Customer Reviews

Cruelty Without Beauty

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Cruelty Without Beauty is a fun album that proves "old guys" can still perform with the best of the current crop and even better in many cases. While none of the songs are as sinister as old Soft Cell works (something I kind of lament), there remains a pop sensibility and lyrical and musical craftsmanship that is absent from nearly everything else in dance and techno anymore. Dave Ball has always been an expert at the synthesizer, and Marc Almond's lyrics are often entertainingly sleazy (although sometimes his refined voice makes me long for the days of his more urgent untrained/pitch-poor-yet-striking vocals). A few of the disc's 12 tracks are spotty ("Sensation Nation" being one of the most irritating songs, musically and lyrically, I've heard in yonks), but far more of the songs are well-done, and a few of them are simply amazing ("Le Grand Guignol" strikes me as the duo's best track--a vivid, sleazy updating of the original Soft Cell sound; and "Desperate," which mixes dancy rythms and last-legs-Vegas wah-wah into a breathtaking portrait of neediness). "Darker Times" gets the album off to a great start, mixing tinkling bells with club beats. "Monoculture," "The Night," "Together Alone," "All Out of Love," and "On an Up" all offer great listening. Will it gain any airplay? Probably not. Will it go unnoticed? Perhaps. But that would be too bad, as these boys can teach the current chart-squaters a lot.

One of the reviews I read here stated that this isn't really the old Soft Cell sound but more an extension of David Ball's work with the Grid. This may be true to an extent but if you listen to this new Soft Cell CD a couple of times, you will certainly distinguish the old Soft cell sounds within each track. Back are the signiture clarinets and trumpets that the guys used on many of their past songs from the 80's. "last Chance" sounds like "Wave Hello, Say goodbye" prequal. "Darker Times" is dancable and reminds me of a cross between "Memorabilia" and "Soul Inside." "Carigual Syndrome" would have fit perfectly on "This Last Night in Sodom" Some of the songs do sound like nothing they ever recorded before. "Le Grand Guiginal" and "Together Alone" comes to mind here.

The best way I can sum up this CD is to imagine if Soft cell never broke up after 1984 and made 8 or 9 more CDs after "Last Night in Sodom." Well this one sounds like the "next" CD in that progression. It's like they never stopped recording together. While the roots of their earlier work are present, there is certainly no rehashing here. It's Soft Cell 2002.

This CD obviously has a much more mature sound to it than their earlier work and is reflected in Marc Almond's voice and the fact that they had plenty of time in between recordings {18 years...geez} to grow as musicians.

My favorite tracks are "The Night", "Darker Times", "Le Grand Guginal", "Carguial Syndrome" and "Whatever it Takes." But really, there isn't a bad track on here, its that good.

Nowadays it seems several 80's bands are reforming for the money and/or just for the sake of doing it without really having anything new to say. This is what I first thought the situation was with this new Soft Cell album before I popped it onto the CD player for the first spin. Thankfully to my surprise I was dead WRONG! Cruelty without Beauty is a FANTASTIC example of how bands SHOULD do it! Since their last album 18+ years ago the band hasn't been sleeping, more like waiting on the sidelines, absorbing information and influences. Finally when the time is right they decide to strike, and have PLENTY to say! I got into Soft Cell way back in Jr. High, it was something different and had a soul unlike many others. That soul is still there, but a little more mature, a little more grown up. Dave Ball's playing is phenomenal, and Marc's voice is stronger and has a much more solid foundation. Several songs from their earlier albums I could relate to back in Jr. High (Frustration was almost my theme song) and this disc hits the nail on the head for me today(Monoculture is the PERFECT example of what my frustration & perception of what the world is right now) The themes are updated (Whatever It Takes, Sensation Nation) even poking fun at what other artists (or even maybe themselves) are willing to do for that last shot of glory (like in Desperate) which certainly proves the band decided to focus on music integrity rather than cashing in on the hit single. However if the modern music industry has not changed and gone in the toilet so much I guarantee Monoculture and All Out of Love would be hitting the airwaves with full force. But alas, times have changed and it's nice to see Soft Cell release an honest album. It's a shame it won't get more exposure and is likely to only remain a "hidden treasure".

