They're back! Who, I hear you ask excitedly? Guns N Roses? Sigur Ros? Joe Schmoe and His Amazing Telegraphic Counter Symphony? Er, no.
Men Without Hats.
Who?
Men Without Hats. You know...
Oh yes, that “Safety dance” thing.
Yeah. Mention this band and that's the first, indeed only thing that leaps to everyone's mind, mine included. Not that anyone can be blamed: “The safety dance” was their biggest, and in fact only hit way back in 1983, which hit the spot all over the world and became one of those odd one-hit-wonders that everyone loves, then totally loses interest in any followup. In fact, they had another small hit single in 1987, but “Pop goes the world”, though it hit the top twenty in the USA, did nothing over this side of the water, so they're still remembered here, if at all, for “The safety dance”.
But who
are they, these gentlemen who dare to venture out into the weather without adequate headgear? I don't know, but I know someone who does, and this is what I've found out about them. They're from Canada (betcha didn't know that! I didn't...) and whether you can believe it or not they've had six albums prior to this, and, wait for this, FIVE compilation albums! For a band who have only been around since the early 80s and only had the one real hit single, that's not bad: many bands who've been household names for twice that have only half as many greatest hits packages. Of course, most of these are very similar and two of them, the first two, released a year apart, are
exactly the same, track for track! See my “Pet Hates” feature for a rant on this.
Men Without Hats are basically the brainchild of singer Ivan Doroschuk, who remains today the only original member of the band. After their initial success with their debut “Rhythm of youth”, which spawned the hit single, MWH's fortunes took a dive and it seemed a clear case of becoming too popular too soon. Though they released another four albums none did well, and in 1991 Ivan disbanded the group. They reformed in 2010, though really it was and is just Ivan with session men. This then is the band that recorded and released what has become their seventh album.
Love in the age of war --- Men Without Hats --- 2012 (Cobraside)
So who cares about this album? Probably, to be fair, no-one. I doubt you could stop anyone on the street who would know any MWH song other than the obvious, and fewer yet who would have, or admit to having, any of their albums. But for the novelty factor alone, the fact that they're back, and the fact that “The safety dance” has a small special little place in my heart, I felt I had to buy this and review it, just to see if it's any good. After all, expectations are low, and as an Aston Villa fan, I know all about that! What have we to lose? Let's dive in. Oh, and leave your hat at the door please. It won't be required.
It's like stepping back in time to the eighties as “Devil come round” gets the album started, with thumpy drum machines and sprightly synthesisers, a real bopper and it seems Doroschuk's voice hasn't suffered in the interim. I'd say it's still recognisable, but there's really only that one song to compare it to, and to be honest, it sounds a little lighter to me than it was on the single. Good opener though, quite rocky in its way though definitely synth-driven. Even moreso is the very new romantic “Head above water”, which kicks up the tempo considerably, and “Everybody knows” keeps the basic speed up with another synth-heavy tune with some nice brassy effects.
Nice female backing vocals, but my only gripe would be that so far it all sounds pretty much the same: fast, uptempo dancy synthpop, and “This war”, which for some reason I had expected to be different, well, isn't and just keeps the basic idea running. It's hard to pick out a real standout; there are good tracks but nothing that really shakes me by the throat and says “Look at me!” It's not wallpaper music, but it's an album I doubt I'd be going out of my way to listen to again, and I don't see it smashing the charts any time soon. There's a sense of almost seventies disco to “Your beautiful heart”, which does take the tempo down slightly, but it's kicked right back up again with more squealing synths with “Live and learn”, with a definite feel of OMD, Flock of Seagulls and many other eighties new wave/synthpop bands.
Finally things slow down and there's an almost blues ballad in “Close to the sun”, though it's still synths that rule here, with some nice echoey handclap-style drums and a fifties-style melody, quite simple and pure. “Love's epiphany”, however, fires everything back up to ten again before the title track sort of straddles the divide and provides a decent closer to an album which, while it's not exactly going to start a revolution or shift many of the older albums, may make one or two people look a little more closely into the music of this interesting synthpop band.
Personally, it's not my kind of music and I feel this will be the only time I'll listen to the album. I liked “The safety dance”, but then, didn't everyone? Getting those who are not already fans to listen to this album may prove difficult in today's musical environment, but for those who take the plunge and like this sort of music, they're likely to be pleasantly surprised. Personally, I think I'll keep my hat on thanks.
TRACKLISTING
1. Devil come round
2. Head above water
3. Everybody knows
4. The girl with the silicon eyes
5. This war (intro)
6. This war
7. Your beautiful heart
8. Live and learn
9. Close to the sun
10. Love's epiphany
11. Love in the age of war