Travelogue is Jon Sonnenberg, yet another young man who uses only analogue synths and equipment in making his simple melodic songs (and lists the specific instruments on the liner notes, of course). Travelogue's minimal tracks are amazingly well-crafted, though, and deeply rooted in Gary Numan, Fad Gadget and Kraftwerk without succumbing to the syrupy pop trap of other new synth-artists whose music shares more in common with OMD, New Order and the like.Sonnenberg doesn't have the strongest singing voice, but he does well with what he can, and sings each song very softly and intently on pitch. The eight songs are pretty varied, from the upbeat retro-tech-step of "Rust and Reason" to the dark and experimental (for synth-pop at least) seven-minute epic "Conversation" to the crystalline waltz "Overcome." "Your Car" is the obvious hit, but almost all the songs are catchy enough to get stuck in your head, without being too annoying. The drumbeats that Sonnenberg creates are subdued and tasteful and he never lets them get the better of the melody. The only real problem song is the closer, "Cactus," an ersatz cowboy number that doesn't fit in with the feel of the rest of the album. The album is on Plastiq Musiq, the label run by Joy Electric's Ronnie Martin, and yes, the lyrics do have Christian undertones. But the lyrics never border on being preachy, and in fact are fairly cryptic; in some cases it's hard to tell if Sonnenberg is singing a love song to a girl or to God. You probably wouldn't even notice the religious themes unless you read the lyric sheet (but maybe that's the intent). If the Christian aspect of Travelogue scares you away from the album, you're a fool, because musically it's one of the most enjoyable and original albums in the retro-synth vein that's come out in recent months.
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