I love Mesh and Marsheaux. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Greek synthpop duo remixed Crash, the single from Mesh’s excellent album, We Collide!

A very nice remix of one of my favorite songs from Lumineaux Noir, by the Danish group, Tiger Baby.

The Greek synthpop duo Marsheaux does a marvelously bright and bouncy cover of Pure, the 1989 pop hit from The Lightning Seeds. I listened to the original song before posting this, and I must say – I like Marsheaux’s update of it much better!

Lumineux Noir, the new album from the Greek synthpop girl duo Marsheaux, is a delight to listen to and is one of the top synthpop recordings of 2009, in my opinion. This masterpiece is filled with bright, energetic and memorable pop- and club-oriented songs that are perfect for a sunny summer day.

On this new album, Sophie and Marianthi – the two Greek goddesses who are Marsheaux  –  experiment a bit more with club friendly beats, guitars and the electronic toy-like Casiotone. The album features the girls’ trademark ethereal, seductive vocals, which often venture into beautiful harmonies. The song arrangements display a nice variety, sometimes sparse and other times lush, but never overproduced or campy. Marsheaux’s simple, irresistible melodies and lyrics continued to play in my head for hours after listening to Lumineux Noir — a tribute to Sophie’s and Marianthi’s remarkable songwriting skills.

As suggested by its paradoxical name Lumineux Noir, isn’t all sweetness and light electro-pop.  The album also has its darker touches: The closing track on Lumineux Noir is a very cool, brooding song called Sorrow about love and loss that appears to be inspired by Depeche Mode.

It’s hard to pick a few favorite tracks to recommend to you, because this is such a strong album from beginning to end. If I had to do so, I would say that the songs I like the best are So Far, Exit, Stand By, Loss of Heaven and Sorrow.

In short, two thumbs way up for Lumineux Noir! The album is available on iTunes and from a variety of online music outlets. You can keep up with all of the latest Marsheaux developments on the group’s Facebook page.

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!