Coldwave/Synth preorders

Review: This 2024 edition of Lament by Ultravox is a comprehensive, end-all-others 7CD + DVD deluxe edition expander including a (you won't believe) 72 tracks, with a newly remastered version of the album alongside a fresh 1980s-style extended remix. The seventh studio album by British new wave pioneers, Lament marked the final appearance of original drummer Warren Cann until the band's reunion in 2012 with Brilliant. But despite the name and the grievous context, the album was hardly lachrymose in sound, and it achieved much commercial success, owing to a prosperous prior experience with producers Conny Plank and George Martin, who drove its lush Chrysalis synthpop sound. Aforementioned remixes include contributions from Moby, Steve Wilson, Blank & Jones, and Midge Ure, while a newly mixed full concert recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1984 comes stapled in at the end. Mastered and cut by Phil Kinrade and Barry Grint at Air Mastering, London.

Review: This 2xCD edition goes well beyond nostalgia, offering the definitive take on Soft Cell's most illicit and club-focused chapter. Originally released in 1982 their second album was a bold pivot: less of the noir cabaret that had its roots in their Leeds Poly days, more MDMA-drenched disco detachment. But what felt fleeting at the time now reads like a fully formed vision. The first disc captures the original six-track run, including a furious remake of 'Memorabilia', the twisted funk of 'Sex Dwarf' and their glam-stomp take on 'What' i a track that somehow hit Number Three in the UK while sounding like it belonged in a haunted backroom. The second disc expands the picture with extended cuts like 'Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go' and 'Torch', all of which showcase how Soft Cell flirted with pop but refused to smooth their edges. It's a new reissue, but more importantly, it's a reminder of just how ahead of their time they were i turning sleaze into sophistication and dancefloor detritus into poetry. Digitally remastered and packed with rarities, this is as complete a portrait of Soft Cell's ecstatic peak as you'll find.