IRIS - Awakening

In 1999 Iris entered the SynthPoP scene with their very successful debut-album "Disconnect". After almost 4 years they are back with their second long-player named "Awakening". Unfortunately Matthew Morris left the band and Andrew Sega took over his position as music-programmer in 2002. Iris also separated from the American label "A Different Drum" and released "Awakening" under a new label named "Diffusion Records". After all these changes, Iris managed to keep their musical style. Very melodic songs with catchy melodies and wonderful ballads are their trademark. Also Reagan's clear and powerful voice is perfectly embedded into the compositions. In comparison with "Disconnect", "Awakening" sounds more up-to-date and refrains from 80s influence. The songs are more harmonious and they guarantee a pleasant listening experience.
"Awakening" is one of the best releases this spring and is a must for all people who like melodic music for dancing and cuddling.

WOLSHEIM - Casting Shadows

The very successful single "Kein Zurück", which entered the German single charts at position 5 and was the precursor for Wolfsheim's new long-player. "Casting Shadows" offers wonderful melancholic melodies which pass through the album without any disruption of the intended sentiment. Wolfsheim purveys their typical style that is punctuated by minimalist sound-structures and some weak, weepy singing. On the whole "Casting Shadows" sound more harmonious than the predecessor "Spectator" which depends heavily on the careful selection of the right songs.
This 2CD album includes a Bonus CD which offers an exclusive version of MAGIX's Music Maker. With this software you can mix your own songs and create your own video based on sounds and videos by Wolfsheim ("Kein Zurück" and "Leave No Deed Undone").

Unfortunately "Casting Shadows" is copy-protected. This copy-protection mechanism is very aggressive and causes lots of problems with different PC-drives, car-audio-systems and DVD-players. It does not include any software player and prevents using this CD on PCs effectively. In my opinion it's not a copy-protection but a playback-protection. That's the reason why I gave back this CD, as INDIGO didn't want to replace this "Un-CD".

CAMOUFLAGE - Me And You (Maxi-CD)

After a long break, Camouflage released their single "Thief" in 1999. Unfortunately a glorious comeback failed to come after a short stay of 2 weeks in the German single charts. Now, in 2003 they are back with a brand-new release named "Me And You", which is taken from the forthcoming album "Sensor". The opening of "Me And You" reminds the listener a little bit of Depeche Mode's "It's No Good". But after some beats you will recognize the well-known "Camouflage style", which fortunately has grown over the last 15 years. As we expect from Camouflage, the song is very melodic and is based on well-done synth-melodies. The sometimes menacing melodies and the very melancholic singing create an interplay of fear and safety. They really understand how to interweave various emotions into their songs. The MCD includes 3 mixes of "Me And You" and a noteworthy B-side called "Perfect".

Unfortunately the CD comes with Cactus DataShield 200 (CDS200) copy protection. It is very compatible but consists of C2 sector errors which demand the error-correction mechanism of each player. An intact CD works well but little scratches may cause drop-outs.

WIDEBAND NETWORK - Orbit (Maxi-CD)

"Orbit" is the debut album by the American band Wideband Network which was released by the American music-label A DIFFERENT DRUM. Wideband Network combines massive electronic sound-structures, strengthened by guitar-playing, with a hint of soul-styled music. They also prove their skill in writing intelligent compositions with propellent beats accompanied by excellent singing. This CDM delivers about 6 remixes and a b-side track named "Crazy". The various high-quality remixes present "Orbit" in different views and gives examples of how versatile this song is. There is no doubt that Wideband Network has piqued my interest and I want to hear more!
Therefore I am looking forward to the debut-album by this talented American SynthPoP band.