Review Summary: The guys who have done the Ferris Bueller and Duffman song still prove that they can make great music (in this case, with some minor flaws).
The Swiss electronic music duo
Yello is unstoppable from releasing records. Primarily known for the 1985 soundtrack classic “Oh Yeah”, which has been used in “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” among various other movies, their debut “Solid Pleasure” turns 40 years old this year. Originally a trio, Dieter Meier and Boris Blank went towards a more commercial direction after the departure of Carlos Perón in 1983, and as a consequence, they scored big successes until the early 1990s. After their chart success, they returned to record more wacky and more experimental albums again; not many of them garnered much attention, but the attention seems to come back.
Nearly 40 years after the release of their debut and four years after their last studio album “Toy”, Yello released their 14th studio album “Point” just two weeks ago, with promising success. In all German-speaking countries, the album reached the top ten, even outselling acts like
Katy Perry and
Gregory Porter in both weeks on the charts, while it did not reach the USA and the UK yet. Enough of background information, now on to the review.
The opening track, “Waba Duba”, which was also the first single released off the album, is notable for a voice speaking the title - the syllables sound like they've been played on a keyboard. The voice recording itself is not that new - it was already used in an advertisement for the mobile music-maker app “Yellofier” several years ago. That could also possibly be the model for some other songs, like the second single titled “Out of Sight”, a more upbeat title and not as wacky as the first single. Regarding those two songs, “Out of Sight” comes closer to the sound of the album as a whole, whose tracks mostly have a more laid-back style, already starting with the second track “The Vanishing of Peter Strong”.
The track “Spinning My Mind” reminded me partially of their 1983 single “Lost Again”, and the track “Rush for Joe”, the only instrumental on the album, perfectly combines coffeehouse-style music with elements of electronic music. But not everything on this album is completely laid-back: it also has a rocker with the title “Hot Pan” (perhaps the secret highlight of the album) which sounds in my ears as a combination of electro-industrial and music which you would normally hear in TV series like the “Thunderbirds”. “Arthur Spark” is also not that quiet.
The final track “Siren Singing”, featuring London-based electronic musician
FiFi Rong, has already got certain influences of ambient, but the song got a more mystical feeling when the guest singer got her turn. The surprisingly loud horns at the end of this song also mark the end of what can be considered a variety showcase of laid-back experimental electronic music. As the title says, Yello made their “Point”. Right?
Well, almost. The album has got very good tracks, but the more upbeat and/or louder tracks are possibly a bit too less on here, especially those in a jock jam style. But still, this album proves that people should not reduce Yello to one of the most overused soundtrack cues. Not everybody will like this album, but fans of experimental music will possibly have their fun on this one.
