Zartbitter 16 - Richtung Zukunft

If someone ever had written a tutorial on how to create synthpop in the most generic way, German Zartbitter 16 would have followed it step by step without adding any own personality nor trying to think outside the box. It uses every standard ever set in the plainest way from your standard synthpop to the Kraftwerk influenced rip off. This is Synthpop 1.0. It's what synthpop sounds like to people that do not have any interest in the scene and are ordered to create music.

The music and production is not bad per say, but the melodies lack an identity enough to make them disappear, the vocals are plain and stick to as few notes as possible and there's no hit potential here to be found. Honestly, I can't even remember one single track or a single line of melody or a whole row of text from the lyrics. Compared to great 2011 synthpop albums from Zynic and Erotic Elk, this is so very pale and bleak.

After done close to 400 reviews here on Brutal Resonance, I need something more than the standard layout and structure of things. The same old sounds, the same old melodies and the same old emotions of the song does not impress me anymore.

I can't toss down 'Richtung Zukunft' down to the very bottom of the grading scale, simply because the production is well done and it's not horrible. It's simply as unique as a furniture from IKEA and just as boring to listen to. After listening to all the 15 tracks on this album, I'm glad I have Spotify installed on my work computer as well, so I can do a search for Zynic, so I don't lose all hope.

I'm actually starting to get a bit upset. Oct 07 2011