Review Summary: I've wasted many days and nights.
He awoke in sweat. The noise of the cosmic thunderstorm coming through his window, he jumped out of his little niche, already fully dressed. The time has come. He kicked in his door and ran through the neon-green metal hallway. There was only one thing on his mind. Victory. And he knew he was going to accomplish it. The small electronic torches gave way to a richly decorated hall with many round doors. A sound came out of the one to his left. He grinned. It was going to happen. Now.
What can you even say about Andrew Huang at this part of his career? Multi-instrumentalist, multi-talent, producer, conqueror of a ridiculously large amount of genres, all these things jump into consideration. Kicking his game in so many diverse ways, it is always hard to imagine what he will come up with next. Just one thing is for sure, it will be unexpected. And unexpected it was, when he released a 59-song compilation of his early work, seemingly showing everything he can work with, although being jaw-droppingly long. But still, he found a way to surprise again with his next album.
Who in their right mind has the idea to release a New-Wave album in 2012? Well, Andrew. But, when I'm talking New-Wave, I don't mean an updated version, I mean full-on, in-your-face, spandex-wearing and blazing synth New-Wave. It is all there! The blazing choruses, the over-the-top vocal stylings, the reverb-y guitars, the catchy synth-melodies, the laughable but adorable lyrics, all is in place. Hell, even the out-of-place saxophone solo can be found! The question you should be asking yourself now is: Why?
Because it works, that's why. The eight songs on this album are all absolute perfection. His impression of 80s music is so on point, it's almost a bit ridiculous. Each song is chock-full of catchy hooks, precise songwriting, nothing is too repetitive. Whenever you feel he might have made a filler-track, he kicks things into gear, he adds another layer, he slaps you with amazing songwriting, a killer guitar-solo, gang-vocals. And even when you think he might be a little bit too much into samey-sounding material, a song like Desolation comes along, which features him rapping. As you see, even when he paints an impression of another era of music, this is still undeniably Andrew. And this Andrew just happens to be on his songwriting a-game.
His instrumental work on this album is a bit toned down, but considering the nature of this kind of music, that is totally acceptable. His drumming is uncomplex, but fitting, his piano-playing is very melodic, with the most cheesy setting on his keyboard you could possibly imagine. His bass-programming sounds exactly like basslines you could hear in big hits from Rick Astley or Flock of Seagulls. And lastly, his guitar playing also is pretty much exactly like you would expect it to sound like when you think back to the 80s.
His lyrics on this album are the most laughable he has ever written. Cheesy to a brim, smelling of kitsch, you have heartbreaking love-songs like Boombox and Sara, songs about never looking back and the always classic Every Night I Dream Of Dancing. And yet, it fits. These songs are so anthemic, you have no choice but to scream the chorus at the top of your lungs. Managing to make such a horrible idea on paper so awesome in praxis is nothing short of amazing.
So, in conclusion, here we have the most in-your-face nostalgia-trip of the last 5 or 6 years. And it is absolutely freaking amazing. Everything is perfectly placed, everything fits, everything sounds nice, every song is an instant hit. There is absolutely no reason for you to not listen to this, except, of course, you hate 80s New Wave.
The wind was blowing in his face, the gallop of his sturdy old horse carrying him up to the mountaintop. Arriving there, a lightning stroke in the distance, illuminating the cliff in front of him, the diamonds to his side and the horn of his horse. He looked ahead, into what was awaiting him. He clutched his laser-sword and his ray-gun. He screamed „Into victory!“ and his unicorn took a mighty leap forward. And it was at that moment, that time seemed to pause. Just to freeze that glorious picture of a man with a laser-sword and a ray-gun riding a unicorn into battle while lightning strikes. And it was glorious.
