aaamusic | On 05, Feb 2012

It’s unarguable that there’s a stigma attached to Pop music, or at least synth pop. That it’s novelty music, tacky, disposable stuff that exits the mind as easy as it enters. And to an extent it’s sort of justified. But there have been artists working at the sidelines of the mainstream who have been creating synth based pop that’s as intelligent as it is straight up fun, Azari & III seem to be heading that way on their debut album. In terms of pop it ticks all the correct boxes, pretty much every song is carried on an enormous singalong hook and at a tempo designed to make you nod your head but it’s the subtleties that make this album something rather special in itself.

 

For one thing, there’s the fact that roughly half the album is made up of instrumentals, and the really shocking thing is that they are equally good, sometimes even better than the more traditional songs on the rest of the record. Infiniti especially, with its haunting, sci-fi-esque keyboard hook, minimalist bassline and scattershot beats creating something infinitely engaging without so much as a breath of vocals. Very impressive indeed, and also a joy to actually dance to. Y’know, that thing that pop music was built on, this music, at it’s best, makes you want to just lose it in a similar way to the new Scissor Sisters single does, it’s outrageously fun, but in a way that doesn’t diminish on repeat listening. Or sobriety. But then again, the gold on this album does come from its single, Reckless (With Your Love), vocal performance like honey, propulsive disco throb and a masterful way of building up sensuous, simmering tension throughout the whole track and pulls off not ever releasing it in a way that doesn’t make the listener feel cheated. Clearly, this Toronto based quartet can do no wrong.

 

This kind of subtle yet hip shaking synth pop is all over the rest of this album, not least in banker bating cut Hungry For The Power, Undecided, simultaneously one of the most accessible cuts and the only track with an intro that sounds like a sampled aircraft carrier engine. In short, it’s awesome! In all this album is pretty damn good, the instrumentals can sometimes drag and you do sometimes wish singers Fritz Helder and Cedric could wrap their immaculate pipes around some better lyrics but in all this is something rather special indeed, if there’s any justice, this’ll be taken to heart by a lot of people as it’s intelligent enough to appeal to an audience not taken by pop, and pop enough to be… well, popular. Here’s hoping!

 

Will Howard