Hype is a strange machine. It can promote or kill a band. In the U.K., hype is made into an art form by publications like NME and Time Out London. With London’s own Temposhark, the machine is in overdrive and NME is leading the pack: “What if Trent Reznor was raised on the Pet Shop Boys rather than Einstürzende Neubauten? Think: these dudes.”
With such a sophisticated set of accolades, I slipped Temposhark’s The Invisible Line into the player and jacked the surround with an uncanny mishmash of hesitation and exhilaration swirling in my stomach. Would the blot of over hyped propaganda leave me feeling soured towards this electro-rock duo or would the pair’s debut match the kerfuffle?
Strings. Nothing but strings. That’s the first thing I hear on “Don’t Mess With Me,” the album’s first track. The unfussiness of the song is clear and the vocals flow over it with haughty vanity. By the time singer Rob Diament says “It’s best to keep me pleased,” Temposhark has me in its clutches and this swirling Bond-esque tour de force is a wonderful lead-in.
When the synth kicks in on the colossal hit single “Joy,” The Invisible Line really takes off into the stratosphere of electro-pop righteousness. This Guy Sigsworth (Madonna, Britney Spears) produced sleet-storm of funkiness is going to be killer. The tune has throwback and postmodernism written all over it, offering glimpses of Depeche Mode in all its furious euphoria.
Two tracks in and The Invisible Line has already lived up to the hype, creating at once an infuriatingly captivating pop blast and a sinewy self-satisfaction with quick punches. It helps matters that the boys never let up. Diament and programmer Luke Busby have created a giant neon wall of scandalously exceptional music.
Call me caught up in the hype machine, but “Blame” has all the catchiness of the best pop on earth.
And when the band gears down for slower stuff like “It’s Better to Have Loved,” the brains of the lyrics and composition really come through. It’s a big slice of Savage Garden (but good) and Duran Duran rolled up into one juicy and teasing pop circus act. The grittiness of Temposhark comes through whether they slow it down or speed it up, as the grooves are always contagious and harsh. When the strings cut through the music on “It’s Better to Have Loved,” there’s something special in the air.
Article comments