List | M | The Mobile Homes | 'Mobile Homes' CD 1998

Track:	Name:	Time:
1.	United	4:25
2.	You Make The Sun Shine	4:22
3.	See The World	4:22
4.	Definitly Wrong	4:33
5.	Love Relation	4:22
6.	Take It Or Leave It	4:55
7.	String Of Light	4:20
8.	Paradise	4:46
9.	I Do What I Can	3:45
10.	United Reprise	2:50
11.	Circle Of Stars	5:26
	Total	48:06

Comments:

Finally, four years after 'Sport Olympics', the follow-up to T.E.S.T., was to be initially released, and six years in total since that album, the Mobile Homes return with a new album. Or do they? Is it really Mobile Homes, or is it Electronic with a replacement singer?

The band once accused of being a Swedish carbon-copy of Depeche Mode have changed style completely during their six-year absence. Karl Bartos (once of Kraftwerk but more recently Elektric Music) who worked with Marr and Sumner on the second Electronic album has produced this album with the band and even co-written many of the songs. There is an apparent similarity, and supposedly Bartos own new material will have this Electronic type sound as well. Yes, there are guitars on this album. All over the place. I expect this to put off the synth purists.

Somehow I can't help feeling a bit cheated of a great band; after waiting so long for 'Sport Olympics' (having to make do with Meanwhile as a teaser) it feels like a bit of a let-down to hear they've drastically changed style. I never thought that they did sound too much like Depeche Mode (although many people seem to disagree with me on this), but this is almost plagiarising Electronic to the full extent. They even cover the entire Electronic spectra, from the weak Pet Shop Boys cooperations to the Smiths-like guitar pop to the more disco-ish Elektric Music type upbeat stuff.

That said, of course Electronic has by no means patented this happy pop-mix of guitars and synths, and I must admit that Mobile Homes pull it off rather well. Some songs are damn catchy, and I have to give in in spite of my initial disappointment. For some reason though, the singer's voice sound more Swedish to me now than on their older material, but that might just be becase I'm used to crappy singers in synth bands but not in pop bands.

Even though many tracks are really catchy and hummable, I doubt that Mobile Homes will be gaining many new fans; this style isn't too commercially successful and it's rarely played on the radio/TV (well, Electronic got a lot of hype for their second album, but I almost never actually heard the songs). I do think that they'll lose quite a few old fans though, specifically the more "pure-synth" crowd. I suppose this album will really only appeal to old Mobile Homes fans who are also into Electronic (like me). On the other hand, if they got some media coverage (can you say ZTV?) they might actually have a few hits on their hands; 'United' and 'Definitely Wrong' have a certain hit potential, but I just assume that the people not previously familiar with this band won't get to hear them. A pity, since they're actually quite good, while very different from their old stuff.

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