Freezepop- Maxi Ultra-Fresh

Featuring a new track, three songs from the full-length Fancy Ultra•Fresh, 5 remixes, and a live performance that combines "Outer Space" and "Plastic Stars", Freezepop's Maxi Ultra•Fresh is a 58 minute foray into a modern retro world of analog synths, thumping drum machines, and vocoded vocals. Blending male and female vocals, the band's synthetic sound showcases strong songwriting and nearly spotless production.

"Boys on Film", its title an obvious ode to Duran Duran, is part Devo-esque analog pop quirkiness, part modern electro. "Tonight", on the other hand, is a slightly moodier female-fronted synthpop affair with a particularly catchy finale. "Chess King" is one of the disc's best, a bouncy and particularly amusing synthpop club number about seeking love in the mall, while the new song, "Smoke Machine", offers up a sparse, moody verse and more energetic chorus accented by cascading background arpeggios before evolving into an almost trance-like interlude.

"Outer Space/Plastic Stars", a live WMBR performance that blends the more recent former with the older latter, is quite solid, sounding almost like a studio recording. "Starlight (Karacter Re•vision Remix)" is the disc's other club-friendly, upbeat, melodic synthpop standout, while "Parlez-vous Freezepop? (Inter:sect Remix)" is a strong, plodding number built around synth bass, slowly adding layers for a strong finish. "Stakeout (Kodomo Remix)" is an energetic outing with a sinister synth riff and a beautiful, lush synth-string-laden dance chorus. "Duct Tape My Heart (Forever Remix)" is probably the least exceptional and most repetitive remix here, delving into glitchy percussion and repeated vocal samples, while the closing "Outer Space (Boothnavy's V***ger Remix)" is a nice semi-ethereal, percussion-free finale that ends the album on a lovely low-key note.

Overall, Freezepop's Maxi Ultra•Fresh is an excellent release, original material, live material, and remixes coming together to form a surprisingly cohesive package that offers up nearly an hour of excellent synthpop and electro. Fans of synthpop, electro, and retro new wave should certainly give this one a spin.