Soft Cell Album: “Cruelty Without Beauty”

One of the reviews I read here stated that this isn't really the old Soft Cell sound but more an extension of David Ball's work with the Grid. This may be true to an extent but if you listen to this new Soft Cell CD a couple of times, you will certainly distinguish the old Soft cell sounds within each track. Back are the signiture clarinets and trumpets that the guys used on many of their past songs from the 80's. "last Chance" sounds like "Wave Hello, Say goodbye" prequal. "Darker Times" is dancable and reminds me of a cross between "Memorabilia" and "Soul Inside." "Carigual Syndrome" would have fit perfectly on "This Last Night in Sodom" Some of the songs do sound like nothing they ever recorded before. "Le Grand Guiginal" and "Together Alone" comes to mind here.

The best way I can sum up this CD is to imagine if Soft cell never broke up after 1984 and made 8 or 9 more CDs after "Last Night in Sodom." Well this one sounds like the "next" CD in that progression. It's like they never stopped recording together. While the roots of their earlier work are present, there is certainly no rehashing here. It's Soft Cell 2002.

This CD obviously has a much more mature sound to it than their earlier work and is reflected in Marc Almond's voice and the fact that they had plenty of time in between recordings {18 years...geez} to grow as musicians.

My favorite tracks are "The Night", "Darker Times", "Le Grand Guginal", "Carguial Syndrome" and "Whatever it Takes." But really, there isn't a bad track on here, its that good.

I was lucky enough to hear some of the new material during their reunion show in England, and was hoping some of them would be released on a full-length CD. Those prayers have been answered and then some. This disc has not left my CD player since I got it. Monoculture was a great first single, and from the looks of it, almost anything else on this disc would make great follow-up singles. The production is very modern, yet it still retains the original knack for great song writing. Marc Almond's voice has gotten better with age, and Dave Ball's soundscapes are a natural progression from his work in the Grid. I feel this CD is overall more consistent then any previous Soft Cell release, and I only hope it's not another 17 years before the next one!

Pleasantly surprising. Somehow this goes beyond reunion CDs that many 80s bands put out. It doesn't sound desperate or obligatory. It's true to the original sound of Soft Cell, but still sounds like a record made today. Mark Almond's voice is in fine form and the signature bleeps and bursts bring a smile to your face.

I was so excited to hear that Marc and Dave were going to be releasing a new album, and they do not disappoint! The sound is so classic Soft Cell, and the writing is superb. A lot of these songs are easily some of the best recorded by the original synth-pop duo. I think my favorite track is "Desperate". If you don't have this song stuck in your head after listening to it, I'd be very surprised. Marc's lyrics are fantastic, and Dave maintains that old school analog sound that I love from the Non Stop days. The great thing about this release is that it is consistent. The tracks are good all the way through. The only songs that I thought were just "ok" are Le Grand Guignol and Caligula Syndrome, but neither are bad by a long shot. I really hope this is not a one shot deal for Soft Cell. While I love Marc's solo work, Soft Cell brings out the best in both Marc and Dave. If you live in one of the cities lucky enough to be getting one of the dates for the US tour, don't miss them! When I saw the tour for "The Stars We Are" in San Diego so many years ago, a fan in the audience yelled out "Do Soft Cell!". Marc responded by saying "Another time, another place". I'm so happy I'll be at "another time" and "another place" on December 3rd!!

If you've ever liked Soft Cell, you'll like this new CD. The song writing is just as good or better than Soft Cell's recordings back in the day. The songs sound like Soft Cell with a little more modern instrumentation and Mark's voice is better than it used to be but it still sounds like Mark. Every song on the disc is good, which is more than I can say for the last 20 CD's I've bought. I'm so glad I bought this disc, I knew I had to review it, something I wouldn't normally do.