NICK-NACK

It's very much "of its time" - there are rhythms reminiscent of late 70s and early 80s dance music, and the production is best described as "basic" - perhaps a kind of punk aesthetic? The musicianship is mostly of very high quality and the vocalist - Susan Bartels - has a great voice. It's a shame that they only made this one album, because I believe that they could have turned into something quite special.

The songwriting veers from the poppy trite to the more expressive progressive. I'm not sure that they could strictly be described as a progressive band, but the elements are there. One thing that annoys: the keyboard player - though having great ability with the keys - isn't so good at setting up synthesisers for sounds that don't hurt your ears! There are a few lead lines that were obviously meant to really cut through in a noisy club setting, but are too crude for use on record!

I'll be generous, and give this album 3 stars, It really only warrants two stars, but I really like Bartel's voice!