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Elly Roberts reviews
Virgin Records (EMI)
- Released: March 2005
- Rating: 2/10
- Cat.no.: CDV 2996
2001’s Discovery was brilliant-intelligent synth-synthetic pop at it’s best.
Spawning the classic single Digital Love, it was a couple of generationson from German ‘robotic combo’ Kraftwerk.
Human After All‘s predecessor brought the genre out of the dark ages,filling dance-floors across Europe, and over the radio like a rash. With this,the French pairing of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo aregoing back to the dark ages with an overdose of techno-wizardry to send youmental. Trying to look for redeeming qualities is like trying to find a helpfulFrenchman in Paris.
Oops – I don’t believe it I actually found ONE – a limp but almost humanoffering: Make Love – to this – no thanks.
Seriously in danger of alienating themselves,their total self-indulgence isprogressive (and commercial) suicide – which you might want to consider at theend of this chaotic acidic 10-track saga.
Steam Machine is a heavy breathing nightmare. Brainwasher is anapt title – I think a lobotomy would have been a lot less painful. Send in therobots, and it’s ‘taxi’ for Daft Punk.
Technologically perfect: musically dysfunctional.Sad.
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Human After All
2. The Prime Time Of Your Life
3. Robot Rock
4. Steam Machine
5. Make Love6. The Brainwasher
7. On/Off
8. Television Rules The Nation
9. Technologic
10. Emotion
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.