Customer Reviews

Happy

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

 

 

When I bought this album, not too long ago, I was not expecting something like this...........I was expecting the same old [stuff] that some of the survival 80's bands play these days, but I got excactly what I wanted and dreamed of from these guys. This is by far thier most mature, complete, and powerfull album to date. "HAPPY" is to REAL LIFE as "SALVATION" is to ALPHAVILLE. This is a very powerfull album as far as music and lyrics is concerned. The future sounds of synth-pop are very evident here. The album starts out hard with a bang with songs like "Everything Explodes", "Virus", "I Did What I Did" and "Happy" that are very powerfull, dark and hard. The future of synth-pop with a kick of industrial/goth. My personal favorates "Deep Sleep", "Learning How To Breathe", and "Meltdown" blew me away from its compelling sound and lyrics. They are not as hard and upbeat as the others, but really stick to your head from their perfections. There is a remix of "Deep Sleep" that is just great. Other good songs include "Satisfied" and "Skin". PERFECT 10 ALBUM

I didn't expect much as many 80's synth bands seem to have gotten really dark and industrial in their sound by the late 90's (think Information Society). Even this album's cover art made me think it would be quite harsh. Instead, you get a perfect late-90's electronic sound that is a natural evolution for the band. You can really hear how the band has changed with the times, from 80's "Send Me An Angel" synth-pop to the bouncy euro-dance of the early 90s with "God Tonight" and now a blend of synthdance and electronica that sounds fresh even as I listen to it today in 2005, over half a decade later. Some parts remind me musically of Depeche Mode or New Order. A brilliant and unfortunately overlooked album that you should definitely check out.

Unlike so many other bands that can't seem to lose their 80's sound or image, Real Life continues to change with the times and this electronic masterpiece is just a hint of things to come. The singles "Deep Sleep" and "Everything Explodes" can be mixed in clubs in between Moby, Prodigy, Fat Boy Slim and The Chemical Brothers without missing a beat. This is cutting edge electronic music. "Meltdown" is a great mid-tempo number with David Sterry's classic vocals. My favourite track however is "Virus" which evokes the industrial sound of Nine Inch Nails without all of the anger and screeming. From start to finish, this is a fantastic album. Grab it now while you can, as the Momentum Label has closed it's doors.....

I am so thrilled to have come across this cd. I cannot believe it wasn't a bigger success. I didn't even realize Real Life made anything after the '80s, but when I came across it on here, I had to check it out. From the first listen, this album became one of my favorites of all time. It's perfect. There is a ton of variety, yet all the songs have an underlying, almost comedic darkness to them. There isn't a bad track on here. My two least favorites are probably "Satisfied" and "Deep Sleep," but even they are great songs that I rarely skip past. My favorites are "Virus," "I Did What I Did," and "Learning How To Breathe," followed closely by "Everything Explodes," "Girl Jesus," "Skin," and "Meltdown." The entire thing is an innovative masterpiece. Many of the sounds common to today's synthpop, futurepop, and EBM can be found on Happy. Highly recommended. I'm hoping it's re-released soon...maybe under A Different Drum??? *hint hint*

In Happy, Real Life has evolved from the 80's techno/pop gap bridging band that we all knew and loved to a unique, industrial/techno beat all of their own. The music is powerful, very dark and very much a style all of its own. If you are looking for good music, you hit it right on this one. If you are looking for the canned spam music that US radio stations play, then look again, and try something better.

David Sterry and the boys are back from a long overdue album. It's kind of funny when you talk to them about this album because only 1 track was actually recorded in a studio (Deep Sleep). The rest was recorded in one of the band members home. You can't even tell the difference. I certainly hope to see more material from Real Life soon. Best of luck to David, Danny, George & Allan.