The Anniversary

Synth pop lives! Following in the tracks of Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, the Cars and, more recently, the Dismemberment Plan and the Rentals, comes the Anniversary. On their debut disc, this co-ed quintet of Kansas City new wave/indie pop junkies puts their predilection for Devo, Sonic Youth and goofy pop hooks to good use with a collection of ten interesting and downright catchy tracks that range from driving little numbers like "Emma Discovery" and "Hart Crane" to the more involved, Cure-like brooding of "Perfectly" and "Outro in No Minor." Those weaned on cutting edge music of the late '70s and early '80s will adore this record.