Martin Rev's first solo albums from 1980 and 81, as collected on this new CD, document what he was doing at the beginning of his post-Suicide solo career. As usual I have a hard time empathizing with the punk zeitgeist because I was really too young at the time (twelve in 1977) to comprehend the prevailing culture. I must have picked up some of it because occasionally an artifact from the period will unlock waves of fear and abhorrence in me, Thames TV for example, or Julien Temple's "The Filth and the Fury," which plunged me into a foul mood for a whole week. I'm trying to listen to this CD in that context but I can't get there. American punk was different anyhow, so I guess I'm not to blame. But even in today's terms this is a good CD. Nearly all instrumental, these electronic music pieces show Rev's unique personal style, somehow breathy and spacious, presumably resulting in part from his coming to grips with the available equipment of the period. There are catchy distinctive melodic structures and the electro-beats are uniquely his own. It has considerable reserve, tasteful poise without posturing, varying degrees of sinister ambience and individualist expression, all combined with a substantial experimental component, both musical and technical. With the exception of "Marvel," an extended ametrical soundscape reminiscent of 70s Tangerine Dream and quite unlike anything else on the disc, I don't think there's much to be gained by relating this to contemporary UK and German electro new wave. There are however many elements that remind me of more recent music: of the examples I'll mention only how ?-Ziq's "Balsa Lightning" recollects Rev's "Baby Oh Baby." This aspect adds validity to Rev's credentials as one of the mid-wives of electro pop. Recommeded.
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