Duncan Sheik: “Hold Me Now” (2011)
80’s synth pop, like every other era and every other genre, had its true classic songs–and others we loved then and grew out of like our old Brittania jeans (or Jordache if you prefer).
But a number of good songs, perhaps potentially timeless ones, have been trapped in that decade’s cold synthetic sheen as if in amber. Once in a while an artist will take an acoustic guitar to one and thaw it out, allowing us see its beauty once more.
Duncan Sheik’s 2011 release, entitled Covers 80’s, warms up a dozen such trapped-in-the-80’s songs by artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cure. Here he reminds us that The Thompson Twins’ “Hold Me Now” probably could have been a hit in any era since.