Lets get funky, freaky, fresh, and full. This is quite a recent discovery for me. I had been listening to a podcast and the name came up. What I found blew my mind. I wondered how this had flown under the radar for me. It turned out the timing was even more coincidental with the news breaking that Ryuichi Sakamoto passed on March 28th, just a couple days after discovering the band. This is a pioneering album. You can see the lasting impact the band and album had in the music around them. I can feel the vibrations of this music all over video game music. But, also across a wide variety of genre's. Because they were an early electronic band they introduced possibilities for vast new sounds. New sounds that played fast and loose. Sounds we couldn't make before. I think this album is an amazing listen. It has earned a place in my playlists. 

The sound is full and it would almost be cliche if they hadn't done most of it first. "Technopolis" Is this rousing jam with funky bass and driving beat. "Absolute Ego Dance" Is a weird and silly tune with a sound that I'm sure I could point out in pop songs of later eras. "Rydeen" is an absolute power rhythm. Soaring notes and arpeggiation make it hard to keep from moving. It would feel at home in a video game for certain. "Castalia" is a slower jam with feeling. A sort of mystery and questioning come with the sound. "Behind the Mask" has some sick vocoder, a great melody line, and an altogether sci-fi vibe. "Day Tripper" is an outrageous and off kilter cover of the song. It feels a little closer to describing the feeling of day tripping I would suspect. "Insomia" is another slow down. It surely feels like the dead of night. It sounds like wandering rooms with no rest in sight. A little desperate and a little depressed. We end off with the spectacular "Solid State Survivor" to bring us back to the pop jams. It has some almost psychedelic vibes, with an overtone I would recognize in lots of 80's pop songs.

You'll note that I recommend literally every song and I will absolutely stand by that. This album is a must. If you have an affinity for synth-pop, video game soundtracks, or electronic music; this album can give you something great. My discovery of this album validates so much of what I have been trying to do lately. To explore new music. Some of it is new and recent. Some of it is new, but old and can strike a revelatory chord for so much other music. I hope this album can also help you explore. Maybe you will come out a survivor.