Interface - The Perfect World

When you get onto the Interface Facebook page, a large banner proclaims "20 Years Of Electronic Music". I found this a bit embarrassing because until last week. I had never heard of the band. Eric Eldregde (vocal/keyboardist/programmer) essentially is Interface having remixed using the name and been among a few collaborations here and there.

The current incarnation of the band is Eric, Jon Billian (keyboards/guitar), J. Joseph Dobise (keyboards/additional production), and touring drummer, Justin Parker and with the three keyboard players on the team you get a fair idea of whats coming. Then when you read the influences (Depeche Mode, Front 242, Kraftwerk, Nitzer Ebb, Old School EBM, Electro, Techno and Trance) you will have no doubt about what you are going to hear. Well, you would be wrong.

According to the blurb on the discography page, "The Perfect World is a dark, intense concept work that explores the ups and downs of success and fortune." And knowing that helps understand the album better. 'The Perfect World' is 13 tracks at just over 50 minutes and while in a couple tracks you can hear the influences on the band, overall it is an album that doesn't sound exactly like anyone mentioned. And after 20 years rightly so. People should be comparing their music to you. But that would make little sense to you the reader, so fuck it, lets compare where it makes sense to.

The short track Ignition starts the album off with dark strings and electronic voice telling us whats about to happen and is a great lead in to the album. It Begins Today is next with a vocal trance feel to it but sort of an EBM percussion sound behind it while Fashionista is the first track on the album that makes me think of Depeche Mode. Simple sounds, clean vocals and a keyboard solo at the end that feels it came of the 'Speak And Spell' album but certainly not in a dated way.

In Fidelity is the fourth track and with the trance feel again. The vocals are given the darker treatment until the chorus and they lift under attacking stabs of sound and sweeps. Mirror Mirror is a great dance track and sort of messes with your ears as the sounds used seem to be just out of tune ever so slightly and phased and doubled back on themselves. This the first song where the vocals remind me of an Australian band Tankt.

Nocturne is dark saw sweeps and light tinkling melody instrumental and is far too short in my mind at 1.58. A great atmospheric track. Stateless follows with a fantastic bouncy bassline, big punchy kick and a sharp snare and again I am reminded of Depeche Mode. Searching (Through Empty Spaces) is the second instrumental on 'The Perfect World' and is a trancy track full of rises loops, bits and tings which brings us neatly to track 9 Everyone Listening which is the bouncy basslines and EBM percussion and the vocals that again, remind me of Tankt.

I Don't Dream Anymore is one of the best slow atmospheric vocal tracks I have heard in a very long time. Metalic sweeps, ticks and looped noise over a background of what sounds to be a busy street. Dark metallic sweeps rise again and suddenly fall away to a muted melody and minimal phased percussion and plucked sounds until it all just fades out. Beautiful track.

Square One brings back the dance beats with an intro almost like Fade to Grey and then we are into the trancey side of "Interface". Back To The Beginning follows which is essentially a dancier version of the second track and rolls along wonderfully.

'The Perfect World' ends with an instrumental dark orchestral track Eulogy. Starting with a quite simple loop, the strings become darker and fuller until the final second of the track and it all falls away to nothing. Brilliant.

Interface have a made a good album here and in reality sound unique regardless of the influences given. This fifth studio release makes me want to go back through the discography of the last 20 years to hear what has been going on and where they came from to get to this point. Hopefully 'The Perfect World' will encourage you to do the same. Oct 21 2013