Mesh recently released a video in which Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn provide an update on their new album, which is due to be released in October, and preview the first single from it, Only Better.

It’s a very cool song, with all of the signature traits that made We Collide such an outstanding release – the driving beat, the lush arrangement and Mark’s distinctive vocals. Hearing this “teaser” makes me really excited to see what the rest of the album will sound like!

Only Better will be released as a single on September 4th – just a little over a month away. Very, very cool!

As a DM fan from way back who hasn’t been satisfied with any of their releases since Ultra, I was prepared not to like their new release, Sounds of the Universe. In fact, when I listened to the 30-second clips of the first two songs released on iTunes about a month ago, I wasn’t impressed at all. It met my expectations – from what I could hear, the songs sounded aimless and uninspired. In retrospect, that just goes to show you how limiting a 30-second song clip can be. Last week, I listened to a number of the full tracks on YouTube, and was impressed enough to download the entire album from iTunes.

Now that I’ve had a chance to listen to it (nearly non-stop) for several days, here’s my verdict:

Sounds of the Universe is Depeche Mode’s best effort in many years! Their latest release takes a retro turn; Martin Gore utilized analog synthesizers on this album, which gives many of the tracks a more interesting and colorful sound. Also prevalent on a number of songs is a rather fuzzy sounding electric guitar, which is used with great effect to punctuate many of the well-written songs. Each track has little touches that make it a delight to listen to on headphones. I listened to the entire album for the first time on my iPod Touch while walking at the local health club, and found myself smiling again and again, and going “Wow – what a cool song!” more than once. My favorite tracks include In Chains, Little Soul, Perfect, Miles Away, Corrupt and Oh Well (Black Light Odyssey Mix).

As a whole, Sounds of the Universe is an amazingly strong effort from the group that helped to define the synthpop genre over 20 years ago. Two thumbs way up!

If you are new to synthpop that electronic music, one of the questions you’re probably asking is, “Where can I buy this amazing music?” The definitive source for everything synthpop is Todd Durrant’s excellent online store, A Different Drum (http://www.adifferentdrum.com). No matter how obscure the artist or track, chances are Todd either has it in his catalog, or can find it for you. What’s more, he also runs a small independent synthpop music label, which includes such notable acts as Neuroactive, The Echoing Green, Kiethevez,  Rename, Rupesh Cartel, Wave in Head and many others – 51 in all. Todd seems to have a special talent for finding and producing promising synthpop groups!

If you want to get a sense for the variety of songs that make up modern synthpop, all you have to do is visit the home page of A Different Drum. A pop-up music player appears, playing dozens of songs that showcase a diversity of song styles and artists. These aren’t just song samples, either, but complete tracks. Great stuff!

In fact, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that Todd Durrant is the “guardian angel” of synthpop music. Of all of the people in this underappreciated music genre, Todd has done more to keep the flame burning and to relentlessly innovate to help grow this fascinating and multi-faceted musical niche. In recent years, he has experimented with holding synthpop music festivals, sending sampler CDs with each mail order, selling a specially packaged collection of science-fiction short stories and companion songs to accompany each one, releasing themed compilation CDs, even releasing selected remixes from several of his label artists on vinyl!

As Todd explains in his recently-launched weblog, it has been a struggle to keep A Different Drum going. Like many other small, independent music labels, Todd’s business is adversely affected by illegal music downloads, which are now rampant. Even some of most obscure, limited releases have found their way to online music sharing services within a matter of weeks of their release, much to Todd’s dismay. Running such a business certainly is not a way to get rich quick, as Todd will be the first one to tell you.  But there is no question that he is passionate about this musical genre.

I, for one, deeply appreciate all that he’s done to support and grow the synthpop music genre. Please be sure to support his tireless efforts by purchasing music from his online store. And if you want to keep up with what’s new in this musical world, be sure to sign up for his weekly e-mail newsletter, which always highlights the latest and greatest and also calls attention to special promotions and discounts from time to time.

Keep up the great work, Todd!

Rupesh Cartel’s 2007  release, The Disco and the What Not, is one of those CDs that I never get tired of. It contains an amazing collection of songs that are a delight to listen to on headphones. Lush, layered synthesizer arrangements combined with Viktor Ginner’s strong, expressive vocals are the closest thing to “ear candy” that I have experienced in some time.

The CD opens with the title track, which would sound right at home in any dance club around the world. Next comes About Denial, which is a catchy, uptempo song with some neat synth touches and vocal harmony. If you buy the deluxe 2 CD version of The Disco and the What Not, includes several great remixes of this song, including a club version and very good one by Rename.

One of my favorite tracks on the CD is Comes the Hour, Comes the Man. Its chorus is punctuated by sharp, rhythmic sythesizer riffs that sound really cool. Another standout is The Abyss, which opens with an echoey lead guitar (!) all by itself that sounds like it has been run through a synthesizer. Then the synths kick into a layered arrangement. The lyrics are interesting, too, including lines like “Homes. Locking doors for safety/And things will stay the same/We let sleeping dogs lie.” In other words, we tend not to like to disturb the status quo, because change could be even worse than our existing dire situation.

Hide Like This is anotehr notable track, which gets a very cool remix from Lowe on the bonus CD, adding guitars to the brew of synthesizers to excellent effect. Ghost White is the single from this CD, and it’s another great song. A very bright, percussive set of synthesizers carry the melody of this fun track, and the vocals are sung in harmony. It’s a great choice for the single.

In conclusion, The Disco and the What Not is one of my favorite CDs!

Until the release of their new CD, Terrorist TV (launched on September 11th, naturally!), I was only familiar with Foretaste through several of their remixes. But all that changed when I downloaded this fine CD from iTunes. It’s one of the most amazing new releases of 2008, from a French duo that few people have ever heard of. Foretaste is a duo with enigmatic names: XX handles the vocals with a very capable, sexy-sounding voice – with a French accent, of course – while XY does some very creative programming and backing vocals.

Terrorist TV opens with the song “Dying for the First Time in My Life,” the first of several dance-floor friendly tracks on the CD. “21″ is another excellent dance track, with a pulsating beat and expressive vocals. My particular favorite on Terrorist TV, however, is “Soft and Delicate,” which grabs ahold of you from the opening notes and never lets go. This excellent  song has a techo feel, and is punctuated by playful synthesizer riffs and spoken vocals in several places. This CD also features several mid- and down-tempo tracks, which are equally as good.

One other track that is worthy of note is “The Virgin Concept,” a 1-minute instrumental that contains a pulsating synthesizer sound that is like nothing I’ve ever heard. It’s pretty cool, especially with the speakers or headphones turned up loud. It just resonates inside your head!

I’m normally not a big fan of female-fronted synthpop bands, but Foretaste is an amazing exception. I highly recommend this CD, as well as their first one, Beautiful Creatures. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

For more info:

Band website: http://www.foretaste-music.com
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/foretaste
Where to buy: A Different Drum