Technopop balladry pickled in 80s formaldehyde with occasional bleats of sequencer Tourettes. The first two George Michael-esque weepers – “The Limit” and “You Were Loved” – run the risk of getting drowned out by peals of laughter from mainstreamers unaware of the bizarre electro tinkering taking place not only here but in myriad other underground dungeons, notably at the Warp Records stable. Song-wise, worst case would be that this transplanted Londoner zapped here in a time machine and actually believes that happy-pants crooning a la Kool and the Gang (“Out of the Rain”) still ropes in the babes, and the painfully innocent keyboard lines partook of the same Kool Aid. Listeners willing to tough it out, however, will eventually encounter “Spread the Love,” a vocodered robo-boy-band shtick that’s the perfectly logical mutant offspring of the neo/retro influences at work. Either way, the melodies meet Billboard specs, and the programming is up for the Pepsi Challenge anytime. Order at Tower Records
