song is basically an energetic, complex rock song that shows a lot of skill in hook artifice. Even across that length, the band doesn't permit you to consider that you would want to stop listening. No surprise there, and it's a worthy cause indeed if you're predisposed to INXS. Sadly, the band really can't rock like INXS, nor like Pink Floyd. Why Pink Floyd? That's just the impression I got of some of it; it reminded me of "Echoes," just with more new-wave to it.

The fact remains that, while this album is basically all dance music, there's still a lot of rocking to it. The trouble with it is that most of the songs are not particularly interesting listens (e.g. "The Power of Love"), or are too short to be substantial (Closing "bang..."). A lot of it couldn't exist as it does without the help of producer Trevor Horn who, despite not being officially such, was very much a part of the band. Fortunately, this was in a different capacity to his role during his stint in Yes. Not that Horn has a bad voice or anything, but Holly Johnson's is much better for this music. "Relax (Come Fighting)" is a good place to observe this; Horn makes that one-note bass line huge, turning it into the backbone for a patchwork, albeit still danceable number that has a surprising amount of might. I think a lot of people don't even realize that this is a good song and think only of the controversy the song generated.

To be fair, though, "Relax" is not really the same kind of song that I usually call a good one. All of the complexity of this song, of which there isn't much, is because it seems like Horn was hunced over the tape with a razor and paste. The arrangement is very confusing as a rock song goes, and it would probably be nothing without its hook. It's weird, though... I think it's just the general fun factor that permeates the record, making it an eerily pleasant listen even if you're not big on dance music. It even makes songs that are supposed to not be fun, like the cover of Edwin starr's "War" (ere subtitled "...and Hide") and "Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment)" pleasant listens. In fact, I think the only thing irredeemable about this record is the cover of "Born to Run." However, being as much of a Springsteen fan as I am, this is inevitable, isn't it?

So, as I decide to wrap this up, I came to the conclusion that I've come to basically the same conclusion as the All Music Guide reviewer Ned Raggett did when he reviewed this album. I also was informed again of the presence of some of Ian Dury's backing band and Steve Howe (Yes's on-again-off-again guitar wizard). I didn't think about it as I reviewed the record, but maybe it did have an effect. Hey, anything is possible. I wouldn't recommend this over most INXS records, though. At least, not Listen Like Thieves or Kick. Devo is even better if you want new wave.

Oh, whatever. Just don't get too hung-up on this one. I think it's already too late for me. I reviewed this at all.

It's pretty disappointing that this is the first post of the new year.

Oomph! - Sandmann (Single)
Release: February 27, 2009
Genre: Neue Deutsche Härte
Label: Gun Records
Length: 15:09

Nick's Rating: 4/5

Let me preface this with a few quick things that have probably screwed my rating of this little single up a lot. First of all, I first heard this song in its English incarnation (which, after my first listen of the German original, I could tell was poorly-translated except in the choruses). Secondly, I really like this style of music for some reason -- which I guess is an instant goodbye to my metal cred. Third, there's the matter of the cover art. I really, really like it. It's very vanitas, without being directly so, as if the German semi-industrial-metal act doesn't know what it is. I don't blame them if the don't. I guess it's not proper vanitas, but it reminds me of the style. Huge plus there; vanitas looks really cool.

Well, who gives a damn about the art when it's the music I'm reviewing, right? Art criticism is something I should just leave for the one remaining expert, anyway, and the fact that I can't get much further than "I like vanitas" is proof. The song itself is basically standard fare for the genre. Neue Deutsche Härte, for those who are unaware, is a hard rock (I won't use the term metal here right now, since a lot of others wouldn't, and I don't want to incite their wrath for... whatever reason...) grounded heavily in industrial and electronic music (it's also German for "New German Hardness," but that's just an extra detail). The song is build on a pattern of loud verse-quiet prechorus-loud chorus-repeat with a rather soft, short bridge. It's modestly fast but probably not fast enough to get out of "midtempo." In short, very simple all around, but that's okay. The song is still very good.

I'd be hard-pressed to choose a specific part I liked most... the prechorus is slightly eerie, considering this genre cuts a lot of the spookiness of classic industrial out. There are a few other minor things I like, like the sudden stop at the end of the bridge before bringing us to the sounds from the intro and the last chorus, and how the riff in the chorus seems like it's going to just repeat (just like in Labyrinth), but then suddenly shifts a little just as the singer shuts up. All said, a lot of little things to like. It's a shame this didn't make it to Monster. It's basically supplanted "Labyrinth" as my favorite track from that era, and it's so energetic that it doesn't get old.

The three extra tracks are pretty okay all around, too, but can't hope to live up to the single's title track. The first is a remix thereof, though, by [:SITD:]. I like the way it starts out (taking the prechorus as an intro is damn effective), but without the energy of the original, I find it hard to like. I guess it's an okay dance number, but it just feels lacking. Then again, I think after the tremendous remix of Megaherz's "Liebestoter" that accompanied some releases of their Kopfschuss CD, I've been ruined for remixes of Neue Deutsche Haerte songs, or something. That, or I just don't get dance music of the modern age.

Next is "Auf Kurs," which appeared on Monster. Basically, this whole song is a slow build-up and very not heavy, which is fine. I don't think I'd easily return to it, but it's inoffensive, and sometimes it is nice to hear heavy bands scale back on the heaviness... unless they're X Japan. Sadly, the song is a bit nondescript, but the continuous adding of elements at the chorus is nice. It's done without the hysterics of Rammstein, but whether or not this is beneficial... hm, good question.

The last song on there is "Du lügst," which, I think, was on another single before Sandmann, but that's okay. This is my first time hearing it, and I really like it. It's slower than the title track by a lot and sounds a bit like "Das letzte Streichholz" Version Two, but that's not much of an argument. The bottom end is synth-heavy, which is perfectly fine. Actually, the electronic-ness of this seems to be the real selling point for me, for some reason. If it were more "natural-sounding" (if you catch my meaning), I would probably just dismiss it as too sappy. I really can't understand this very well myself, but I like the song, and it's a good ending song (as slower songs often are), so I'll definitely take it.

It's so disappointing, though, that this single and pretty much the only source of two of these songs (though "Sandmann" itself appeared on a reissue of Monster that I don't have) and the remix, because it's great all around. Singles of anything are hard to find these days. The single, for instance, is not available on US iTunes (then again, though, nothing from pre-2004-era Oomph! appears to be on US iTunes, either), and I have never seen it in stores. It's not surprising that it can't be found; Oomph!, and Neue Deutche Härte in general, were not that big in the U.S. -- which is no surprised. Translating lyrics from German to English doesn't often work out very well, and it wouldn't sell very well in German. We learned that with Kraftwerk (or at least the first part). It was by sheer luck that I got my copy of the single. I guess that just can't be helped.