Selebrities – Delusions 8.4

                Selebrities have every reason to feel accomplished. They’ve managed to put out a great single, EP and now a full album. As someone who grew up extensively on Goth and new wave this album makes me smile ear to ear. Countless nights I spent listening to New Order and Joy Division suddenly feel completely worth it. 

                The guitar weaves its way through drum machines and Maria Usbeck’s fantastic vocals. She gives just the right impression. Her voice sounds straight out of 1982. I’m really impressed at how well each one of these people did their homework. Whenever people have tried doing this sort of sound they try to hide in lo-fi techniques or offer up some other kind of cover. Bands like Twin Shadow and Silk Flowers get part of the ideas right, missing key ingredients. Selebrities has a great grasp on what needs to be done from the low end, rhythm, and tenor of each song. 

                After I learned these guys were from Brooklyn, I felt a bit sheepish. They are so close by, right in my backyard and I didn’t even get to see them live. Considering the rawness of “Living Dead” I’d imagine they would do a pretty good to downright excellent job live. 

                Pacing is great through the album. If things were too heavy before, they follow it with a lighter song. Even within a single song, they know how to keep in interesting. On “Can’t Make Up My Mind” their teaser available free for download, they have a nice little flourish towards the end where the guitar drops out leaving the naked synthesizer. 

                I have a few favorites on here. “Secret Garden” and “Time” are my picks for the highlights. The first one has such a clean guitar line with a drum machine reminiscent of “Bizarre Love Triangle”.  “Time” sounds like the perfect song for a rainy day, which New York has been having plenty. 

                Surprises are good. Delusion is an album filled with surprises. Their focus allows them to really hone a singular sound. Maybe someday Selebrities will be celebrities.

Deux – Agglomerat 7.8

                Considering the large amount of dark 80s stuff being mined lately, I decided to shed some light on one of the original purveyors. After going through a number of bands who I thought might embody this sound, I heard their collections of songs in varying degrees of ‘meh’. Deux shot above all of them in terms of quality and chock full of cold pop hook goodness. 

                I remember reading a negative review of these guys which stated that they took themselves too seriously. “You simulated your love for me” from their song “Game and Performance” probably one of the most recognizable tracks on here. The negative review continued saying how Deux reminded him of what would’ve happened had “Sprocket” from SNL founded a band. Never mind they sing in French. Having Sprocket found a band would be awesome. From my point of view, I consider that a tremendous compliment. 

                Each song has been stripped down to the barest elements. A simple melody, an unambitious drum machine, bored lyrics mixed together into a perfectly chic bleak mood. Most of these songs hover around the 3 minute mark; those above still maintain enough interest. 

                The songs range widely in terms of fidelity: “Dance with Me” sounds like they recorded it in their basement. “Felicita” has the glossiest sheen of all of them, with vocals treated with effects. One of my picks from this would be the more energetic “Sex And Trouble” which is simply fantastic. A driving rhythm, worried vocals, and an infectious melody make this one a true winner for me.

                But those are by no means the only highlights. Most of the album is up to this same level of quality, and even with the down tempo quality, it sucks you in. 

Their Website (sorry in French) 

800beloved – Bouquet 7.9

Bouquet sounds much more together than their later work “Everything Purple”. For one, the sound is much denser, maybe even a little melodramatic. And the album does sag a little in the middle.

Despite this, it still succeeds in being an emotionally unstable album. The singer’s voice conjures images of dark punks from the 80s, with a deep, clear baritone. Pretty much, if you can’t handle the first song, you can’t handle any of it since the sound is uniform throughout with little letup in terms of lightening the mood.

Even with the sameness in sound there are still winners. Those would be the vaguely optimistic song “Colors” which comes out of a mid-80s movie where the protagonist is going through a grueling montage to become a better person. “The Skeleton Collector” blasts through with a unrelentingly bass.

Basically, if you’re looking for some mope rock, you couldn’t do much worse. This embodies all the best of teenage angst music, with overwrought emotions, inarticulate disappointment, etc.