List | S | Statemachine | 'Avalanche Breakdown' CD 1996

Track:	Name:	Time:
1.	Thermal Noise	6:14
2.	A Crying Statue	4:14
3.	Happy Endings	5:34
4.	Negative Feedback	4:41
5.	Comprehensive	3:55
6.	Computer Analysis	6:59
7.	Hologram	3:36
8.	In The Distance	5:03
9.	Music From The End Of The World	5:27
10.	A Quiet Decision	5:26
10.	Harmonic Oscillators	4:49
10.	A Man With Two Drum Machines	2:20
	Total	56:50

Comments:

Now this album really surprised me; if I hadn't gotten it for free I probably never would have bought it, having heard the awful Eurodisco-ish first single Hologram. Fortunately, the rest of the album is so incredibly much better. Ok, so there are some hints of Eurodisco in 'Thermal Noise' as well, but not as much. Of course, if I was a record label, I'd probably pick 'Hologram' as a first single as well, because of its rather apparent hit potential.

Most of the other songs are rather slow, with nice synth arrangements and good vocals, male and female. Considering how rare this is these days among new Swedish synth pop bands this alone would make it worthwhile. But, there's more: the lyrics often have some slight twist to them that appeals quite a great deal to me, like "wouldn't want to stir things up, just because I'm dead" or "I have decided you will love me, if ever so briefly". Can't help it, but it really appeals to me. Also, the desolate feeling in songs like 'Computer Analysis' and 'Happy Endings' are truly hitting a soft spot somewhere in me. I love it. And to think I could have missed out on this band just because of their crappy first single.

It's really hard to pick highlights on this album, since pretty much everything is excellent apart from the aforementioned disco-ish tunes, but if I must I'd pick (in some sort of no-particular-order-yet-somewhat-rated) 'Computer Analysis', 'A Crying Statue' (which is vastly improved in this original state), 'In The Distance', 'Happy Endings', Negative Feedback','A Quiet Decision', 'Music From The End Of The World', 'Comprehensive' and 'Thermal Noise' (the non-disco part of it). Ooops, I guess that's all of them. Oh well. Go buy this album if you like slow, dark-ish melodic synth pop. Clearly one of the best albums of 1996 in my opinion.

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