Record Reviews April 15 2000

Situated somewhere between old-guard techies like John Michel Jarre and the ambient excursions of the Orb’s Dr. Alex Paterson, Melbourne’s New Waver bring psychosis, monotony and the common man’s anxiety to their debut CD. By piecing together bits of real world sound from self-help sources, talk radio and documentaries, the trio and assorted friends work at illustrating the clinically uncomfortable side of loser culture. Set to spacey, analog oscillations, “The Realist” frames the delusions of one schizophrenic calmly (and disturbingly.) explaining that he is the unwilling subject of government experiments. “Life Force” is existentialist dogma set to a classic TB-303 synth backdrop. And while the rest of the tracks herein are downcast and cleverly designed to venerate elements of fringe psychiatry, “We’re Gonna Get You After School” plays as something more humorous (intentionally or not) with it’s use of sampled threats from schoolyard bullies. Through dated keyboard sounds and rhythms that don’t generally mirror the ultra-diced, heart attack pace of the day, New Waver’s styling suits the band’s refreshing agenda of canvassing grim realism à la vintage Throbbing Gristle while making the occasional nod towards Tangerine Dream. (Available from www.mbnet.mb.ca/~endear)