Confess

I'm not the biggest fan of modern pop music i generally find it banal, unsophisticated and soulless. The most recent obsession pop producers have with euro dance beats and extremely annoying auto tune makes me want throw my radio through the window if i should happen to accidently turn the dial the wrong way. There are some musicians who seem to be trying to restore some credibility to the genre though, the only problem is their largely unknown by mass consumers. Twin shadow is one of these artists that i think does have the ability to reach a larger audience and hopefully his stellar new album confess might help him become a star (lord knows we could do with someone to take some attention away from the irratating likes of Justin bieber).

Confess is riddled with the same retro 80's smoothness that his excellent debut Forget had, however it features a much stronger emphasis on the poppier elements of this style, with the production featuring less reverb and the instrumentation sounding louder, more melodic and direct. "Golden Light" opens the album brillaintly with George Lewis Jr delivering a staggering vocal perfomance to bombasticly smooth 80's style synths and drum machines. Lyrically it's filled with sharp, bitter declarations of apathy towards what one can only assume was a previous love interest.

If there's any justice in the world lead single "Five Seconds" will be blasting out of every speaker in nightclubs for years to come; it's bouncy, buoyant, full of energy and shamelessly catchy. The rest of the album takes a similar approach to the afforementioned tracks by staying in 80's town but the scope is considerably wider with the lovely "One" drawing inspiration from The Cure's Goth pop, "Patient" combines elements of Toto's "Africa" and the sassiness of Purple rain era Prince and then there's even a little Quiet storm ala Anita Baker in "When the Movies Over".

It's hard to escape from the fact that a couple of the songs on confess are a little MOR sounding, Specifically "Be Mine Tonight" feels rather vacuous when compared to the edgy dynamism and clever ambiguity of "Golden Light or "Patient". Nevertheless a spot of filler isn't strong enough to dampen this album's appeal and for anybody who's grown up on Rihanna or Bruno Mars exclusively, you'll think these lesser moments on confess are like masterworks in comparison to what you've previously heard.

In today's world of aquacrunk, driftstep and gothgaze it's fairly rare that someone invokes the simple new-wave pop of The Police, but Dominican Republic-born George Lewis Junior notably does just that on "Run My Heart", running it past some classic Springsteen balladeering and mid-distance indie jangles to boot. Amid repeats of "Just a boy / Just a girl" it's clear that Lewis has nevertheless stuck to the same themes of sex and mishandling relationships that dominated his wistful, sometimes aptly indistinct debut Forget.

Confess, on the other hand, is much surer of itself now that Lewis has cast himself as some leather-clad troublemaker - there's little chance however of him going that extra step and becoming the leader of the pack because the allure of the 80s still hangs so heavily over his every move that it's like he's bathed in Paco Rabanne. Undisputed album highlight, "Five Seconds" is, for example, pure unabashed pop that showcases punchy bass tempos pilfered from David Lynch, perfect synth hooks, popping drum sequences and more guitars ripped from the Boss.

There are echoes too of that diminutive lothario Prince in the satin smoothness of "You Call Me On" and "Beg For The Night" is all about a cruising bassline and stadium-sized drum blasts over which laser effects latterly play off against soaring guitar solos. Sweeping bass synths scan the nether regions of "Patient" like a searchlight as Lewis states that "Boys will be boys", dressing the fact with harsh snares and a peppering of guitar funk.

Lewis the would-be-swordsman isn't entirely irresistible though and he strikes out with several unremarkable cuts, also, along with Alt-J and Beach House's recent faux pas, falling foul of trying to resurrect the "hidden" track and its necessary intrusion of prefacing blank space - thankfully reward finally does come in the form of the clapping, crunching funk of "Mirror In The Dark".

Confess is a brash album full of period masculinity, but one not so mired in the past that it's a joke. The anachronistic undertow of the bass synth drone/pulse for example renders it as contemporary as the snare programming anchors it further back in time. A precarious blend in places, Confess is nevertheless excellent in others.

Another fine offering delivered by Twin Shadow. Reminds this reviewer of AR Kane, Psychedelic Furs and The The in terms of glossy layered production, mechanised beats and synths, and lush vocals dishing out libido-led lyrics; throw in some Peter Gabriel theatricality. There's a knowing, yet unabashed cheesiness to the arrangements here. Highlights: 'golden light' and 'beg for the night.' It's not for everyone, but builds on the first LP 'Forget' and commits more to the 80s vibe and formulae experimented on there. If you liked that, this one will feel at once familiar and bolder. Probably best to check the Amazon US site, and play the samples before you buy.