In one of our first interviews ever for the @rcade we sat down with Mark Power, one half of the band Eden, we asked him to sum up his sound in less than five words and Mark picked…“Eighties, melodic, meaningful, catchy and awesome” (which is technically six words Mark but who is nitpicking!). February 25th saw the band, which consists of just Mark and Ian Henderson, take to the stage of the Mezz in Dublin. Packed into the club, squished between eager audience members, we listened tentatively to one of the most energetic and passionate performances we’ve ever had the chance to attend and afterwards we grabbed ourselves a copy of the new album, ‘Electric!’.
Click here to check out our interview with Eden.
The @rcade is known for generally being very positive when it comes to reviewing artists and albums, that isn’t out of the hope that somewhere someone will plug our small review but it actually stems from the fact that we are actually very selective about what we listen to and when we listen to something we really enjoy then we have to share it with you our readers. So, was Mark correct in summing up Eden’s sound in those five words? The answer is a resounding, NO!
Mark sold the bands talents very short, while the words were apt they really cannot do justice to the work that both he and Ian have invested into producing one of our favourite albums to date.
Electric! is a twelve track album jammed from beginning to end with an infectious tune, from the fantastic sound crafted by Ian to the Marks emotive and smooth vocals. The music ranges from catchy pop tunes to rather deep and powerful ballads, something with which Mark seems to have no problem shifting between. ‘Through the years’ stands out for us as probably one of the best ballads on the album, it is a serious juxtaposition from the rest of the tracks even the other ballads. It is slapped in the middle between two of the more catchy and upbeat songs on the album ‘If I was a pet shop boy’ and ‘Subhuman’ but this sudden change in pace and even tone doesn’t disrupt the actual rhythm of the album. It is a welcome change to be honest, highlighting the range of Marks voice and proving that Synth isn’t all about fast computer blips and beeps. The melancholy in Marks vocals is blended perfectly with the passion we’ve come to expect from one of his performances but coupled with the lyrics of this song we can’t help but find ourselves drifting along, completely absorbed by the music, in a sad tranquillity.
It is so easy to find yourself lost within the music of this album, superficially, it all sounds like great music to get you in the mood to go out and have a great night but you have to take time to sit down and actually listen to the lyrics, sift through the hypnotic pop, sounds and beats and you will find some serious depth to the music. ‘Subhuman’ is probably the best example of just how much depth there is to the album, despite how catchy it sounds there is a darker side to the track, found within the lyrics and clinging to angry and fast rhythm.
Thankfully these dark tones and sad tranquilities don’t linger on the album, in fact, that’s probably one of the best things about Electric! and Eden. Their sound is intelligent working on both a superficial level, giving you the motivation to get up and go out while also working at a much deeper level, infiltrating our aural subconscious (<- this right here is probably the smartest thing we will ever say), disturbing and irking emotions from within us, sometimes without us even realising it. So whether you are crooning after a love lost or you are getting ready to put on your dancing shoes, it’s a safe bet to say Electric! is an album you have to invest in.
Even though Mark’s words were apt, we’ve learned that when a band is this good it isn’t easy to squish their talent into just five words… Eden are the acoustic embodiment of the glory days of the ‘Eighties’, they are ‘meaningful’ with a depth and sensitivity that runs deeper than their ‘catchy’ and ‘melodic’ rhythms and they are certainly awesome!
They aren’t simply another band rehashing 80’s music thanks in part to the dreadful hipsters who seem to have taken credit for the sudden love of all things retro nor or they some band clinging onto their roots. Eden have managed to take all the things that were mysterious and marvellous about 80’s music and revitalised it into a sound that fits comfortably in today’s music world.
It is a little disappointing that real music like Eden’s is sidelined for the auto-tuned computer generated voices of pop divas and plastic boybands but we take heart in knowing that Eden’s music is living, breathing proof that electric, Synth and pop don’t have to mean sugar coated mediocre pop songs but can have heart and real smarts.
Track Listing for Electric!
1. Independent
2. Electric
3. Fortune Lost
4. If I was a Pet Shop Boy
5. Through the years
6. Subhuman
7. I could have done without this
8. Going going gone
9. Beautiful Thing
10. Spin the disc
11. Out of sight (out of mind)
12. Murder on the mind
Electric! is available for download from iTunes
If you would like to keep up to date with all things Eden, then be sure to check out their Facebook page and you can also follow them on their official MySpace page.
