Fantastic album
by
gothbear1
One of the best early 80s albums ever! It just happened to have been released in 2010. I really have a hard time describing this bank. I hear elements of "Flowers of Romance" era PIL along with some "Twitch" era Ministry. There is also a Chris and Cosey vibe going on along with some straight up classic dark wave synth pop. Even though there are a lot of influences it all works together fantastically. I highly recommend this album for any dark electronic music fan.
Let it infect you
by
walter.ego
As a huge fan of darker synthpop (new wave, darkwave, gothic rock, krautrock, EBM and "futurepop"), I am finding this is exactly what I have been looking for. What this feels like is a darker Depeche Mode from 1981, with the ethereal synthlines of Berlin. They owe a great deal to the past and to the early 80s, but they cannot be reduced to their influences as some current acts can. They are perhaps an extension of the Thatcher's No Future Britain which spawned punk, extending back in a line of influences. There are few acts doing the same kind of genuine 80s revival that this band is.
Noise and distortion play an important role in the production. I had my eye on this record for some time before I bought it, and was instantly surprised by the substance. The iTunes samples are misleading if you listen through small computer speakers. Don't be fooled by the noise--there's plenty of melody and substance.
The drum machine sounds date later; this is no syruppy synthpop ala later Vince Clarke--it owes something to the industrial percussion of Nitzer Ebb and Front 242 perhaps. Detachments have a harder edge than than their synthpop forebears. They have moments of aggression, such as H.A.L. which seems to be more related to early EBM than punk or the likes of The Faint or Presets (both of whom I like a lot).
Highlights for me are 'I Don't Want to Play' which is highly reminiscent of Speak & Spell era Depeche Mode. It's DM with a layer of distortion and bitterness. Also 'Holiday Romance' which captures the agony of romance. 'H.A.L.' is infectious for its unrelenting percussion and tensely epic synth lines. I rarely skip a track though; it's meaty music. The video for 'H.A.L.' on their myspace page is basically made from THX 1138 clips with the lead singer interposed over the scenes. Big Brother is watching! This is one of my favorite new bands. If you like early synthpop, electro dance rock crossover bands, darkwave, postpunk, you should BUY THIS RECORD. You will not be disappointed. Detachments is at the helm of the 80s renaissance.
