Musical Over Dose
is proud to present
Since January 2002
another new release, have fun
.: about release :.
Name .:. Soft Cell - Happiness Not Included
Genre : Electronic
Source : CDDA
Type .:. Album
Artist : Soft Cell
Label : Bmg Rights Management (Warner)
Titel : Happiness Not Included
Tracks : 12
Playtime : 55:11
Size : 105,75MB
Encoder : VBRNEW - LAME3.100 - V0
Quality : VBR kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo
Bitrate : avg. 267kbps
[ Tracklist ]
01.Happy Happy Happy 04:47
02.Polaroid 04:41
03.Bruises On My Illusions 04:46
04.Purple Zone 03:11
05.Heart Like Chernobyl 03:25
06.Light Sleepers 04:42
07.Happiness Not Included 04:55
08.Nostalgia Machine 04:35
09.Nighthawks 05:14
10.I'm Not a Friend of God 04:35
11.Tranquiliser 03:51
12.New Eden 06:29
Total 55:11 Min
In the mid 20th century Aldous Huxley warned us of a
dystopian future in the 1932 novel Brave New World,
while George Orwell also outlined such warnings in
the 1949 novel 1984. Both highly influential pieces
of literature, while we are floating around in the
year 2022, the real question is, were they right?
That all depends on who you ask, but if you take a
moment to disconnect from your devices, you can see
the truth is in reality.
Which leads us to the new album *Happiness Not
Included from Æ80s hitmaker Soft Cell. Due out on
May 6, 2022, you are probably thinking what does
bleak dystopian worlds have to do with the the duo
that brought us one of the big Æ80s hit, ôTainted
Love,ö or such unforgettable songs like ôSex Dwarf?ö
Well, everything, and soon you will find out why.
For those of you which do not recall, Soft Cell is
made up of Vocalist Marc Almond and Instrumentalist
David Ball. Together, as Soft Cell, they became
pioneers in the Synth-pop worldàand we are talking
about much more than ôTainted Love.ö There sound was
dark, moody, sensual, and highly influential.
Unfortunately they dissolved in 1984 after the
release of their album This Last Night in Sodom, and
it is a shame too, because they were unique. Sure
there have been reunions here and there, and each
member has done some really great stuff solo, but
did the idea of a new Soft Cell album ever cross
even the most dedicated fanÆs mind? Probably not,
but here we are preparing for it twenty long years
after Soft CellÆs last album, 2000Æs Cruelty Without
Beauty.
As mentioned, while Soft Cell has mostly been
dormant forever, Ball and Almond have not. Ball has
produced and released some of his own music, while
Almond has been quite prolific as a recording
artist. Now they dust off Soft Cell yet again for
*Happiness Not Included, a new 12 track album that
is really something to look into. In many cases
artists reunite to record new music, and in truth, a
lot of the time it is swing and miss. Leave it to
trying to be too contemporary or simply not truly
having their hearts in it, whatever it might be, it
happens a lot. This is absolutely not the case with
Soft CellÆs resurrection because these songs are
thoughtful, well-composed, and true to who the duo
are. Furthermore, they are not shiny or pumped up on
happy pills, but instead they are provocative,
free-thinking, and on the outside fringes of
societal conformity.
With real subject manner that is at any times pretty
dark, it is also not to say the songs of *Happiness
Not Included are downbeat. It is really quite the
contrary, because each song has a strong beats,
colorful synthesizers, and well-placed spoken sound
samples around AlmondÆs unmistakable voice. This is
exemplified right from the get-go with ôHappy
Happy,ö a track that could be discussed in a
separate essay due to the striking context. Quickly
summarizing it, ôHappy Happyö confronts the sad,
complex, soulless world we have created and continue
to sink into. This is also the case with ôHeart Like
Chernobylö which reflects the culture of fear, while
the title-track ô,Happiness Not Included,ö talks
about the delusion of erasing things we do not like
or agree with to re-write history.
Featuring a sea of deep thoughtful topics amidst it
all, other stand out moments on *Happiness Not
Included include reflections of the past with
ôPolaroid,ö the Darkwave vibes of ôBruises on My
Illusions,ö a collaboration with Pet Shop Boys for
the escapist themed ôPurple Zone,ö the irresistible
dance cut ôNostalgia Machine,ö and the harsher EDM
drive of ôNighthawks.ö And then there is also ôIÆm
Not A Friend of God,ö the perfect anthem for the
disenfranchised, ôTranquiliserö screaming for some
originality in the modern grey world, and a fitting
final goodbye in the ôNew Eden.ö Is there Eden? Are
we looking in vain, or were we already here, and
ended up just destroying it all?
Overall *Happiness Not Included possesses a very
heavy climate amidst the lyrics. You can tell that
Almond is a bit anti-establishment and that is
applauded when everywhere you turn nowadays you are
seeing conformity blanketing the globe. The truth is
Almond is probably not alone in his feelings,
because there are many more who feel and see what he
does. Beyond the lyrics, the music is also top
notch; it is modern enough, yet not too over the
topàit is has just the right balance of classic Soft
Cell. An excellent return from Soft Cell, and highly
recommended, Cryptic Rock gives *Happiness Not
Included 5 out of 5 stars.
www.softcell.co.uk