Synthpop

Username: welcome2thejam

Album: Power, Corruption & Lies: There's a sparseness that I think generally works but also holds some songs in that 6-8 range. The best New Order songs here went beyond that and I rewarded them with high scores & future longterm affection

Age of Consent: 10 The most "coming of age soundtrack" instrumental I've ever heard, which makes the title either eight times more unfortunate or eight times more appropriate

We All Stand: 6

The Village: 9 There's a little bit after the halfway mark before the vocals come back in that's sonic heaven

5 8 6: 6 Because 7 ate 9!

Blue Monday: 10 An ultimate club banger

Your Silent Face: 7

Ultraviolence: 9 False advertising, I needed to hear some violent shit. I needed to look back at the Nu Metal rate and think we had it too good, I needed to hear that the Sickos Committee ruled this simply too sicko for consumption

Ecstasy: 8 That riff means business

Leave Me Alone: 10 Goddamn listening to this alone in my room and I think it broke me a little

The Beach: 5 Reeeeeemix!!!!

Album: Songs From the Big Chair: So many incredible brain-digging hooks & choruses, more like Songs to Sing Along From the Big Chair

Shout: 10 Alright, thought going into the rate this was gonna be the one major contender I wouldn't score high, but listening to this again with fresh ears and damn the instrumental & back half especially goes off waaay more than I remember

The Working Hour: 8 Love the smooth sax

Everybody Wants to Rule the World: 11 Competition is probably too steep this rate to end James Murphy, but this is one of the few songs I wouldn't be opposed to having a reign at the top. Perfect song, no notes, hell its giving me notes to better my life

Mothers Talk: 10 Some incredible 80s bombast

I Believe: 3 Sure this album needed a comedown, but at what cost

Broken: 8 Benefitted big with that intro after the last song

Head Over Heels / Broken (reprise): 9 This song's gonna be stuck in my head for the next 24 hours so thanks

Listen: 5 Wears out its welcome

Album: Actually: Damn good album. Lacks the tippy top tier tracks of the other three albums, but consistently good throughout

One More Chance: 8 Love the sound effects, we could use more of this tbh

What Have I Done to Deserve This?: 9 Buddy I ask myself this every day

Shopping: 9 Oh boy this groove got me shimmying hard

Rent: 8 Are you my room when I turn the fan on during winter, cause this shit's kinda chilly

Hit Music: 9 This ain't one of those songs about mocking a certain kind of song that ends up being one of the great songs of that sound, is it? Okay after further research, they didn't even release it as a single, so guess not

It Couldn't Happen Here: 6 Given the subject matter & the fact that Ennio Morricone is on it, I really wish it didn't give off "ballad my dad sings at karaoke"

It's a Sin: 10 What if we made Catholic guilt a bop

I Want to Wake Up: 6

Heart: 9 Pulling a Rhythm Heaven Remix 10 there at the end I see

King's Cross: 9 So gloomy

Album: Violator: Hot damn the hits here are home runs

World in My Eyes: 7 Genius says this song is "an exploration of how the mind is the most important sex organ" Lmao which one of you nerds wrote this

Sweetest Perfection: 9

Personal Jesus: 10 Hate that this song is too intertwined for me with a rightfully cancelled pro wrestler, but idc can't stop me from 10ing it. All-timer riff.

Halo: 8 Where's my best friend Master Chief at?

Waiting for the Night: 8 The bleep bloop intro is so soothing and also reminds me that I haven't started ambient rate 2 yet oops

Enjoy the Silence: 10 They told me to Enjoy the Silence and then put two minutes of distilled fear as their outro, some real mixed messages here fellas

Policy of Truth: 10 Getting a newfound sense of appreciation for this one, might move past Personal Jesus as my fave of the record. That iconic little sliding riff is just too good, I like to make the sound with my mouth except it sorta just sounds like robot Owen Wilson saying "wow"

Blue Dress: 5 Sounds more white & gold to me

Clean: 8 Steampunk ass outro

BONUS TRACKS

ELO - Twilight: 9 Need to listen to some more ELO, my favorite songs of theirs are all such fun listens

Gary Numan - Cars: 8 This song has always felt to me like the sci-fi ideal of the song of the future. Like when people 40+ years ago envisioned what the future was like, it would be jetpacks and giant glass space domes and Gary Numan's Cars

The Human League - Don't You Want Me: 10 This slaps in my space age whip

Kraftwerk - Computer Love: 10 Thank god for Coldplay Wednesdays or music nerds would stone me to death for initially going "oh, it's the Coldplay - Talk song!"

Soft Cell - Tainted Love: 10 I'm still listening to Computer Love right now, just felt like prefilling in the 10 this so richly deserves

Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday: 9 This sounds like one of the best versions of a hundred different songs

Talk Talk - It's My Life: 9 No Doubt sold about equally tbh

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Rydeen: 9 This score prob goes up eventually after this rate, check back in like a year

Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion: 10 Take this 10 queen and slay thy enemies with it

Cut Copy - Feel the Love: 10 An absolute classic late 00s indie album, Hearts on Fire needs to find its way to a charity rate asap

Hot Chip - Flutes: 10 Once saw Hot Chip technically "open" for Lady Gaga at Lollapalooza. Has nothing to do with this song, this just feels like the only opportunity I'll get to put that in the ether

Kanye West - Paranoid: 10 You picked the worst goddamn time to rate Kanye lmao, everybody enjoy this because we probably won't be seeing him in rates for a while

The Knife - Silent Shout: 10 Feels like I should be getting my brain hyper blasted into the sixth dimension by multiple flashing lights

M83 - Midnight City: 10 Ultimately this one's undeniable, blast that 🎷🎷🎷

Magdalena Bay - Secrets (Your Fire): 10 Mag Bay bringing the dragon fire & coming for the two time bonus champion title

Owl City - Fireflies: 10 Lmao imagine only getting hugs from only one out of ten lightning bugs couldn't be me

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