While some artists infuse their work with ‘80s-era synth, some musicians choose to interpret the genre literally. John Maus is the absolute embodiment of the latter. On his third album for Ribbon Music, We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves, Maus enacts a cut-and-dried take on the gloomy world of ‘80s European synth-pop. Taking cues from Joy Division, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Klaus Nomi, Maus creates a spectacle of an album, letting the haze and drama of his musical textures take priority over song form and audible lyrical content.

Many of the tracks on We Must Become use very similar instrumentations, yet somehow the album never manages to sound dull or repetitive. Tracks like “Streetlight” and “…and the Rain” make use of skittering keyboard lines and very danceable bass lines, whereas ballads like “Hey Moon” and “Believer” revel in drawn-out chordal material. No matter what kind of clarity is given to the electronic elements, Maus’ baritone is always submerged in a thick wash of reverb, which certainly will be a sticking point with most listeners. Many of the landscapes created in many of We Must Become’s tracks are so well-conceived that it becomes distracting to have the same effect given to the vocals throughout. Maus’ voice is surely strong enough to carry the lines, with just enough of an English inflection throughout to make him sound like a modern-day John Foxx. However, unlike Ian Curtis’ intimately personal sobs and wails on Closer, Maus continues to approach his voice much like another disembodied instrument to be interpreted within the overall sound of the song.

To his credit, Maus has clearly spent his time studying and praying at the altar of synth music; so much so that much of We Must Become sounds like a séance resurrecting the ghosts of ‘80s pop. The effect is always chilling, and even sometimes nightmarish: in the case of “Cop Killer”, Maus’ monotone chants intertwine with the dark minor chords of the fuzzy synth coming across as a perfect soundtrack for a Dario Argento gore fest. In its own creepy and distorted way, We Must Become leaves a lasting effect, whether or not you want it to do so.

Track List:
1. Streetlight
2. Quantum Leap
3. ...And The Rain
4. Hey Moon
5. Keep Pushing On
6. The Crucifix
7. Head For The Country
8. Cop Killer
9. Matter Of Fact
10. We Can Breakthrough
11. Believer