This is the second release by electro/synth pop act Television Set. The name of the band is taken from an old and obscure Depeche Mode song. Their music also goes back to early day Depeche Mode style and other electro pioneers from the late seventies and early eighties. The (analogue) drum machine, bass lines and simple, but excellent, melodies sound wonderfully old-fashioned. These are the ingredients for the great dance music on this album.
‘I don’t like to dance’, ‘Neon City Girl’ and the Depeche Mode cover ‘Television Set’ are all very good songs. The catchy electro/synth pop tunes are reminiscent of the music by 80’s artists like Rational Youth and Snowy Red. Television Set is also good at writing more melodic tracks with less dominant rhythms, judging from ‘Earth’. And, not all songs sound like they were recorded twenty year ago. ‘Sometimes’ for example wouldn’t be out of place on a Legowelt record.
Moscow at midnight is the first full-length by Television Set and is too short. This lp should have lasted at least twice the duration it has now. (Electro)pop tunes this good never become boring.