I was lucky enough to hear some of the new material during their reunion show in England, and was hoping some of them would be released on a full-length CD. Those prayers have been answered and then some. This disc has not left my CD player since I got it. Monoculture was a great first single, and from the looks of it, almost anything else on this disc would make great follow-up singles. The production is very modern, yet it still retains the original knack for great song writing. Marc Almond's voice has gotten better with age, and Dave Ball's soundscapes are a natural progression from his work in the Grid. I feel this CD is overall more consistent then any previous Soft Cell release, and I only hope it's not another 17 years before the next one!

Soft Cell was one of the groups that truly helped launch the "synthpop" movement as we know it today. David Ball handcrafted wonderful electronic grooves around Marc Almond's soulful voice. 18 years after the last Soft Cell album, the same chemistry between the two hasn't faltered.

The first single "Monoculture" sounds as classic as any Soft Cell dance number, with just a hint of The Grid (David Ball's post Soft Cell electronic project). The song will pull you onto the dancefloor as easily as "Memorabillia" or "Tainted Love."

The rest of the album is a fantastic blend of vintage Soft Cell pop and balladry. Instrumentation is a superb cross-polination of classic synths and modern electronics. You can tell from the start that this is Soft Cell, but you don't feel like it is simply a rehash of old ideas. In fact the album fits right in with today's leading electronic acts.

The album will atract both longtime Soft Cell / Almond fans and those who were still in diapers when the group began. With bands like Depeche Mode drifting further and further from the synthpop that made them so famous, it is refreshing to see a veteran act like Soft Cell back as fresh as they were back in 1981.

Grab the CD and enjoy the bonus CD with 3 remixes of "Monoculture" and the humorous video as well. Then pull out some vintage 80's clothing, color your hair bright blue, and dance like a fool. Soft Cell is back....

Pleasantly surprising. Somehow this goes beyond reunion CDs that many 80s bands put out. It doesn't sound desperate or obligatory. It's true to the original sound of Soft Cell, but still sounds like a record made today. Mark Almond's voice is in fine form and the signature bleeps and bursts bring a smile to your face.

This is better than I thought it would be and it has some really godd cuts on it. Still - Almond has done some fine solo work and Ball's stuff with The Grid was even better. Okay for fans.

I was so excited to hear that Marc and Dave were going to be releasing a new album, and they do not disappoint! The sound is so classic Soft Cell, and the writing is superb. A lot of these songs are easily some of the best recorded by the original synth-pop duo. I think my favorite track is "Desperate". If you don't have this song stuck in your head after listening to it, I'd be very surprised. Marc's lyrics are fantastic, and Dave maintains that old school analog sound that I love from the Non Stop days. The great thing about this release is that it is consistent. The tracks are good all the way through. The only songs that I thought were just "ok" are Le Grand Guignol and Caligula Syndrome, but neither are bad by a long shot. I really hope this is not a one shot deal for Soft Cell. While I love Marc's solo work, Soft Cell brings out the best in both Marc and Dave. If you live in one of the cities lucky enough to be getting one of the dates for the US tour, don't miss them! When I saw the tour for "The Stars We Are" in San Diego so many years ago, a fan in the audience yelled out "Do Soft Cell!". Marc responded by saying "Another time, another place". I'm so happy I'll be at "another time" and "another place" on December 3rd!!

After a nearly two decade lapse,this new CD by Soft Cell
finds them still on the cutting edge. An impassioned and razor sharp critique of faceless mass culture and present day depersonalization, "Cruelty" avoids
heavy didactics for a soaring, hard-edged cry of the heart. Musically, think of an update of the best of "Art of Falling Apart" with the lyrical content of "This Last Night in Sodom." Easily one of the year's best. Standout tracks: "Monoculture", "On and Up", "Darker Times" and especially "Caligula Syndrome"

If you've ever liked Soft Cell, you'll like this new CD. The song writing is just as good or better than Soft Cell's recordings back in the day. The songs sound like Soft Cell with a little more modern instrumentation and Mark's voice is better than it used to be but it still sounds like Mark. Every song on the disc is good, which is more than I can say for the last 20 CD's I've bought. I'm so glad I bought this disc, I knew I had to review it, something I wouldn't normally do.