CUE TO RECALL MAINLAND ALBUM ELECTRO-SHOCK RELEASE: MARCH 14, 2005 REVIEW: MARCH 14, 2005

If I told you that a new outfit from Germany was about to release an album close in sound and image to Depeche Mode or Camouflage, would you be surprised? Probably not. The odds are pretty toned down on a new Apoptygma Berzerk sounding Norwegian band as well. And here it is. Cue to Recall, the stylish duo of Terje Vangbo and Bernd Lohse, and their debut album "Mainland" is one of the very first releases coming out of Germany's Electro-Shock Records.
While melodic and moderately powerful, some of the material sounds somewhat formulaic, staying exaggeratingly true to the futurepop standards. Vangbo puts in a decent sounding vocal, and musically, nothing can be deemed sub par; the main drawback, instead, lies in the production work. The sounds themselves, the bass drums and the kick drums don't seem to want to mesh into a coherent whole. With a more posh production and a hefty dose of punch, Cue to Recall could have benefited enormously. And "Mainland" would have sounded all the better for it.

NIKLAS FORSBERG