Search - Omd, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark :: Crush

Music from my first girlfriend.

Darren Mckeeman | San Francisco, CA | 11/06/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is all I have left of her, not counting the shallow grave in the back yard. This is the sort of music stalkers listen to to convince themselves that girls love them. Don't get me wrong -- I like it. There's just something kind of dysfunctional about the earnest pleadings of the lead singer. Depeche Mode could take some lessons from these guys."

Classic 80's synth pop

Christian Buckley | Washington State, United States | 11/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been moving my CD collection onto my computer as of late, and have been assembling a massive playlist of 80's pop/new wave singles. Its just amazing how many great songs OMD assembled before breaking up. Crush, which produced such classics as 'So in Love', 'Secret', and 'La Femme Accident', is one of the standout albums of the decade. It reminds me of highschool, going to dances, and....well.....a former girlfriend. Its just an all-around classic.



Musically, OMD came into their sound during their previous album, Junk Culture, and continued through Crush and the follow-up hit, The Pacific Age. All of them produced hits. But most people who only knew the singles were often disappointed by the songs inbetween, which were really more consistant with their older, more raw (and sampled) sound. OMD were a pure techno band - except in the studio, I don't think they interacted much with real instruments other than the sampled sounds through their equipment. The bulk of their songs are very rythmic and eclectic, using repetitive samples and simple keyboards to convey their music. Some of it can be overly simple and hollow, while others are simply beautiful."

The Best post Dazzle Ships release from OMD

Mark Roth | Columbus, Ohio USA | 12/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In many ways Crush was one final creative burst for the original lineup of OMD. Crush succeeds not only because it avoids gratuitous disco numbers, but because it taps into what made OMD great in the past; a balance between expirementation and pop appeal, moods of ironic melancholy, and the ability to combine music, lyrics, and cover art into one cohesive artistic presentation. "Bloc Bloc Bloc" manages to graft a rockabilly Elvis style onto an 80's keyboard pop song (no easy feat), and "88 Seconds in Greensboro' and "Native Daughters of the Golden West" take an unexpected turn with electric guitars and heavy drums. The expirementation continues with "The Lights are Going Out" and "Crush," which is built on samples of television commercials that Andy McCluskey recorded while in Japan. Lyrics are generally about dysfunctional relationships, though "88 Seconds" takes a stab at social consciousness (it's about a racially motivated massacre). Overall, the OMD sound has matured and warmed, there are some nice sax parts and drummer Malcolm Holmes serves up some tasty organic sounding grooves too. "Hold You" is the only filler track here, the rest is an engaging listen and refreshingly creative."