EUROVISION - INTRODUCTION
EuroVision are an unsigned American duo that feature songwriter, keyboardist & drummer Joe Ramey with fellow songwriter and vocalist Mike Allred, they produce a dark, mid-paced style of Electro Pop greatly influenced by early-90s Depeche Mode with the addition of a strong and powerful vocalist. EuroVision are planning on releasing their debut album, a sampler of most of the tracks that should feature on that album are reviewed below while I've also added a review of an unreleased 'EP' from the band.
TITLE - 'I'M ON FIRE E.P'
01 - Tonight
02 - Forever Is Never Enough
03 - Don't Abuse Me
04 - Without You
05 - (Without You) I Just Don't Belong
REVIEW
This is an unreleased five track 'EP' that simply features five different tracks, no remixes or cover versions just the original tracks. From the five tracks that are on offer it's the final track '(Without You) I Just Don't Belong' that is for me the strongest and best track here, the mid-paced track rolls along nicely with some neat synth touches and strong emotional vocals on a track that will easily gain the band itself some attention while equally excellent and impressive is 'Don't Abuse Me', opening with a great analogue style early-OMD style riff it leads into solid mid-paced percussion that builds well to a strong chorus, for me it's the second best track here with the vocals sounding stronger and more Synth Pop orientated on this particular track while the mainly excellent and more mid-paced 'Without You' is another track of note, but that touch of guitar (?) doesn't appeal to me while also here is the more up-tempo 'Tonight' which features one of those guitar style synth riffs partly combined with semi-sung Pet Shop Boys style vocals, the slower 'Forever Is Never Enough' features some good vocals, but the track itself fails to leave its mark. Both the excellent '(Without You) I Just Don't Belong' & 'Don't Abuse Me' and too a less extent 'Without You' combined with the vocals of Mike Allred show some of the potential and promise that EuroVision have and can deliver,
RATING - 7
TITLE - UNTITLED / ALBUM SAMPLER
01 - Give It Up
02 - Lost
03 - We Can Make It Through
04 - Without You (I Just Don't Belong)
05 - If Love Is Only Sleeping
06 - Please
07 - Forever Is Never Enough (Dance Mix)
08 - Pretending
09 - You're So Fine
10 - Who's To Blame
REVIEW
This album sampler features ten tracks and includes two tracks that originally appeared on their unreleased 'EP' 'Without You (I Just Don't Belong)' and 'Forever Is Never Enough' which appears here as a 'Dance Mix'. This sampler CD features a more mid-paced and slightly mellow feel to their brand of Electro Pop with the CD opening with the simple, steady and light 'Give It Up', for me despite it being a very good track it lacks something to fully grab your attention while the following track 'Lost' is another simple and light track that comes across stronger, especially with the programming and the combination of the vocoder led vocals through out the track itself that work well with non-vocoder vocals in the chorus on this excellent track while another gentle mid-paced track is 'If Love Is Only Sleeping', a track that features a simple but typical DM synth guitar style riff, but once again its another track that lacks something to make the track itself stand out more while once again 'Please' is another simple and light track with soaring vocals on the chorus, but picks up into a gentle mid-paced track. Again simple and light is 'Pretending' with strong vocals especially on the chorus and with good programming the track does at times seems somewhat empty while the orchestral touch of piano, strings and the swirling synths of 'We Can Make It Through' add a ballad feel to a strong and excellent track that in turn adds a different touch to the album itself. For me the stronger and better tracks here include once again 'Without You (I Just Don't Belong)' and the excellent and more up-tempo 'Your So Fine' with its bubbly synths and strong vocals while also more up-tempo is the 'Dance Mix' of 'Forever Is Never Enough' which features some good percussion with the remix itself very much adding to the track itself while the album finishes with 'Who's To Blame', another up-tempo track with solid programming and strong, gusty vocals, but for me it lacks something to further enforce the programming and vocals.
If I was to fault EuroVision for anything it would be purely for the fact that some of their tracks can almost sound too similar and from this too simple and light while occasionally other tracks need that extra touch or two added to them, but in having said that, this is once again another CD that continues to show the impressive vocals of Mike Allred with the potential and promise that EuroVision have and should deliver, while I do feel that the darker and more mid-paced touch to their music would easily appeal more to Depeche Mode fans, especially as EuroVision's brand of Electro Pop clearly isn't that 'light-n-bright' Vince Clarke style of Synth Pop. EuroVision are very much on the right track to being another American band to make a name for themselves, judge for yourself.
RATING - 8
EUROVISION
Contact - eurovision1980@yahoo.com
Website - http://www.geocities.com/eurovisionofficialwebsite/2003.html
DANNY KING / syntheticvision@hotmail.com
'SYNTHETIC VISION' - synth pop fanzine
SEPTEMBER 2003
RATING: 8
Artist Link: http://www.geocities.com/eurovisionofficialwebsite/2003.html
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