"Synthesizer" is the first new Information Society album in a decade. During the prior ten years, the band was patiently waiting for the music industry to catch up to it. Information Society was among the first bands ever... more » to add computer-data content to a music CD (back in 1988) and has continued to push the boundaries of technology, not only in the creation of music but in the delivery of it. "Synthesizer" itself is innovative: an album that sounds like classic new wave synthpop...if the genre had just been invented today. It's fresh and vital but retains all of Information Society's signature sound.« less
"Synthesizer" is the first new Information Society album in a decade. During the prior ten years, the band was patiently waiting for the music industry to catch up to it. Information Society was among the first bands ever to add computer-data content to a music CD (back in 1988) and has continued to push the boundaries of technology, not only in the creation of music but in the delivery of it. "Synthesizer" itself is innovative: an album that sounds like classic new wave synthpop...if the genre had just been invented today. It's fresh and vital but retains all of Information Society's signature sound.
"Fans of Information Society's first three releases (and 80's synthpop in general--think Erasure, OMD, Human League, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys) will not be disappointed. A natural progression from their earlier efforts (and you might even hear some hints of the darker industrial sound of the 1997 release Don't Be Afraid).
While all of the tracks have InSoc's distinctive style, none of the songs sound the same or get repetitive. Female vocals are present to a greater degree than any of their previous releases--and are a nice touch especially the duet on "Run Away"--and suggest a direction the band might have gone if Amanda Kramer had not left after the first album was released.
Samples are used to good effect, though not nearly as extensively as previous releases (And none from Star Trek, how can that be??? Even on the darker DBA, Kurt manged to include a Spock sample!) No secret messages encoded in modem tones, no scavenger hunts for bonus tracks, none of the (what some considered) "instrumental"/"filler" tracks like on Hack--just an hour of beat-pounding, danceable, sing-alongable synth pop goodness!
And don't forget to grab "Great Big Disco World" from the Oscillator EP, the only new Information Society track that is not on Synthesizer!"
Back 2 Form!!
Trace J. Tumbleson | Trimont, MN USA | 11/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have thought everything INSOC has come up with has been great. Even the much "hacked" on CD by Kurt DBA. This CD is for all the fans that hated DBA and wanted the INSOC of old. However, I don't know what some of the other reviewers have been smoking but Kurt only sings on 1 song on this whole CD. SEEDS of PAIN. Read the liner!! The new singer (at last I checked Kurt is back singing full time) sounds great and there is not much of vocal style difference between the two. I would say this is one of the best CDs of the year so far. Taking the best of the old and fusing it with some new elements to create something wonderful!!!"
Back and same as ever -- which is a good thing
Turtle502 | Pitman, NJ USA | 10/14/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is an excellent return by Information Society. It's the same instrumentation we had heard on their earlier albums, the same samples, etc. In other words, it has that same familiar sound -- warm analog style synths, odd samples, and great beats. Kurt's vocals are just as good as they were 10 years ago; his voice is clear, on-key, and the tone and timbre are a great contrast to the synths -- his voice helps add some organic feel to the music. The combination of male and female vocals on some tracks brings back memories of that first Information Society album, while it also reminds me of Human League. The lyrics, which sound simplistic at times, are quite interesting, about love and life, while taking a different perspective on those topics. They tell a story and they're easy to sing along with. There are some very very VERY catchy choruses, and I find myself singing along after only a couple of days -- simple but catchy, they hook you in.
Most of the songs follow a verse/chorus/verse/chorus/break/chorus construction, which is predicatble but also has been part of the InfoSoc formula going back to the 80's. This album has the catchiness and "danceability" of their debut album, with the grittiness of later albums, where Kurt worked mostly alone. There are some tracks that remind me of BT. I believe these tracks will be worked-up by many DJs, but they are already excellent as they are.
Best tracks: Baby Just Wants, Back in the Day, I Like the Way You Werk It, Can't Get Enough
The only problem -- the song titles on the album sleeve for tracks 12 and 13 are switched. Otherwise, the production is excellent. A good outing by InfoSoc."
An Unbelievably Good Synthpop Gem for 2007/2008
Agent Seven | Phoenix, AZ United States | 01/26/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love Information Society. I have loved them since their 1987 debut and followed their career every step of the way. When Kurt Harland took over the reigns in 1997 to eventually create "Don't Be Afraid," I confess that I felt that the music that InSoc had previously represented to me was lost forever, eaten up by the nouveau cool synth music of the day - synth music that had been usurped completely by Goth and Industrial and whose original form could only be enjoyed in retrospect.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I woke up one morning to discover "Synthesizer," an album so utterly faithful to the InSoc legacy that it literally wouldn't sound like it should exist if it weren't for the clearly upgraded production values. I could scarcely imagine that such an album could be made in the year 2007. It's a slice of pop life straight out of 1992 - but updated with bigger synths, brassier attitude and unbelievably slick production. It's as if Paul Robb took everything that was great about InSoc and cranked it up to 11 for our modern age.
Make no mistake, we are hearing quintessential Paul Robb here. The album evokes "Hack," as well as "Peace and Love, Inc" - only better, as there is not a single track that isn't outstanding (save the single obvious Kurt Harland track "The Seeds of Pain," which hearkens back to DBA and is too morose to exist on this disc). "Synthesizer" also evokes the best of the Austin synthpop movement of the late 80's early 90's - one cannot help but think of such acts as Anything Box, T42 (another Paul Robb project) and Machine in Motion when listening to this disc, but it outshines all of those performances by leaps and bounds.
This is not to say it has no flaws. The guy tasked with most of the vocals on this album is not Kurt Harland as with the previous four albums. The new guy is Christopher Anton, and while he is a competent vocalist, he's definitely not as good as Kurt, chops-wise. Lyrically, the album (sadly) suffers from the same triteness as nearly all previous InSoc releases. While the lyrics are catchy and well-sung, they are simplistic at best and just plain dumb at worst ("life is like a velvet hammer/knocking on my head/don't you wish that just one time/you could knock on life instead") - but you know what? I don't care! When the guy says "You are my synthesizer/and you make my skin," somehow he says it so convincingly that I can look at it as a singularity anthem and just enjoy the sheer awesomeness of the sweep of the song. Same goes with the whole album. Lyrics have never been InSoc's strong suit. While Anton is merely competent in his performance, Leila Mack - credited with the female vocals - is absolutely outstanding. She evokes the band's best moments with Amanda Kramer, only better.
As much as I laud Christopher Anton for being competent, I am pleased to hear that Kurt is touring with InSoc. I could imagine hearing him singing these songs and enjoying them even more. If there is a lesson to be learned in this whole thing, it's that when Paul Robb is in charge of something, it ends up being awesome beyond words. In short, thank you, Paul, for this incredible synthpop gem, smack dab in the middle of the double-nots. I never saw it coming, and it makes me happy beyond words with every repeated listen. And I listen to it over and over and over again."
It's about time. Great album!
Dustin Worles | Washington, D.C. | 01/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been a fan of Insoc since the first album. Hack is my favorite. After the third album "Peace and Love, INC", the next album was very dark in my opinion. I kinda lost track of INSOC after the group broke up. Several of the songs on Synthesizer are sung by Chris Anton and his voice is great. I do miss Kurt's voice though. The sound of the songs are very familiar but modern sounding.
Favorite tracks: Back Just Wants, I Like The Way You Werk It, Move to This, This Way Tonight, The Seeds of Pain
I just saw INSOC in concert in Philly (1/2008) with the original 3 (Kurt, Paul, and James) and it was fantastic. Kurt still sounds great after all these years!"