Timecop1983
Reflections

So, a time cop from the past is what I am dealing with this time. Reflections is the name of the album and it certainly looks like something from the books of musical history – like something that will make the nostalgias drool in anticipation. The press sheet contains words like Dreamwave a concoction including the finest sound-ingredients of 80's nostalgia, retro-synthpop boosted with positive energy and a lot of auditory love. Alphaville, A-Ha and the likes of those then – something that makes some people go wow. But I don’t know, I think eighties nostalgia is pointless as it was the time that gave rise to most that is bad with the world today although some really great music also saw light of day that decade – and so did I.

Synth pop is what it is; it feels like the album is doing its best to emulate 1983 or something to that end. The tracks ooze nostalgia and it is difficult to avoid thinking about the NES gaming machine, the Gameboy and the mobile phone that you needed a car to transport. I also believe it will be difficult listening to the album without a little bit of a smile on your face as you are pulled into a world where there was no tomorrow and the ego was growing uncontrollably – it was probably a great time for some. This album probably makes those people remember that time, it is very well produced, the vocal performances are very solid all the way through – one could miss the sense of novelty though, as it sounds very much like something from the time referred to in the artist’s name.

This is great music and I would describe it as great in its best moments. However, it is also a lazy album, copying something already done like painting by numbers isn’t exactly what I would call a creative approach. It feels like I have heard it before, like déjà vu if you like. And the album is way too long and a too big a part of it runs on idle. There are flashes of brilliance and a few songs are really great (and I really like this kind of music) but they are just too few and too far between, the album as a whole feels tired, dated and devoid of imagination. Synth pop or Dreamwave as they called it in the press info can be fantastic and fresh, I have seen a few of those in my mailbox during my Hallowed years but this is only that good in small parts and it is certainly not fresh – rather kind of dusty and lacking relevance.

I think that this time police should return to the drawing board, 1983 was more than 30 years ago and emulating it straight on is bound to feel irrelevant – sure there is a large following for any kind of nostalgia but the world does better to move on, certainly from the eighties. You can make this kind of music that is relevant if you make it right and forget to emulate the past, novelty is a part of a great album. Two or three songs are great, I didn’t check the display on my iPod when they came up and I don’t want to rummage through the list of songs to find a pair of a songs that are noteworthy on an album that is mostly as entertaining as an episode of antiques roadshow.

HHHHHHH