Silver City - Expanded Edition (Exp) (Uk) [CD], Marc Almond / Starcluster, CD

Silver City', now a definitive 20 track techno-pop opus, was written and produced by Marc with celebrated cult German electronic music production duo Starcluster and is Marc Almond's "most synth laden body of work since Soft Cell" (Electricity Club, 2016). It is indeed, a sheer joy to hear Marc Almond's deft and distinctive vocals alongside a vast array of vintage analogue synthesisers in this resplendently authentic, retro-futuristic setting; an album that provides an eloquent refracted echo of his formative synth-pop work in revered synth duo Soft Cell. Tracks on 'Silver City' are aesthetically inspired by classic electronic pop and all have been composed using 80s analogue synthesiser sounds - there's a pleasing Moroder / Vangelis vibe to 'Smoke And Mirrors'; there's a de facto John Foxx tribute in the angular soundscapes of 'Pixelated' and there's also a loving recognition of three seminal cult synth- pop tracks in Marc and Starcluster's inventive cover versions of Ronny's 'To Have And Have Not', Valerie Dore's Italo disco staple 'Get Closer' and a surprisingly creative electro take on the international Laura Branigan / RAF 80s smash hit 'Self Control'. Silver City' also contains a number of all new remixes and two previously unreleased Marc Almond with Starcluster tracks 'Futuristic Weimar Berlin' and 'Dancing Through The Fire'. This 2LP edition comes packaged in a wide spined sleeve featuring a futuristic cityscape illustration by Kraftwerk collaborator Emil Schult complete with two full colour printed inners featuring two all new photographs of Marc.