| Artist |
| Octolab |
| Title |
| The Timeless Room |
| Format/Cat |
| CD CRYCD023 |
| Label |
| Cryonica |
| Style |
| Synthpop |
| Date of review |
| 21st December 2007 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7.5/10 |
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Cryonica have been making a lot about this Swedish duo's supposed 'minimalist' synthpop sound but, to these ears, nothing on this fine album sounds any more minimalistic than most of the mid 90s Scandinavian synthpop bands that Fredrik and Arielle seem to be influenced by (such as Restricted Area or Perpetuum Mobile to pick a couple of obscure examples). That's not to say they're in any way copyist (certainly compared to some bands I could mention!) but with its seemingly clinical (but not unemotional approach) it's sure to appeal to synthpop purists with its ever-so-slightly quirky edge as well as some endearingly odd turns of phrase all giving it a certain retro appeal and another well-loved standby, the vocodered vocals, adding an extra harmonic content to the chorus of 'Mindcontrol'. Aside from a couple of the remixes that are tacked on to give the album a wider club appeal, the only track that takes on any noticeably modern flavours is the electronica-flavoured 'Cloud Of Clowns' which provides a nice change of pace and a definate contrast to the pacey and somewhat more strident 'TV-Spell', which preceeds it. What really stands the album in good stead, though, is the constantly appealing compositional skills which might not make too many demands upon the listener but engage the mind time and time again with some fine sequencing adding to the appeal of 'Hidden Camera' and the lively 'Tumbledown' while the music does a decent job of complimenting the sensuous vocals of 'Made On Stage'. The highlights, however, come in the form of the title track where the absorbing melodics and fine vocals work together to fine effect and 'The Doll' which is an instantly memorable piece with a slight gothic appeal in the lyrics although the use of the phrase 'were' instead of 'was' ('the doll were crashed/against the wall she were smashed) might leave you with the impression that the duo are actually from Yorkshire! Still, this just adds character to the whole album and I can see this album having a wide appeal in the UK amongst synthpoppers so if that's your thing you'll not want to miss this!
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