Kurt Feldman is kept pretty busy as the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's drummer, but he's always found time for side projects. His previous group, the Depreciation Guild, was a retro-shoegaze band with a twist, building its sound around chiptune electronics. His next project, Ice Choir, is even more retro but minus the twist -- instead he looks to re-create '80s synth pop (and sophisticated '80s pop with synths) as faithfully as possible. Afar, the debut album by the group (which is really Feldman doing everything but the occasional fretless bass and backing vocal), sounds like it could have been released in 1985. He uses time-specific synths with the exact settings bands like OMD and Naked Eyes used, the same ultra-gated drum machines, and the same overall recording ambience. Additionally, he sings like the son of Scritti Politti's Green Gartside and his skill at aping different shades on the synth pop rainbow is uncanny. With all this re-creation and homage going on, it would have been easy for Afar to turn out to be just a nostalgic curiosity with no real value beyond admiring Feldman's ability to channel the past. While it's true that this ability is the most impressive thing about Ice Choir's debut, the record succeeds on a different level thanks to how good the songs are. They don't sound like '80 album tracks; they sound like hits. Whether it's the slinky groove of "A Vision of Hell, 1996," the aching melancholy of "Two Rings," the bouncy shuffle of "Peacock in the Tall Grass," or the sophisticated prettiness of "The Ice Choir," the album is full of songs that would sound right at home on an '80s Night playlist or played back to back with the best songs of Prefab Sprout and OMD. Feldman's not just using the sound as a lark, though; he's transmitting enough emotion and feeling to give the album plenty of depth. Just take a listen to "Everything Is Spoilt by Use," the album-closing heartfelt ballad featuring Chairlift's Caroline Polachek, and it becomes pretty clear that Feldman isn't fooling around. Ice Choir, and Afar, could have easily played their love of '80s synthy pop as a joke, but they didn't and that makes the album a real treat for fans of the era. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi

1		I Want You Now & Always
2		Teletrips
3		A Vision of Hell, 1996
4		Bounding
5		Two Rings
6		Afar
7		Peacock in the Tall Grass
8		The Ice Choir
9		Everything Is Spoilt by Use

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