John Foxx

"The Pleasures of Electricity" [with Louis Gordon] (Album, 2002)

The Quiet Man's latest postcard from the RetroFuture is his third release to share the sleeve credit with co-composer Louis Gordon. But unlike their first studio album together (The Shifting City) this is has a more humanistic and melodious tone. Its rich history lies in part in a romantic 1930s vision of Europe via Trans Europe Express era Kraftwerk. The more contemporary repetative beats are like someone's imaginary view of the English electronic club scene. Actually not much like reality at all and frankly somewhat quaint and naive - but surely that's deliberate? This second vein represented by the slightly self-conscious, mainstream dance beat of Nightlife.

At the other end of this album's spectrum is the operatic elegance of Camera, yet The Pleasures of Electricity has a more sumptuous, less abrasive feel to it when compared to the last album. In place of the chilling, metallic otherwordliness of Shifting City, this is a richer, warmer, yet classically very John Foxxian sets of songs that are still fascinated by tales from the city that Foxx is so fond of. The brilliance of tracks like The Falling Room and Travel proves that Foxx (and co.) has plenty of distinctive ideas and ways of expressing them that continue to excite, twenty five years after he started. 7/10

Rob Dyer

"Modern Art (The Best of John Foxx)" (Album, 2001)

Music Club

To be honest, I'm not sure how many people who aren't already John Foxx fans will purchase this compilation. But if there are some people out there who know just one or two John Foxx tracks and would like to hear more then you couldn't ask for a more ideal starting point. Taking in Foxx's career from his first solo material in 1980 after splitting from Ultravox to what was then a preview of the 2002 The Pleasures of Electricity album, this eighteen track collection encompasses the three main musical styles: minimalist pure electronics (cf the classic Underpass), lush Europop (Europe After The Rain) and ambient (Sunset Rising).

I've never really cared for Foxx's explorations into the more romantic, pastoral pop in the mid 1980s, but there are a couple of songs from that era that are well worthwhile like Europe After The Rain and Your Dress, whereas entries like 1985's Enter The Angel simply sound cheesy even to the most sympathetic ear. Still, credit to all concerned for including all his singles alongside some of the rarer tracks.

Weaknesses aside, this is a thrilling look into the mind of one of the UK's most unique songwriters. Songs like Underpass and 20th Century (anyone in the London region remember the 80s Sunday TV programme called 20th Century Box that used this song as it theme tune?!) sound, remarkably, as exhilirating now even with more than twenty five years of intervening noise, sometimes from those who cite the influential Foxx as a point of reference. After some years in the wilderness, Foxx returned with a stunning ambient album Cathedral Oceans in 1995. This is represented here by the lilting Sunset Rising - an accurate sampling of that beautiful album. 7/10

Rob Dyer (October 2006)

Official John Foxx website: http://www.metamatic.com