Time seems to have stood still. Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark is releasing an album for the first time in twenty-four years with the two men from the very beginning. Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey had a falling out in the late 1980s, but decided to work together again around 2005. Tucked into a quintessential OMD sleeve, designed of course by solid force Peter Saville, little seems to have
… changed. But when opener New Babies: New Toys blasts from the speakers with a thrusting bass part and sliding fingers on overdriven guitars, OMD appears to have moved with the times. And judging by the album title, Humphreys and McCluskey also understand that what was once called modern, now belongs to history, not excluding them. History Of Modern offers a lesson in tightly executed synthipop as we could have expected from OMD with some new elements here and there. It will never be really innovative, but it is not necessary. Pop is the starting point and it has become a neat pop record. Not an album from the past or the future, just one for now. (JE)more
