Thirty seconds into the first track of this CD, I thought I'd beentransported back to about 1985. I'm pretty I heard a song just likethis at the Roll-R-Skate in fifth grade. That '80s feel was a lot more interesting when it was new.Archenemy
Polystar is intentionally (and self-consciously) retro; Finishedis full of heavy '80s synths and disco. Maybe they're trying to create an homage tothe past, but to me it feels like they're just rehashing it withoutadding anything new or original. The lyrics are trite and don't addmuch interest; lines like "I know it's more than skin deep/Because Ifeelit through and through" from "You Turn Me On" made this writer cringe.Songs like "Upside Down" could holdits own at any'70s-era Ramada Inn lounge while "VampireGirl" is about as pointedly dark as you'd guess from the title. Despiteworking with Roger O'Donnell (who formerly worked with The Cure), theydon't reach the interestingly moodiness of that band.
Nostalgic listeners would be better served digging through the used binat the local record shop for a $5 '80s compilation.
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