From: Al Crawford <awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk>
Subject: Reviews From The Crypt: Boxcar - Vertigo (1990)
Reply-To: Al Crawford <awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: The University Of Edinburgh - Department Of Computer Science
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:56:50 GMT
Followup-To: rec.music.misc



Boxcar			Vertigo			Volition VOLTCD 24 [Aus] (1990)

	Total Running Time: 43 min 29 sec

	1.	Gas Stop (Who Do You Think You Are)	4:21
	2.	Insect					3:35
	3.	Vertigo					3:17
	4.	Freemason (You Broke The Promise)	4:07
	5.	Comet					3:58
	6.	Hit & Run				4:02
	7.	900 Hours				3:35
	8.	Lelore					4:09
	9.	Cruel To You				3:46
	10.	This Is The Town			4:03
	11.	Index					4:20

This, the debut album from the Australian group Boxcar, was released down
under back in 1990, late last year in the US and earlier this year in
Europe. So although it's an old album, I figured a brief (well, sort of)
review might be in order. Just to be awkward, I'm reviewing the oldest
version but as far as I know the track listings of both the US and European
releases are the same.

It's quite nice to find a recent light synth-pop album that I like. The two
major names usually cited as upholding and updating the early 80s synth-pop
are Erasure (can't stand Andy Bell's vocals) and the Pet Shop Boys (don't
like Neil Tennant's voice and don't rate them particularly highly
generally). Which, with the possible exception of last year's OMD album,
means that there's not been much in the way of genuinely new pure synth pop
heading in my direction for quite some time.

_Vertigo_ helps fill this gap to a degree. The beat's a little bit too
Stock, Aitken and Waterman dancey for my taste in places but otherwise this
is very pleasant listening indeed. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of the
more up-tempo tracks ("Speed Of Light" comes to mind) on OMD's most recent
album, with the aforementioned SAW-ish tinge and also a pinch of recent
Severed Heads (hardly surprising when it's produced by regular Severed
Heads producer Robert Racic).

The album kicks off with the light, slightly house influenced "Gas Stop".
Although this was the main single from the album, it doesn't do much for
me. Pleasant but the dance stylings get in the way a little too much.
"Insect" is considerably better, quite catchy. The same goes for "Vertigo"
and "Freemason". "Comet" and "Hit & Run" aren't quite as good, but are
still decent enough listening.

The real high-point of the album (and a song that I've been playing a lot
on continuous repeat) is "900 Hours". Great, extremely catchy synth pop.
Wonderful stuff. If it wasn't a single it should have been, and if it was
does anyone know if the CD single is still in print because I'd like a
version of this that lasts longer than three and a half minutes? This is
the track that recalls the best bits of OMD's last album, although it has a
distinctive feel all of its own, with the slight Aussie accent in the
vocals enhancing the song considerably for some reason.

"Lelore" can't help but pale in comparison, although it's an interesting
enough sample based dance track with a very Racic/SH intro, while "Cruel To
You" is fairly good but unexceptional. "This Is The Town" is another peak
albeit a smaller one than "900 Hours". Good vocals, catchy pop. Finally,
"Index" is a CD only instrumental. Nice to listen to and a lot more relaxed
than the rest of the album, but it's really just filler.

So, while this album isn't likely to set the world on fire, it does
indicate that the group have real potential and I'll look forward with
interest to any future albums. Worth a listen if you're into light
synth-pop.

Erland Rating: +2
Crawford Rating: Beige/Pineapple/Amazonian Bush-Dog

--
			Al Crawford - awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk
	  Department Of Computer Science, The University of Edinburgh
   Rm 1410, JCMB, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Rd, EDINBURGH, EH9 3JZ, Scotland
	     Tel: +44 (0) 31 650 5165  Fax: +44 (0) 31 667 7209
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