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"With this album of fascinating electronic coldness, Propaganda finally provides a worthy successor to “A Secret Wish”, their 1985 masterpiece."
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4/5
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Hailing from Düsseldorf like their big cousin Kraftwerk, Propaganda had pulled off a tour de force in 1985 with “A Secret Wish”, offering synth-pop colored by jazz, electronica, progressive rock, punk, indus, pop, dark wave... Unfortunately, internal dissension saw the band split up: the two girls now tour under the name xPropaganda, while drummer Michael Mertens and keyboardist Ralph Dörper reformed Propaganda and released a new opus in 2024, soberly entitled “Propaganda”.
To replace their two emblematic female members, the two survivors of the original combo have hired singer Thunder Bae and Hauschka, a repentant hip hop musician and now piano enthusiast. While we might have feared a return to the same wanderings as on 1990's “1234”, “Propaganda” picks up directly from “A Secret Wish”. 'They Called Me Nocebo' recaptures this icy spirit, the vocals cold and seemingly devoid of human emotion, the keyboard strings at room temperature and the guitar allowing itself a solo. The general atmosphere is disquieting ('Distant' with its delicate piano arpeggios, 'Pureveyor Of Pleasure', 'Love Craft' with its heavy percussion and final crescendo) and the band explores other avenues: symphonic on 'Dystopian Waltz' or more colorful ('Tipping Point'). There may not be a potential hit like 'Duel' or 'P-Machinery', but each piece fits happily into the puzzle. Propaganda manages to look both to the past, without relying on 1980s nostalgia, and to the modern age.
Thunder Bae's vocals offer all the wintry poison that befits this album. Cold but bewitching, this ice queen also knows how to play with her fragility. On 'Vicious Circles', she revives the tradition of Susane Freytag's spoken vocals to great effect.
Propaganda has not only reformed with two original members, but has also succeeded in building on its legacy with a fine album of electronic pop that allows it, almost 40 years on, to offer a worthy successor to “A Secret Wish”. A captivating, mysterious, rich and moving album that will appeal to all music lovers, especially those who understand that the 1980s were not a musical wasteland. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
 01. They Call Me Nocebo - 5:01
02. Purveyor Of Pleasure - 4:15
03. Vicious Circle - 3:42
04. Tipping Point - 3:39
05. Distant - 4:45
06. Love:Craft - 5:52
07. Dystopian Waltz - 7:26
08. Wenn ich mir was wünschen dürfte - 5:17
LINEUP:
Hauschka: Claviers
Michael Mertens: Batterie
Ralf Dörper: Claviers
Thunder Bae: Chant
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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(2) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
-/5 (0 view(s))
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STAFF:
3.5/5 (2 view(s))
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