If the characters in the video-game film
Tron
had an LP collection,
New Musik
's
Warp
would be continuously spinning on the turntable. Like
Kraftwerk
,
were
techno
-
pop
pioneers;
is essentially
's futuristic dance music without the German accents and the icy hooks. If the tracks on
sound familiar, it's probably because the album's chilly keyboards and mechanical percussion helped to form the blueprint for '80s synth acts such as
I Start Counting
and
Depeche Mode
and the
electronica
artists that followed in the '90s like
the Crystal Method
the Prodigy
. That doesn't mean they're entirely original.
"Here Come the People"
opens up with funky riffs prevalent among club-oriented
new wave
bands from the early '80s; its robotic, monotonous vocals are snagged from
.
Tony Mansfield
(vocals, keyboards, guitars) has a thin voice that sometimes recalls
Tim Finn
of
Split Enz
. Unfortunately,
Mansfield
sings without emotion and his often cryptic lyrics are repetitive and uninvolving. If songs such as
"Kingdoms for Horses"
or
"The New Evolutionist (Example 'A')"
are actually about anything, a casual listener wouldn't be able to solve the puzzle. However,
"A Train on Twisted Tracks,"
"I Repeat,"
"The Planet Doesn't Mind"
don't need comprehensible lyrics; they may not have much heart, but it can be fun listening to the lads play with their high-tech gadgets. [Originally released in 1982,
was reissued with bonus tracks in 2001.] ~ Michael Sutton