Stroszek - Manufacturing Consent EP

It's hard to believe that this record was made in 2009 and is not, in fact, from the mid-80s having been unearthed at the rear of a dusty vinyl stockroom or car boot sale. The arrangements, the vocals, the instrument tones and even the production are so acutely retro that the astute level of observation involved on the part of the band and producers is really quite impressive. It summons vivid images of New Romantic haircuts and a swaying, foppish frontman miming on Top of the Pops with too many smoke machines going in the background. It's certainly competent but also somewhat irrelevant. [Austin Tasseltine]