Wave In Head’s MCD, With You, previews some songs from the band’s upcoming CD. Michael Pohl, the sole member of Wave In Head, has cited bands such as Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Yaz, and Erasure as influences. The presence of these bands are apparent, as the songs on this collection maintain the classic synthpop sound, despite the remixed format.
Michael Pohl began this solo effort in Germany in 1993 and did not release his first EP, Rarely, until 1999. 2001 saw the release of Michael’s first full length CD, Time To Speak. As with the aforementioned bands, Michael’s emphasis on melodic structure, and the richness of the vocals, are the primary reasons why Wave In Head is another great synthpop act on the ADD label that deserves attention. Despite being a solo project, Michael raises the bar on the limitations that a solo act can bring to a musical endeavor. Songs like ‘With You’ and ‘Zeitgefühl’ possess the necessary ingredients for successful synthpop: a level of technological expertise that enables the music to provoke emotion, and a knowledge of melodic and harmonic structure that ensures a high aesthetic level. The production quality is also notable as this CD was mastered by Jarkko Tuohimaa of another great synthpop band: Neuroactive. By including Empire State Human and Human Decay in the remix process also was an effective way of varying the sound of one track to another. Even a remix of a track like ‘Progress’ (the only song that was released prior to this CD) by DJ Skot somehow manages to fit. Overall, I recommend this CD to fans of classic synthpop.
RATING: 8
Artist Link: http://www.waveinhead.de
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