Client’s Heartland is an album that exists in the same electropop universe as Goldfrapp and Annie, as well as 80s bands like New Order and Pet Shop Boys. I love this kind of music, and as a result, I really enjoyed this album, but it’s not the kind of work that transcends the genre. If you like slick, icy electropop, this is a great album to check out, thoroughly enjoyable, but not quite making it to transcendent.

The album opens with its best track, the dark, enveloping “Heartland.” The song’s driving synthesizers and tinkling guitar lines recall Depeche Mode, in the same way that a lot of Gwen Stefani’s recent work does. The droning synths create a great atmosphere, and the chanted, almost robotic delivery of the course really sells the song. You can practically see a smoky club, in a future that looks suspiciously like the 80s.

Most of the other songs are more upbeat and poppy. “Drive” and “Lights Go Out” work well, really catchy, smartly written pop songs. The instrumental solo in the middle of “Drive” is a particular highlight. The opening build of “Lights Go Out” is pretty cool as well, setting up a grand stage before segueing into a glam rock stomp.

The problem with some of these songs is that they cross from pop catchy to just annoying. “Zerox Machine” is the worst offender, all surface, no layers, and as a result, it becomes tired before you even finish listening to it. But even within that song, there’s some strong moments. I suppose it’s the album’s adherence to traditional pop chorus/verse structures that at times prevents it from reaching something higher. It’s the breakdowns and instrumental sections where the album really shines.

In a song like “Heartland,” which seamlessly mixes the vocals into a larger atmospheric tapestry, the band excels. It’s not that their singing is bad, it’s more that I like the way that song emphasizes the robotic quality of the delivery, and synthetic quality of their voices. “It’s Not Over,” another darker number, works well, with ethereal wisps of vocal cascading over a deeper vocal. A song like “Lights Go Out” begs for an extended, instrumental remix, because the backing beat is so phenomenal, it can get a bit buried under the less extraordinary vocals. With a band like this, the lyrics aren’t the point, the vocals are merely a structural element around which they can build the rest of the song.