OMD - The Punishment of Luxury

  by Dave Goodwin

published: 19 / 11 / 2017

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Review

What can I tell you about OMD that you don't already know? They started life way back in the late, late 1970s on the newly formed Factory Records and then produced superb electronic British pop in every decade thereafter. I suppose there isn't a lot to say other than that, right? Ah, but there is. They have yet another new album out at the moment that might just put a smile back on your face. I have to admit I haven't really got 100 per cent into the latter day OMD sound (it probably rests at about 98 per cent) but I had to smile and offer a little chuckle as I sat back and listened to this, 'The Punishment of Luxury', OMD's 13th full studio album. I had to chuckle because as I went through each track it reminded me of an earlier one from an earlier album and I remembered where and when I bought that album. This is a remarkable piece of music. While keeping you here in the back end of 2017 it sits you firmly in the driving seat of the famous DeLorean and transports you back to where, if you are like me, you came from.  Parts of new track 'Isotype' could have been plucked straight from OMD's 1991 album 'Sugar Tax' and 'Ghost Star' - one of the final tracks from the new album - drifts me back to 1980's 'Organisation' again with the 'Stanlow'-esque intro. The following year's landmark synth-pop record 'Architecture and Morality' is what's brought to mind by the military-sounding 'La Mitrailleuse' and 'Precision & Decay' has me opening the cover to 'Dazzle Ships' (1983), I think because of the samples it contains. 'Kiss Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang' is a candidate for a remake of 'Crush' while 'Art Eats Art' is everything you loved about the late 80s riddled with the gorgeous keyboard sound showing those tell tale signs that this really is the wonderful OMD. 'One More Time' has me delving into the Arcade records bag I carried around on those Saturday mornings after the picture show in town, to pull out that glossy cover of 'Junk Culture'. There are draws from other bands: 'Robot Man' is a nudge towards the brilliant Kraftwerk, as is this album's title track, and 'What Have We Done' reminded me of the day I bought the first album on a dark damp evening after collecting trolleys at Tesco in service of the reward of a new record. The Liverpudlians still sport their original line-up with the assistance of Stuart Kershaw, who's worked with them on and off since the 1990s. Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper are still there and there is a credit also to Malcolm Holmes. The booklet that hides inside the CD is laden with all the lyrics and some fine photos by Chris Oaten, and even this has parts taken from as many albums as you can recognise.  Having made their debut at Eric's in Liverpool in October 1978, the band would later go on to release gems on the black wax such as 'Messages', 'Electricity', 'Enola Gay', 'Souvenir', 'Tesla Girls', the list is endless. I'm not sure if what I've been babbling on about here was intentional but for me this album is an evocative visit back to those earlier days with a small helping of now in it, and I have to be honest, I am absolutely loving it. This is first class: marvellous!

Track Listing:-

1 The Punishment of Luxury
2 Isotype
3 Robot Man
4 What Have We Done
5 Precision & Decay
6 As We Open, So We Close
7 Art Eats Art
8 Kiss Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang
9 One More Time
10 La Mitrailleuse
11 Ghost Star
12 The View from Here

Band Links:-

https://en-gb.facebook.com/omdofficial
http://www.omd.uk.com/
https://twitter.com/officialomd
https://www.youtube.com/user/OMDenglis
https://plus.google.com/10638569313334