Joy Electric

Item: Five Stars For Failure
Author: Todd Brown

Five Stars For Failure

(1995)

Reviewed by Todd Brown

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsThe LighthouseJanuary 1996

electronic indie pop synth pop

Allow me to say that at one time in my life, I had an utter hatred of all synthetic instruments. I loathed them. It took such artists as New Order, The Beloved, and Dance House Children to restore my faith in the possibilities offered by synthetics. All three bands have left us now, but Ronnie Martin of Dance House continues on as Joy Electric, continuing to play out his unique musical vision and continuing to impress me in the process.

Martin's music has always been difficult to categorize and has only become more so as his career has progressed. I have no comparison for this effort, though fans of the acts listed above will likely dive right in. I think it's safe to say that this release represents Martin at both his most diverse and his most accessible. The vocals are light and airy with a definite British feel [as they always are], while the music is purely synthetic, based on simple and elegant melodies. Blipping and blooping abounds throughout, but beyond that, it's really hard to say.

Of the seven tracks on this disc, four are new versions of material found on other projects. There is a purely synthetic mix of "Sorcery" from Tooth & Nail's Art Core compilation, a house-driven mix of "Drum Machine Joy," and a second mix of this song, this time eerily ambient. And there is the original mix of "The Girl From Rosewood Lane," which can be found on the Melody album. (This mix appeared previously on a limited-edition promotional CD, Noise Vol. 1) These are good-I'm glad I have them, but the real stars are the three new tracks.

"Keep Him In Your Thoughts" leads off the disc and features one killer polka-driven rhythm. I'm not being sarcastic here. It is definitely polka, and it is very, very good. "Courage" is a dense, jungle track. This is as close to pure dance music as Martin has gotten since flirting with it on Dance House Children's Jesus. The final song, "Five Stars For Failure," is a densely melancholic dirge, which would actually fit quite nicely beside much of the work of Morrissey.

Thematically, these songs deal with Martin's frustration and depression resulting from the less-than-warm reception his work has received to this point-hardly surprising considering the title of the disc. A work of this type runs the risk of moving into the realm of self pity; a "woe is me" self-indulgence. Martin steps around this quite nicely from the start. While never denying his emotions, he points straight to the true response to it all:

You are afraid when I am dark I seem to be lost in your thoughts All of confusion steals our heart Whenever your pistol breaks its Blue triggered parts, the slide of hand falters so Keep him in your thoughts Keep him in your thoughts

Five stars, yes. Failure, no.