Codec and Flexor

Codec & Flexor are producer Sven Zalac and singer Matthias Freund respectively. The German duo have been working together in various capacities since the early ’90s, initially as part of the defunct rock band Atomic Comic, and in their current synth pop incarnation since the turn of the decade. They garnered a fair bit of attention for their 2003 debut, Tubed, produced alongside Christian Morgenstern. This time round, Morgenstern has left the picture and has taken with him any potential the group may have once had. Apart from the adequate leadoff single, "Do What You Want,” Killermachine is an embarrassing album. Codec’s production varies from unassuming to tepid, and too often Flexor’s lyrics are about as deep and tortured as teenage poetry. Diehard synth pop fans may be interested in two or three tracks here — at most — but everyone else is better off moving along.