This is the single from the upcoming album from Dekad, Monophonic, which features the female lead singer of the French synthpop duo Foretaste.

This single from the excellent French synthpop group Foretaste has a great club beat to it.

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

I love synthpop. My iPod has over 2,000 songs as of last count. I love the process of discovering new music. I have to wade through a lot of stuff that just doesn’t tickle my ears, but when I do find something notable, it’s very exciting. Here are five of my favorite synthpop acts, who have been in heavy rotation on my iPod Touch lately:

• De/vision – Does German synthpop get any better than this?
• Foretaste – An obscure French group that has put out two remarkable CDs
• Mesh – We Collide is their best CD yet. I can’t wait for what’s next!
• Rupesh Cartel – This group from Sweden features great vocals and incredible synth instrumentation. They have a unique but very engaging style!
• Marsheaux – These two s from Greece are a little more on the poppy side, but display an amazing knack for writing songs that stick in your brain and play over and over. Great stuff!