EQUATRONIC PLAS:TIQUE ALBUM METAWAVEPOP RELEASE: MARCH, 2002 REVIEW: APRIL 4, 2002

The first Equatronic album "Shadowland" (now deleted) is one of my all time favourite albums. It popped up from nowhere and was released on a label known for more aggressive sounding bands and for not being all that picky about the quality of their signings. I won't mention any names.
The key to good synthpop is, as I've rambled about a thousand times now, quality song writing. Add personal vocals and catchy choruses and you're undoubtedly part of the elite portion of this particular genre.
Equatronic, a k a Oliver Thom and Dorothea Brandt, take turns singing on this, their third album and the first one on new German label MetaWavePop. "Plas:tique", in its entirety, can't reach the almost ridiculous heights of "Shadowland", but there are one or two songs that can, "Kiss My Feet" being one of them. Simple, with bouncy bass lines and Oliver's smooth voice hovering over layers of electronics. The chorus is, as always when Thom is involved in the song writing, almost annoyingly infectious. The same goes for "Shake It" and the slower, heart breaking "Future", where a typical chorus is left out, leaving more room for emotional mood outbursts.
"Plas:tique" compares well to their last album "Motivation", overall I think it's slightly better, actually, and I hope this brings Oliver Thom closer to stardom. He's one of those underrated song writers/vocalists who really deserve it.

NIKLAS FORSBERG