Backlash- Lodestar

The new EP from Backlash starts out promisingly enough with the "P Remix" of title track "Lodestar." While it doesn't exactly break new ground, it's got great backing vocals and a fairly modern synthpop sound that's hard to resist. Unfortunately, the rest of the remixes are weak at best, painful at worst. The "Love Is In The Ear" mix combines the worst of '80s dance and '70s funk, while Anders Eliasson (of the band Page) contributes a mix that's forgettable but for some interesting production on the bridge. Even the acoustic guitar mix serves only to emphasize the song's overwrought vocal style, which was at least tolerable when supported by drum machine and synthesizers. As far as the rest of the tracks, only the "Cucumber Mix" of "Splinter" really stands out; the "Kill Something" mix of "Purity For A Sinner" is ghastly robotic disco schlock, while previously unreleased track "Man Of A Different Mould" is decent - especially the piano bits - but certainly not enough to save the rest of this album. Unless you're already a diehard fan of this Swedish trio, you're much better off waiting for WTII Records' American reissue of their full-length album "Heliotrope." This EP would just make a bad first impression.

Get more information on Backlash at the WTII Records website at https://www.wtiirecords.com/artists/artist.php?id=backlash