They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus

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合計収録時間 : 00:44:24
Nearly two decades after the post-punk/new wave era began stuttering to an end, bionic German band the Robocop Kraus bring it revving back to life in all its glory. This, the group's fourth album, continues where their earlier ones left off, with an orgiastic homage to that bygone era, and lyrics as shaded and shadowed as anything released in the '80s. Obviously, the Coppers aren't the first band to be highly influenced by the past, but if their robotic name suggests they're merely welding together elements of their favorite originators, think again, for the Germans are much more creative than that. Shades of Simple Minds, dollops of Devo, frissons of Gang of Four, wisps of Wire, glamours of Bauhaus, the synthetic bounce of the Silicon Teens, the edginess of early Ultravox, the inspirational jangle of U2's guitars -- all slip in and out of the band's mix. Even the drive of Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" powers through a couple of numbers, notably "All the Good Men." It's evident that these Cops lived and breathed these groups and more for so long that their sounds have seeped deep under their skins. However, with such varied influences, and a distinctive light touch, Kraus doesn't particularly sound like any of these specific groups, but a wondrous melange of music that encompasses the entire era. They Think They Are the Robocop Kraus takes the group to a new high: the choruses are even more infectious, the hooks even stronger, the sound bigger, and the atmospheres more pronounced. As always, the lyrics are equal to the music: thought provoking, image evoking, with some verging on surreal, others skewering contemporary climes. The Robocops agilely surf the new wave into modern times, and though the '80s are long gone, splashy guitar, lavish synths, and dance-fired rhythms have yet to go out of fashion. ~ Jo-Ann Greene