Die Young: Stay Pretty

The Thought Criminals, if you didn't already know, hail from London, England and want to take over the world with their brand of music that is both synth and pop, but also has a lot of attitude and guitar/bass. The manifesto appears to be we're going to the best of what synth music of the past had to offer in terms of melody and catchiness, but we're going to do it our way and not follow the herd or play it safe.

Vocalist for the band is Rocky, who is also responsible for general mayhem as well. Lee V2 and Vortex play bass and guitar respectively, as well as backing vocals. Kirlian Blue plays the synths, some vocals and also put together the design for very black booklet. Most people within this genre will know Kirlian by reputation at least, never afraid to tell it as he thinks it is. The only drawback to being so opinionated is if your own delivery falls short of how you think everyone-else should be putting music together, so this album really is a litmus test on Kirlian's opinions. Does it do 'the business'?

Not that I expected anything less based on what I've heard in the past, but this album is does the business and a little bit more. This album has some of the catchiest tracks I've had the pleasure of hearing this year and whilst this won't get album of the year from me (The Killers Sam's Town has that in the bag, in my view), it isn't that far behind. You can put together tracks either in your bedroom or in a major studio with the best equipment, but the acid test is if you hear a track and you can't get it out of your head. The Thought Criminals deliver on this easily and it would be a crying shame if the mainstream doesn't get to hear a few of these tracks, they are that good.

There are two standout tracks on this album: Celebrity and Suicide Bomber. The former has not only already been released as a single but has appeared as a white label in Ibiza and also spawned a more mainstream dance version with female vocals from Rachael Carter. It's a track all about the celebrity culture and how people aspire to the Celebrity tag without actually doing anything to deserve it. Suicide Bomber on the other hand is of much more contentious origins. It's a comment on current times and conflict, but it's incredibly catchy and funny at the same time. Everyone I've played this track for has laughed at some of the lyrics in here, and quite frankly there's no justice if someone didn't take a chance and release this as a single. Would it be controversial? Hell, yeah. We won't make any progress without a bit of controversy though.

Controversy is a word that might just follow this band around though as they don't shy from the world that the likes of Soft Cell inhabited and take it that one stage further. Tracks like Cyberslut, the opener, set the scene but then Date Rape Lovers comes along and stomps all over it. Papa's Got A Brand New Gun tells the story of a stockbroker who has lost everything and goes on a killing rampage with an AK47, complete with breakbeats.

Minimal sort of comes at the halfway point and is a synth-led dance instrumental with oddly enough, minimal lyrics from Rocky. Catchy hook that is oddly familiar. Electricity is a brooding track that definitely isn't an OMD cover, and that's followed immediately by another brooding track in Brixton Briefcase. Good bass and beats on both of these tracks and the synth is 'dirty' rather than a clean crisp sound. Automann is a cacophony of synth lead and seems to be a chav take on driving, very noisy with a nod to Madness by Rocky hidden in there. We're Gonna Party Til The Police Come is almost an update on the Beastie Boys, and alternates between hard synth and an almost soul-like sound. The very last track is a pastiche of a country and western track, insisting that the only good rapper is one who's dead. It's very short and to the point, alternating between Nashville and Cockney.

Overall then, an excellent debut with a lot of variety. The majority is synth-driven, of that there is no doubt, but it's not the sound of the underground and not quite mainstream either. There are no tracks that sound like any other here, so no cut and paste production techniques here. The beats vary and the music changes to suit the mood required of the song. It's not going to be to everyone's liking, I can predict that much now, but this is a solid album and deserves greater exposure.

This review appeared on www.synthpop.net in 2007