don't forget a compass and a shovel

Back to the late 90's again, when Chicago synth-pop duo The Pulsars asked the listening public if they were ready for an 80's music revival...and the listening public responded that they'd rather hear "Iris" or that one Semisonic song. ("You know, the one with the cute dig-me brunette in the video?")

A pity, really, because the Pulsars' self-titled 1997 album has stood the test of time far better than the AOR dreck that dominated the playlists of the time. It's not a perfect album. A few of the tracks sound unfinished or like gimmicky novelties tossed in to pad out the CD. The good does outweigh the bad, however, and tracks like "Silicon Teens", "Technology", and today's featured track, "Tunnel Song", manage to evoke the best parts of 80's synthpop without falling into the trap of facile nostalgia.

I think "Tunnel Song" sounds like Jonathan Richman fronting the mid-eighties OMD. Allmusic.com, on the other hand, says it sounds like a cross between the Pixies and Def Leppard. Allmusic.com is full of shit.