Robin Scott's High Concept
Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 09/30/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"After the glory of the giddy "Pop Muzik" and the worldwide success of New York-London-Paris-Munich, he suddenly got serious. As if to prove that "Pop Muzik" was more high concept than we thought, "The Official Secrets Act" finds its electronic groove in the musical collision of business and politics. While it doesn't have the lightness of the first album's "Moderne Man/Satisfy Your Lust," "Official Secrets Act" also rocks harder and takes more risks.
The first four and a half minutes of the CD isn't even a song per se, but a floating bed of electronics with a pastiche of radio broadcast clips lifted from (what sounds like) the former Soviet Union. "Abracadabra" is sung in French by Bidget Novic. The song "Relax" is downright punky, a far cry from the disco of the first album. The musicianship here is top notch, with members of Level 42 joining the proceedings.
That doesn't mean Scott abandoned the format that made him famous, as "Join The Party" and the title track prove. (And on this version, the bonus track "Bride of Fortune.") It's just that, this time around, the experiments outnumbered the hits. It is also the most consistent of Scott's albums on Sire (US). Problem is, without a moment of genius like that which was "Pop Muzik," the bulk of "The Official Secrets Act" is interesting and for fans of the electronic new wave that Thomas Dolby and Howard Jones eventually did much better. If you are inclined towards The Golden Age of Wireless or The Best of Howard Jones, you might like this."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1