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Pure
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Pure
Current price: $42.99
Barnes and Noble
Pure
Current price: $42.99
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One has to give credit to an '80s new wave musician who can adapt and create contemporary-sounding music. There are icons from that era who continue to release new recordings --
and
, for example -- but don't evolve musically; the sound is unchanging as if they were still back in the decade. This is not a bad thing, however; core listeners are usually who buy these artists' newly released albums and they don't generate new fans. That said, hats off to '80s Brit popster
, best known for the hit
who offers up a modernized industrial-goth set in
. The album can comfortably sit alongside
on store shelves.
doesn't drive like the industrialized adrenaline rush that is, say,
, but the tracks' lingering and creepy pace leaves behind a different kind of impact -- it's more haunting than relentless.
You can hear traces of that Brit-pop accent when
sings full on, as evidenced on, ironically, a song called
but, otherwise, his vocals are just downright eerie.
is good, dark mood music, seasoned with menacing basslines, electronic crashes and spikes, and slow-grinding guitars. It's an effective pairing -- ghostly voice coupled with industrialized music; oftentimes this genre features scream-singing.
offers the album's darkest moment, lyrically and musically, describing a couple's guilt over an abotion. The song lingers long after the last note resonates.
still demonstrates his savvy on the synths, drawing up unique bell, string, and distorted voice sounds, but in a contemporary playing style. This is far from
Still, remove the
name, and one might chalk up
to be another industrial-goth album; there is nothing groundbreaking here. However, unlike some other artists from his '80s days,
has successfully adapted with the times, and there's something to be said for that. ~ Liana Jonas