Remember the 80s? Well, okay, many of you reading this probably don't remember the 80s – you were either born near, or after, the end of the decade. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you feel about the decade that spawned MTV and the excessive use of headbands as fashion accessory), the 80s live on through a plethora of 80s-themed dance nights at clubs throughout the world, and bands like Class Actress. Class Actress' debut EP Journal of Ardency certainly does a good job of encompassing the music of that era, but for the most part doesn't have any higher aspirations. As a result, the EP doesn't offer much else aside from rehashes of 80s synthpop as performed by bands like New Order, which has been done much better before. In the 80s.
Right off the bat, “Careful What You Say” wears Class Actress' New Wave love on its sleeve; it's absolutely brimming with glitzy keyboard and synth. In fact, aside from a drum machine and singer Elizabeth Harper's breezy voice, the whole song is comprised solely of those keyboards and synths. It's a catchy track for sure - the chorus even vaguely sounds like Lady Gaga's “Paparazzi” – and you'll feel inclined to bounce your head to the rhythm, but for how long? Indeed, after a few listens, the song's synth overload weighs heavily, and unfortunately there's not much else in the track to latch onto aside from the vocals.
“Let Me Take You Out” and “Adolescent Heart” more willingly incorporate different instrumentation (including handclaps on the latter track. Who doesn't like handclaps?), and as a result they're the best songs on the EP. While the music in these songs is still reminiscent of 80s synthpop artists, it also at times sounds a bit similar to contemporary bands like Metric, particularly in “Let Me Take You Out.” Harper's vocals support this comparison; paired with fast and nimble guitar work, her sultry voice gives “Let Me Take You Out” a sassy attitude, and one might hope that the song is the aural equivalent of what a night out with Ms Harper is actually like. But by the time final track “Someone Real” comes along, the music found at the EP's start returns for an exhausting seven minutes, with some truly obnoxious synth lines and an annoying outro that lasts far too long.
Let's make one thing clear here: it's not a crime for musicians to create music that's heavily influenced by musicians they love and respect. In a way, most musicians do this, including many of the best. The key, however, is for these musicians to put their own spin on the music they're influenced by. Class Actress, on the other hand, describes their music as 'Depeche Mode meets early Madonna' and have created an EP that literally sounds like this combination and not much else. It'll be interesting to see if Class Actress can put their own ideas into this style rather than just replicating it for a new generation of music fans.
Track List:
1. Careful What You Say
2. Journal of Ardency
3. Let Me Take You Out
4. Adolescent Heart
5. Someone Real
