No need to worry, this has nothing to do with Christmas songs sung by cats. The cat is the sign of C-A-D, a Houston based organization with various activities for the proliferation of American synth pop, with the involvement of well-known bands like Information Society, Cause & Effect, Anything Box or Red Flag. CatCompilation II is a sampler that features tracks by some of these bands, as well as lesser-known ones.
It feels sort of strange when the music style that was once a whole new revelation reveals feelings of nostalgia, and you realize that almost 15 years have passed since the great days of New Order or Depeche Mode. But it is good to see that most of the current bands try to go beyond those standards, and work with new influences. Information Society give a perfect example of that, weaving industrial noises and goth keyboard lines into the classic synth pop pattern. Many of the contributors draw from dance/techno. "House Not Made With Hands" by Machine In Motion, with its dance beat and the extremely catchy melody, is fully in the trend of (European) hits, only that it is of much better quality than those. Should be a smash hit! Another highlight is "Strictly Digital" by Talent Mafia, where the title almost says it all: digitally processed vocals and an irresistible, electronic sound that approaches Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Anything Box also contribute a very interesting track, with some drum sounds, and band member Dania is also present with a solo track, featuring beautiful vocals and experimental keyboard sounds.
Others stay closer to the tradition, but all tracks are at a very high quality level. E. g. Forgiving Iris deliver wonderful vocals, and also Turning Keys wrote a melody that could make Human League or Erasure jealous.
Even if synth pop is not a current trend, this sampler is a lot of fun to listen to, and a great way to get an overview of today's bands. And in a time where music styles get recycled all the time, why not make '96 the year of the synth pop revival? You can start right in your living room, with CatCompilation II.
Bands featured: Information Society, L.E.D., Channel 69, Anything Box, Seven Red Seven, Dania, Machine In Motion, Division Of Beat, Forgiving Iris, Still, Cosmicity, Turning Keys, Talent Mafia, Release, Elizabeth, Realtime.
More information about getting this release and about C-A-D in general can be obtained from CADInfo@aol.com. $1 from each sale goes to support of HIV/AIDS victims.
