Is it a-ha? Is it Erasure? Nope, but close...
Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 08/04/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's almost like the eighties all over again. Acts like La Roux, Patrick Wolf, Little Boots, and Empire Of The Sun sound like they stepped out of a time machine from the eighties, while eighties synthpop veterans Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and a-Ha recently had top 5 albums in the UK.
Along comes Vincent Frank (Frankmusik) with more of that sound; loads of swirling synths, danceable beats and skyscraping falsetto in hand. The title track, the theatrical piano-sprinkled "Complete me" covers all those bases.
The album actually comprises upbeat synth driven numbers like the jerky sounding "In step" (interesting harmony arrangements), the stomping pair of "Better off as 2" and "Time will tell" (the latter with clunky beats and Hip Hop flourishes), the pulsing "Gotta boyfriend?", the bouncy "When you're around" (which is built on bursts of The Stranglers' "Golden brown"), and the poppy "Wonder woman" (reminds me of Mika), and melodramatic synth ballads like the title track, the radio friendly "Confusion girl" (which does remind me somewhat of N'Sync/Backstreet Boys), the piano driven "Your boy", the frail sounding "Done done", or the warbly closing "Run away from trouble" (with gentle marching beats flitting in and out and a gentle sprinkling of distorted effects).
Hidden at the end is the beautiful stripped piano ballad "Olivia" (shorn of all trickery and effects which at times threaten to overwhelm some of the other songs), on which he really gets to flex his falsetto.
The album was produced by Stuart Price (Madonna, Seal, New Order), and most of the lyrics deal with the bleakness and pain of heartbreak. Here's hoping he finds success like La Roux and co."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1