Thursday, August 13, 2009

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Messages

Synth-pop got kind of a bad rap in the 1980s, not entirely without reason, but OMD seemed to escape a lot of the more negative commentary. Probably because the songwriting was so undeniably good, it had to be clear to all but the most determined Luddite that in their case the machinery was there to enhance the songs rather than create them or hide their deficiencies. I suppose there was also a somberness to OMD that separated them from their more lightweight contemporaries. Then again, the same was true for Depeche Mode and people still treated them like a boyband. Maybe because Depeche Mode were cuter. Who knows.

Anyway, I still find it breathtaking how utterly gorgeous some of OMD's early works were. Like this one, from their self-titled debut album. Love love love this song.

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