Review of The Penelope[s] and Morpheus’ Priceless Concrete Echoes

We weren’t kidding when we said that new wave was back with a vengeance. Its most recent pseudo-homage to the genre comes from Parisian indie electropop duo The Penelope[s], who have released their second full-length album, Priceless Concrete Echoes. Band members Axel Basquiat and Vincent Tremel primarily feature the deep yet widely ranged vocals of former  frontman of European rock band Minimal Compact Samy Birnbach (AKA DJ Morpheus) on about half of the album’s eleven tracks.

Minimal Compact bassist Malka Spigel, and Ekova vocalist Dierdre Dubois also lend their talents to the heavily laden late eighties-early nineties mishmash. Overall the album presents to listeners the best of multiple worlds: a taste of 80′s rock, dance, and rave-influenced works.

The album starts off leisurely with  “Stuck in LaLaLand”, channeling a bit of rock a la Tears for Fears, and progresses to “Saved”, which works in some fun harmonies and acts as one of the most tangible tracks on the album, being seemingly less constructed by drum machine and keyboard only. “Long Black Fly” is simply engaging; their cover of the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”, however, is… interesting, to say the least. The beat is mastered in the bass, but we’d be lying if we didn’t express that some things should be left untouched (like Rihanna’s single “Umbrella” that was covered, like, ten million times in 2008). However, every album has its understated gem, and for us it would be “Your Plan for Happiness” in which it samples – who else – Jane Russell, Marilyn Monroe, and Charles Coburn from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”. Quite simply, it just fits.

For all the things that it is – as mentioned prior – there is one thing that Priceless Concrete Echoes isn’t – surprisingly different.  Taking it as good or bad doesn’t really make a difference, because thankfully it isn’t the same old nondescript starlet or pretty boy hunkered down by overdubs and unneeded harmonies. In the genre of pop, it is a step above most, yet in the genre it appears to be emulating, it is not too much an innovative feat. Perhaps that was the goal all along.  Long story short, Priceless Concrete Echoes is backed by immense talent and  sure to serve as decent fill-space in one’s music library, if not forefront and center on their Top 25 Most Played playlist. We give it an A+ for effort.

Priceless Concrete Echoes is available on Le Plan Music.

Tracklist

• 1: Stuck in LaLaLand
• 2: Demian
• 3: Licked by Love
• 4: Circle of Seasons
• 5: Saved
• 6: Joey Santiago
• 7: Sabotage
• 8: Long Black Fly
• 9: The Heat Goes On
• 10: Concrete
• 11: Your Plan For Happiness