release date: Nov. 17, 1984
format: vinyl (EPC 26220) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Laurie Latham, The Stranglers
label: Epic Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: A) 1. "Ice Queen" - 2. "Skin Deep" - 5. "North Winds"
8th studio album by The Stranglers following close to two years after Le Feline (Jan. '83) shows how the band has moved into the fold of mainstream pop / rock. There's hardly any evidence of new wave or an eager to shake the world of the established.
Regardless its bold pop-shape, I did really like the single "Skin Deep" upon its release, although, I quickly found it tiring, and the album just seemed too slick to my liking. Despite the less than two years separation, there's a huge cleft between Feline and this. Where the former had its unique sound of primary instrumentation and strong original sound, this is shaped via traditional pop / rock compositions with strings and multi-layered sounds that characterises the vast mainstream pool of '80s artists. Yes, critics liked it and it brought them a much bigger crowd of consumers, but it also made their music slightly more forgettable.
