As an eighties kid, synth pop has been pumping in my blood ever since that first day I turned on my MTV. There’s some debate as to who’s considered a synth pop band and who isn’t. For this September Music Twitter challenge – #SynthPopSeptember – I’m focusing more on what’s considered synth pop, not who. The songs I’m featuring on Mental Jukebox this month aren’t solely composed of synthesizers. There may be drums, bass, and dare I say, electric guitars. But each of these songs were picked because the synthesizer is core to its being.
Synth pop, if you’re just going by its name, sounds like a genre that lacks edge. On the surface, it might be easy to dismiss it as a genre not worth paying much attention to. But fans know why it’s not just a great genre, it can be mindblowing when done right. Well, Camouflage got it right with their late eighties alt rock station darling and dance floor anthem, “The Great Commandment”.
“The Great Commandment” has that infectious, driving hook that makes it dance floor-ready. But it also has that dark, edgy side to it. It starts with the intro synth hook before launching into the second synth hook – the song’s trademark riff. They don’t sound like Depeche Mode. But they do borrow from the formula that has worked so well for DM – with its ominous synth arrangements. And lead singer Marcus Meyn even sounds eerily similar to David Gahan.
“The great commandment shows the contempt Between the world and their embarrassing pavement.”