Ahhh, I long for the days when the "hits" on the radio were by bands like Depeche, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and Thompson Twins. The days of, for lack of a better term, "synth-pop". Now, radio and MTV is full of nothing but talentless, one-note "pop-punk", that even the kids who listen to it now will be sick of by this time next year. Sorry - I'm digressing! If you look hard enough, you can find bands who still extoll the virtues of songwriting, melody, atmosphere, and (gasp!) keyboards. They just happen to exist outside of the realm of American record companies, but they are out there. Perfect example, Germany's Camouflage. Sure, they are basically a Depeche clone (their last album "Sensor" was pretty much a recreation of DM's "Ultra") but that doesn't mean they aren't putting out excellent albums. This new one is a little less influenced by the Mode, but if strong hooks, synths, Gahan-like vocals and great songs is what you are after, these guys are at the top of the pile. Other excellent discoveries lately (for me, anyways): Iris, De/Vision, and in particular, what might be my favorite (and hardest to find, but you will if you look) "Ultimate Sky" by Michigan.
