It's not uncommon for a late-'90s band to take pleasure in the overdone synth reliance of the early '80s -- the key is that for this to sound good, it has to get past retro-kitschiness and actually use the sound seriously. manage to find a good combination of both -- the jerky, robotic synth work of their self-titled album doesn't come across as a trick or a gimmick, electing instead to approach some serious and darkly compelling moments. Most engaging is a dedication toward structures that puts the focus on the songwriting, rather than the group's wild synth constructions ( ), and the gleefully serious way romp through these forms puts the icy textures of their keyboards very much to their advantage. The resulting album is fairly brilliant, in several different ways: anyone who remembers driving, key-heavy tracks like ' (or in general) may get nostalgic; on the other end, anyone who's enjoyed the more synth resurrections of groups like may appreciate hearing a side to this sound. ~ Nitsuh Abebe