November 9, 2010
Atlantique
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Minitel Rose are three French musicians with a flair for electronic pop and a fondness for 1980s synth-shimmer. Their sophomore disc, Atlantique, has everything a fan of early 1980s music could wish for: snappy rhythms, textured tracks built layer by layer for maximum sonic pleasure, brightly hued synth tones, oddball lyrics and winsome delivery--oh, and crackling drumkit percussion.
The album pins its heart on its sleeve from the opening tracks, "Ocean's Call" and "Wild Birds"--it's like stepping through a time portal into 1983. "She's Lost" feels like a dance floor classic from a year or so later; "Hundred Years" has a decidedly 1982 flavor, maybe with hints of The Human League here and there.
On occasion, the synth sensibility gets a little out of hand: "Heart of Stone" has elements reminiscent of Berlin or The Fixx, but it can also sound like Flock of Seagulls or Devo--all of which is fine until all those influences show up in one single track. The end result is dizzying, and won't be everybody's cup of tea, but for a junkie of 80s stylings (like me), it ends up being a guilty pleasure.
That Fixx sensibility is back in "Captain," and there's a pointy energy buzzing through "So You," but in between the two tracks is "Home," the group seem to borrow the tune of "Video Killed the Radio Star" and then sink it under a thick wash of gloss speckled with broken synth percussion and a howling chorus. It's just a little heavy and tedious; a similarly heavy mood characterizes "Under the Rain," which misses poignancy due to a soggy sound in those throbbing synths that drags the tune down.
"Too Late" bounces back with verve: the instrumentation and the vocals are determinedly light and upbeat. The song carries a glam luster that evokes nothing so much as Scissor Sisters. A similar lightness keeps "Movie of Your Life" deftly aloft. "Stay" has an almost exotic sound, as the group drifts back down to earth without actually getting their feet muddy.
The CD closes out with "Snake Girl," in which the synth gets heavy again--but in minor chords, and offset with playfully back-and-forth vocals.
Minitel Rose could very well make the 80s cool again--if the 80s ever really went out of style.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
