http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68477&rws=%2Faztec-camera%2Ftop-tracks.rssA catchy and -- at least at first -- folk-inflected New Wave act with spry, observant lyrics full of humorous twists and emotional depth. Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame is still a talented songwriter and a singer with a delicate, softly falling voice. The closer you stick to the AC's lower-key early material, however, the better off you'll be. For some ill-begotten reason, after <I>Knife</I> (1984) he began molding his songs after the over-produced R&B-ish (i.e. rubbish) Adult Contemporary churned out by Simply Red and the solo Boy George. Bloated horn sections, syrupy harmonies, fluffy Blue-Eyed Soul passages and gallon after gallon of studio varnish smother the emotional burn of Frame's writing. <I>Love</I> and <I>Stray</I> may contain more hit songs, but relative to the more atmospheric first two albums they're mere crust after pie. With their unassuming, clean hooks and perfect lyric poise, <I>High Land, Hard Rain</I>'s "Oblivious" and <I>Knife</I>'s "Birth of the True" rank among the most exemplary songs ever hoisted aloft by New Wave. - Chad DriscollJangle Popen720Wed, 2 Dec 2009 08:46:48 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.68477&rws=%2Faztec-camera%2Ftop-tracks.rss A catchy and -- at least at first -- folk-inflected New Wave act with spry, observant lyrics full of humorous twists and emotional depth. Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame is still a talented songwriter and a singer with a delicate, softly falling voice. The closer you stick to the AC's lower-key early material, however, the better off you'll be. For some ill-begotten reason, after <I>Knife</I> (1984) he began molding his songs after the over-produced R&B-ish (i.e. rubbish) Adult Contemporary churned out by Simply Red and the solo Boy George. Bloated horn sections, syrupy harmonies, fluffy Blue-Eyed Soul passages and gallon after gallon of studio varnish smother the emotional burn of Frame's writing. <I>Love</I> and <I>Stray</I> may contain more hit songs, but relative to the more atmospheric first two albums they're mere crust after pie. With their unassuming, clean hooks and perfect lyric poise, <I>High Land, Hard Rain</I>'s "Oblivious" and <I>Knife</I>'s "Birth of the True" rank among the most exemplary songs ever hoisted aloft by New Wave. - Chad Driscoll