The 1981 Listening Post - Telex - Sex

 Telex - Sex 

#464

1981 Housekeeping

Telex

Sex

Genre: Disco Kraftwerk

2 out of 5

I’m not gonna waste a bunch of words or time. 

This sounds like a Kraftwerk obsessed band that decided to emulate their masters and do them one better by adding sex to their content. 

But, the trouble with this is that Giorgio Moroder got their first and did it perfectly for the ages with Donna Summer. They did it years before this and Telex doesn’t have a Donna to do…well…anything. Instead we get European men laconically droning on to not too terrible electronic beds. 

But the humanity is as stripped as it is with Kraftwerk without the innovation.

Pass on Telex, stick with the originals.

The last song, a bouncy joint reminiscent of Taco’s “Puttin’ On the Ritz” makes me wonder…why did they make this their final statement? Were they afraid it might show up the rest of the record?

Put the good stuff up front guys, otherwise no one will hear it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6zCjW2fp-Y

The 1980 Listening Post - Telex - Neurovision

Telex - Neurovision

#188

May 1980

Telex

Neurovision

Genre: SynthPop

2.75 out of 5

Requisite 80s cover: “Dance To The Music” by Sly Stone. I’ll say this: it sounds like it was done by robots and makes me think of “We Are the Robots” by Kraftwerk and I like this better than that song. 

There are a handful of bands that perfectly exemplify what people think the 80s are all about. The sound of day-glo and pastel shapes. Completely impractical glasses with slits like window shades that are imPOSsible to see through. Rudimentary computer graphics and cut up sweat shirts and sweatbands. So many sweatbands. 

M’s “Pop Muzik” sounds like that. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Devo. The Cars. 

And Telex. 

Telex SMELLS like “80s”. When it was pretending to not be disco but it really was disco. 

I’ve said it before: It’s impossible to hate Telex. I can’t see myself ever loving them, but hate them? No. I want to shoot them into space as an example of a small window into a smaller window of pop culture that came to represent an entire decade when it really only represents a couple years. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5EzkOQwAVc

The 1984 Listening Post - Telex - Wonderful World

Telex - Wonderful World

#366
1984 Housekeeping
Telex
Wonderful World
2.5 out of 5

Here's the thing about Telex. They do nothing that could cause anyone to say, "I fucking hate Telex!". They are precious, yes, but harmless. More than anything it's as thought Kraftwerk decided to rework themselves into a pop band. And took a bunch of Ecstasy to do it.
If I had to recommend one track, maybe it would be "Vertigo" just to get a sense of what they are: Music for a trip to Disneyland. But on a day when no one is there so you can get a good montage of rides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuzr0OFg61A