H.P. Siemandel concocted a debut album 2 years ago that really spoke to me. “Fire Walk with Me”, with its fierce synthpop weaponry, blew into the scene with power and Zynic’s follow-up became eagerly anticipated.
And so it came, “Blindsided”. In many ways a natural sophomore record, with the key elements still intact but with a will to explore new ground. It still has almost ridiculous highs, like tongue-in-cheek “Dead End” or insanely catchy “Hard to Breathe”, but also a few less vigorous attempts. No tracks are even close to being bad, yet moody ballad “Ghost” does not quite seem to fit and the Don Henley cover “Boys of Summer” cannot measure up to the original.
Zynic made a near-flawless debut with “Fire Walk with Me” and while “Blindsided” sounds perfect, the actual songs don’t reach the same heights. Still a must-buy for all synthpop fans.
