REVIEWS

Celluloide
Words Once Said

BOREDOMproduct

Posted: Thursday, March 16, 2006
By: Ilker Yucel
Editor

In this day and age, more and more bands seem to be utilizing older technologies to achieve a new sound very much akin to the futurist sound and message of earlier bands like Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, and Kraftwerk. Some are calling it electroclash thanks to bands like Ladytron and FischerSpooner, while others like me are calling it simply good old-fashioned synthpop. Celluloide's sophomore release continues in the synthpop direction their debut, Naïve Heart started. Words Once Said is chockfull of the analog synthesizers and 8-bit drum machines that made the '80s synthpop sound so appealing. Simplistic, yet infectious, this music harkens back to the days of Depeche Mode's debut Speak and Spell, just with female vocals. That is not to say that these French synthpoppers are copying the old sound; they do an excellent job of transmuting that sound into something new and all its own. Part of that is due to Darkleti's beautiful and sensuous vocals, which sound reminiscent of Nico (a la The Velvet Underground), but with a more melodic tonality. The electronics sound simple, belying a subtle complexity; the arrangements are well-layered and the production is excellent, bringing out the smallest nuances of the classic saw and square synth sounds.

Musically speaking, this is as poppy as you can get. The songs are mostly short radio-friendly (for 1981 anyway) dance bits with lyrics that would make Martin Gore of Depeche Mode proud. They may sound trite, but once again there may be more subtle and more profound meanings. A good case would be "At School," which at first may sound like a lament on not finding acceptance among friends in the schoolyard, but with a chorus like "In a world of hypocrisy / I couldn't find my way / through lies and insincerity," one can't help but wonder if the band is addressing the state of the world in general. "Remorse" sounds very similar to Depeche Mode's first-ever single, but in such a way that it makes the listener miss the futurist attitude and innovation of those early synth days, as opposed to reveling in nostalgia. The opening track, "Synchronise," starts things off nicely as the only song sung in French, but its engaging melody and danceable beat are enough to get any non-French-speaking listener into it. "Talk to Me" is listed as an instrumental, although Darkleti still mutters the song's title, in both English and French, sporadically throughout the song. This song has club hit written all over it.

As a whole, Words Once Said is an excellent synthpop album that should please enthusiasts of the genre as well as perhaps convert a few new fans. It's not groundbreaking in any way, shape, or form, but it does its job in providing the listener with a good blend of melody and beat. The album also includes three remixes of songs from Naïve Heart, while the German edition also includes an additional remix of the first track, sung in German. Celluloide's music reminds people that synthpop, while seemingly simplistic, was far from disposable and irrelevant. It recalls the need for using innovative techniques to create new music. More than anything, it makes you want to dance, like all good synthpop should do. Words Once Said is, so far this year, one of the best releases of the genre.