A new label, a new band and directly a shot in the bull’s eye! I must confess that I was a bit sceptical, because synthpop groups from Sweden are normally not my thing, I prefer my tea a bit darker. But the music of Marina Sirtis (named after a Star Trek character) has really convinced me, and it sounds surprisingly mature for a new band. But they are not that new actually, they were formed in 1997 in Stockholm. In the year 2000 the band, consisting of Martin Löfgren (vocals, programming), André Oberg (vocals, programming) and Anders Larsson (programming), already released an EP, and they did various live shows so far.
The music is very pleasant to listen to, and I’ve have already done so numerous times over the last two weeks. Marina Sirtis demonstrates very good songwriting, with a few songs that really stay in your head, without aiming for easy success. Though the band calls itself a synthpop group, they are not that poppy, but rather atmospheric, warm and melancholic at times, partly through the lovely string sounds. The very good vocals are a major factor in making the music so convincing. The lyrics are often romantic, sometimes even erotic, with a few more introspective, moody texts. My favourite tracks are probably ‘Den Tot’, a nice catchy tune and ‘Berlin’, the absolute highlight and most uptempo song of the album, comparable to the best work of Wolfsheim and a potential clubhit. Most songs are not that danceable though, but follow a mid-tempo pattern, staying below 100 bpm. Apart from Wolfsheim, other references I would like to make are In My Rosary and Endraum. I really hope that Marina Sirtis will reach a broad audience, they deserve it!
