Recently, I have found myself revisiting music that was released a long, long time ago. In many ways, this is disappointing; there seems to be little new music that interests me. However, in other ways, it is terribly exciting to discover something released 15 or 20 years ago that holds my interest even now. Even with a ton of CDs and a zillion digital music files, there's a lot out there that I've never heard before.
Ever since I became a subscriber to XM Satellite Radio, I have been glued to "Fred," one of the station's alternative channels. While they play many songs with which I am familiar — "Bluebeard" by Cocteau Twins, "Snowman" by XTC, and "The Love Parade" by Dream Academy, for example — I am constantly discovering songs that I've never heard before and that I quickly grow to love.
One such song is "Perfect Way" by Scritti Politti, from their 1985 album Cupid & Psyche '85. After a quick trip to Newbury Comics, I had the album in my hand. I'm not sure why Scritti Politti escaped my radar; as a huge fan of synthpop, I've been buying up whatever I can get my hands on for the past few years. My love of Prefab Sprout knows no bounds, and I think that Joni Mitchell's album Dog Eat Dog is as good (and sometimes even better!) than anything she wrote during her better-known singer/songwriter period. But, for some reason, Scritti Politti's music had been missing.
Those of you who grew up with the album probably remember it fondly. How can you not listen to "Absolute" without tapping your feet? To "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" without scratching your head? To "The Word Girl" without wishing for another go 'round of that perfect chorus? Arif Mardin's production is immaculate, with the swooping synth sounds of the Fairlight CMI adding texture after texture after texture. Although Scritti Politti's follow-up album, Provision, is heavier on the synths (amazingly enough), it doesn't contain the warmth and enthusiasm that Cupid... does.
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Article comments
1 - Anna Creech
Welcome to Blogcritics! Looking forward to reading more of your reviews.