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Oana Dorobantu for VIVA MUSIC.

Tracklist: * Sertão * Le Sel sur tes Mains * Joue * Uchronia 2012 * John * Voyage, Voyage * Les Petits Poissons * Sertão [ Remix Oil10] * Joue [ Remix Stolearm] *  Sertão [Remix Electrosexual] * Le Sel sur tes Mains [Remix BakXIII] * Sertão [Remix People Theatre] *

Release date: 26 March 2013 with Urgence Disk Records

About Desireless & Operation of the Sun: Remember that 80s single Voyage Voyage sung by a punk looking chick? Well, that chick happens to be Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop otherwise known as Desireless, 80s chart topper sensation. In 2011, Antoine Aureche of 80s revival project Operation of the Sun was working on a new album and invited Claudie to record vocals for a song. It felt so natural that they ended up doing a double EP together and according to him, she’s not just punk looking, but also punk spirited. Here’s a combination we’re willing to bet some hard earned money on.

Desireless & Operation of the Sun – L’Oeuf Du Dragon: Viva Music Review 

We weren’t expecting this album, but after 2011’s Uchronia, we had definitely set our hopes up for it. Good thing we did, because in the summer of 2012, Desireless & Operation of the Sun delivered a stunning EBM sounding 80s infused synthpop double EP named L’Oeuf Du Dragon which featured 5 original songs, 2 tasty rehashes  of older Desireless songs, and 5 remixes. 

The packaging of this EP is tricky. Pick up this album at your local record store and you will be fooled into believing it is more ambiental piece, but then you read the name of the artists and you try to make it cope somehow with electropop. Our guess is that the aesthetics belong to Desireless as she has taken some trips to India and probably wants to zen us out with the imagery. The front cover seems to be a riverbank in black and white with a small teal stone resting on it. Turn it around and you will find a hand resting next to small yellow flowers. Every image of this release is so serene that it transcends the self into a more ethereal realm rather than into a club where one would be more likely to listen to the songs off the EP.

Fast foward from the record store to back home putting the record on for the first listen and you are in for a fantastic journey through 80s electro vocals with modern EBM beats. We were so shocked at the hit potential Sertão had that we kept it on repeat for a couple of days before we could listen to the rest of the album. The vocals are a French sounding treat complimented by the well inspired synth programming. Le Sel sur tes Mains brings a touch of electro refinement sampled with guitar rhythms that take you on a journey to a shoulderpad wearing dancefloor of an 80s club. This is followed by a delightful surprise with Joue, a gothic inspired song with a rather aggressive rhythm where the vocal delivery is nothing short of impressive. We are very excited about the more frequent use of harspichords in music and this song is one of our favorites from the latest releases. Uchronia 2012 is just another chart topper to be for the gothic scene due to its German infused synth pop beat. Next in line we are introduced to a new down tempo version of the 80s single John, a pleasing ballad with amazing production. Voyage Voyage also got a new version, however unlike its predecessor, this song was coupled with a power electro beat, different mix on the chorus which made it more powerful, and really good guitar work. For us, the rehashed versions of these old singles are great tributes which only prove how much music can evolve and remain timeless in the same time. Les Petits Poissons seems like a filler song, an atmospheric piece to set the tone for the 5 remixes to come. Out of the 5 remixes, we enjoyed Oil10’s version of Sertão because of it upbeat 80s electropop feel that transcends into darker realms while the other remixes didn’t strike us a more than dance floor versions of songs that are already dance floor material. We would dance to Electrosexual’s remix in club, though. All together, the album is well produced and refreshes 80s music into modern day WGT hits. Enjoy!

Desireless & Operation of the Sun: Official Website │ Facebook