LAND OF GIANTS CANNIBAL DOLLS/SEVEN MEN ALBUM EBM-INK RELEASE: NOVEMBER 8, 2008 REVIEW: JANUARY 23, 2009

During the last few years many bands that only lived for a short period of time have managed to find a new audience again, of course much thanks to web sites like MySpace. For me this is really an exiting new movement where cult acts that only released some now hard-to-find singles back in the eighties now return with compilations of their material, and find new fans again.

Land of Giants is a perfect example; they started out in Canada back in 1982 where they released a single called “Cannibal Dolls/Seven Men”. It became a small hit on alternative and college radio and has been a much sought after release since then, for the growing group of minimal fans. Now Land of Giants have re-mastered the single, added nine previously unreleased demo songs, and released it as an album.

This is synthpop of the minimal kind and the female vocals add a certain cabaret-feeling, but the electronic sound is dominating. Overall I’m amazed by its really high quality and I can’t understand why the demo tracks didn’t get released back in the 80:s. My favorite is “Thing Called Love” that could be a hit single if it had been released by The Human League. I also like “Fire with Fire” with its italo-esque hit feeling (and rap, believe it or not), also “Room with a View” has that cold electronic atmosphere that really gets me going. However, there are some tracks that doesn’t quite reach the same heights, like the cover of “I Got You Babe”. But they are after all demo recordings from over 20 years ago.

All in all this is an album that really deserves attention, support these kinds of releases and bring back more bands that shouldn’t be forgotten!

TOBIAS ELIASSON