Hymn To Modernism

John Hughes did many great movies and with those movies can the soundtrack of a generation. Right up there, next to Psychedelic Furs’ Pretty in Pink, are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark with their If You Leave. Having long ago secured their place in pop history, OMD have nothing to fear now, in 2010. Besides the fact that this, History of Modern, is the first album the classic line-up has recorded since their break-up in 1990. There must have been at least a hint of emotion and some butterflies in their stomachs when thinking what the fans will make of their studio return.

And truth is they should be a little worried. History of Modern sounds sickening and frustrating because there are far too many moments when it sounds like New Order would after having too many fizzy drinks and after Peter Hook took one too many happy pills. There’s a certain clumsiness here and it’s frustrating hearing it manifest itself so freely. Sometimes is particularly annoying with its loops and scratches and female vocals. Just the synths and Andy McCluskey’s voice and it would’ve been a perfect song.

There are, what you’d come to believe after one hour, happy moments. Fortunate accidents. New Babies: New Toys could be this decade’s If You Leave and The Right Side? is a masterful tribute to Kraftwerk and their Trans-Europe Express. The first and the last track. What comes in between is so pastiche it’s painful. It sounds too cheesy and too forced. In the 80s? Sure, anytime. Well, not really But today? Down right unaccaptable. The Future, The Past, And Forever After makes your ears bleed with its high notes and cars through the Autobahn noises in the back. Lyrics and unnecessary oxford comma ignored for our own sake.

Hymn to modernism? Yeah, right. History of Modern, sadly, fails to impress. Wrong direction, wrong time for such an album, wrong ideas all crammed on one record. We could give them credit and hope that the greatness it still there, somewhere. But we’ll also need it to resurface and we need OMD to make a decent album if they want to go down gracefully.