Information Society: Orders Of magnitude

After listening to the first track on Information Society's new disc Orders Of Magnitude one would swear this is a British band. Much to my surprise the band hails from Minnesota. I can't remember this band from the '80s, they formed way back in 1882 and released their self-titled debut in 1988. Don't Be Afraid was released in 1997 and was the last release prior to their latest as the band had been inactive for a quite a few years.

Their latest album features tunes that have had a major influence on them musically. Bands like Heaven 17, The Human League, Devo and Gary Numan are represented. The music is pure electronic with a heavy helping of unadulterated synth pop. It's a fun record, heavily influenced by the '80s electronic style but don't expect anything earth shattering here. Tunes like the album opening "Praying To The Aliens", originally released by Gary Numan and Heaven 17's "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" are extremely catchy and uplifting. The robotic vocal intro in the latter sounds pretty cool. They even dive into Walt Disney with an electronified version of "Heffalumps and Woozles" taken from the classic film Winnie The Pooh. The band is able to keep the child-like innocence that is so prevalent on the original version. Other highlights include a synthetic percussive groove highlighting Sisters of Mercy's "Dominion" as well as an intriguing cover of the '70s pop ballad "Kiss You All Over" by Exile, completely revamped mixing talking, robotic and whispered vocals encased in a catchy shroud of pure synthetic pop bliss.

I found Orders Of Magnitude to be a nice diversion to my regular listening habits and did strike a nerve of nostalgia, bringing back memories of the British new wave of electronic sounds from the late '70s/early '80s. If you are not adverse to synthesized pop music you might want to give this one a listen.

Track Listing:
1. Praying To The Aliens
2. (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
3. Heffalumps And Woozles
4. State Of The Nation
5. Dominion
6. Kiss You All Over
7. Beautiful World
8. Capital I
9. Don't You Want Me
10. Man In The Dark Sedan
11. Me And My Rhythm Box

Added: January 8th 2017
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1703
Language: english

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