If you are a huge fan of Joy Electric and you find that you just can't get enough of that sugary keyboard pop sound, then your prayers have been answered. There are enough synthesizer whistles, pops and bleeps here to make any computer nerd jump for joy.
This music feels so strongly influenced by Mario Brothers games that
the average listener may well find themselves reaching for the joystick.
Granted, there are a handful of people who really do find this cutsey Mickey
Mouse Club theme music entertaining, and no doubt many listeners into the
ultra-pop spectrum of electronica will find the album extremely entertaining.
But this sort of music is an acquired taste, even if you call yourself
a fan of electronic music, and this is far from the best of
releases in the genre.
Produced by Ronnie Martin, there are really no departures on this
recording from the typical Joy Electric sound or song style. I don't
know if it's Ronnie's heavy hand in the production of the album that makes
this band sound exactly like Joy Electric or if the boys in Goodnight Star
are just such huge fans that they, intentionally or not, rip off their
main influence. Whatever the reason, the result is still that the average
person will just not hear any difference at all between this album and
practically
any release from Joy Electric.
Lyrically, the band is very outspoken about their faith and musically, they do stray down the darker path now and again. But the effect created is like taking a walk through a misty garden at midnight under a full moon while Chip and Dale chatter away behind the bushes. Somehow these two themes don't mesh very well. Hopefully, future releases from Martin's own Plastiq Musiq will not all sound just like Joy Electric.
Keith Giles (4/19/99)
