THOMAS DOLBY : Map Of The Floating City (Lost Toy People)
01.01.70
“I marvel at the new landscape of the music business,” says the sometime synth pioneer. “Downloading songs from the internet was barely dreamed of when I started out.
“But this album doesn’t sound electronic at all. I have no desire whatsoever to add to the myriad of machine-based, synth-driven grooves out there.
“The internet has made a music career approachable for thousands of bands, but I hear too few single-minded voices among them, so I’m returning to what I do best, write songs, tell stories.”
Set in a dieselpunk dystopia in which the Allies failed to win World War 2, Map Of The Floating City is divided into the three fictional continents of Urbanoia, Amerikana and Oceanea, with music to suit each.
Nothing New Under The Sea has more than a hint of Waterboys about it; Spice Train adds Eastern strains to squidgy synths, and Jealous Thing Called Love is by the Bacharach book.
It’s when he drags his guests out of their comfort zone that things get interesting. Evil Twin Brother finds quirky songbird Regina Spektor turning disco diva.
Source: Sunday Mercury