The Dark Energy Arcade The Dark Energy Arcade Review by Gary Hill
If you want to feel like you have been transported back to the 1980s, you might want to try this album. The electronic pop of that era seems alive and well here. Mind you, they also lean toward harder rocking stuff at times. A song or two even make me think of Hawkwind. All in all, though, this is effective music that seems to have a lot of respect from earlier times.
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Track by Track Review
Love Torn
Bouncy, electronic and fun, there is a real 80s vibe to this cut. It’s all class. It does have hints of Hawkwind in some ways to me.
Forever
Starting with a jazzy groove, this plays with that along with electronic sounds and more. It feels like a warm weather type of tune.
Idiot’s Party
There is almost a punky angle to this cut. It’s still has plenty of that 80s thing on display, too. I like the guitar solo on this a lot.
Brand New Day
I dig the bouncy vibe of this a lot. It has a bit of a Beatles vibe in some ways, but delivered with more of that 80s pop groove.
Dream Time
There is sort of a yacht rock kind of vibe here with some spacey trippiness also in the mix. This has a gentle groove to it. It’s one of my favorite tunes on the whole disc.
Lies
Punchy and vaguely punky, this rocker really does make me think of the punkier era of Hawkwind. It’s a fun tune and a nice bit of variety.
Ticking By
There is a cool back and forth stereo pan effect on this number. It’s bouncy and classy. It has an electronic pop vibes, but also space rock elements.
Do It Again
More space rock oriented in some ways, this has a lot more electronic pop vibes at play. This has good energy and hooks.
Stars
I like the almost space rock oriented sound of this thing It has bouncy pop music built into its structure, too.
Separation
Bouncy 80s electronic pop sound is on the menu here. While most of the stuff here has a tendency to be repetitive, this track seems even more so.
Move
More guitar based, this rocker works pretty well. This is another track that has a healthy helping of Hawkwind like space rock.
Secrets
This tune has a bouncy groove to it. It’s electronic but also has some hints of jazz in some ways. I really love some of the keyboard work on this so much. There is a bit of a funky edge at times, too. This is one of my favorite tunes here.
