EXPO 2000

Kraftwerk

For those of you not in the know (or alternatively those of you who can’t recall the 1970s), Kraftwerk are A Legendary Band who influenced loads and loads of all those early eighties synth outfits (you know the ones) with tunes like Autobahn and The Model. Then, being Legends, they went bonkers and had robots built and decided to release approximately one single every decade. Or something. But anyway, they’re back now and that’s all that matters. They’ve released a single so automatically it’s a classic and everyone should own it, love it and worship it as the finest thing to come out of Germany since the Norwich City side that embarrassed Bayern Munich. But it’s not. It’s pants. By 1970s standards, by which this song has obviously been benchmarked, it’s fantastic blippy electronic drum machine orientated stuff that makes bands like Yes and Genesis look very sad indeed. However, we’re now in the 2000s and it looks as out of date as the edition of Smash Hits that asks "Is Roger Taylor leaving Duran Duran?". Still, Ocean Colour Scene seem to think the sixties haven’t finished so why shouldn’t Kraftwerk assume the seventies are still going?

YOU'RE NOT ALONE

Embrace

Imagine you’re in a pub. It’s about halfway through the pub band’s set and the landlord’s turned the lights down a bit and it’s obvious the next number’s going to be a slow one so all the older people (over 15) can have a little dance with their loved ones. Even the bloke standing by the cigarette machine’s tapping his feet to this one. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed, punctuated only by the occasional payout at the fruit machine and the background chatter from the many patrons who only came for a drink, not to be serenaded. The lights are dimmed bar the shining beacon that is the Fire Exit sign just to the right of the band and the toilet doors to the left that continually open and close during the song. At the end of the song the singer announces that the band’ll be signing copies of their CD after the show and then they launch into Wonderwall. This is the Embrace sound. The anthems are back. Just accept it.