It is somewhat difficult sometimes to remain subjective about an album when the music that is held within just leaves you cold and you end up waiting for it to end. Tanlines’ ‘Mixed Emotions’ is one such album which, although you can see what the band are trying to achieve, you just flinch at the end result. This is where subjectivity comes in and in the interests of being fair I will have to delve deep to find a common ground.
Wearing their 1980’s influence on their sleeves, Tanlines have made an album which harks back to the golden age of synthesiser led pop. Indeed, if the year was 1983 they would probably be hitting the top spot of the charts along with bands such as Human League, ABC and Ultravox. What seems to be missing from their DNA is that lovelorn Berlin (the city, not the band!)influence. What made all those bands great in the 1980’s was a newfound interest in electronic music and influences beyond the Iron Curtain. Tanlines skip this and end up with a rather vapid collection of songs which never seems to get going.
It’s a shame really as when their ideas are good, such as on ‘All Of Me’ and a rocky ‘Green Grass’, you can picture glitterballs and autobahns in your inner mind. ‘Not the Same’ lifts the mood with its sub-Ibiza synthesiser sound and has the makings of a gigantic club smash. This song is really quite good coming after a sequence of forgettable songs which includes a droll ‘Abby’, a song so devoid of ideas you want to press the stop button as quick as possible.
It is hard to see where Tanlines fit into the current music scene. The 1980’s revival seems to be dying out and pop is reliant on inane raps with melodic hooks. A few remixes may help their cause in the clubs which is where they started out but then you get the feeling that they are trying to move away from that area. In an effort to concentrate on the songwriting side of things they have forgotten how to make a good tune and it’s all ended up slightly minimalist and cold.
Released March 19 2012 through True Panther Sounds
Posted by MArtyn Coppack
