British Electronic Rock

Temposhark: Robert Diament (Lyrics/Vocals) & Luke Busby (Programming)

You may remember a few posts back when I went on a mini-rant about disco being consi

dered a huge joke when it should be recognized for being a fun, upbeat musical genre that was a major influence on rap and electronica. Well, today’s band is case and point of disco’s impact and why it shouldn’t be struck down by clichéd “remember when?” jokes. Temposhark is an electronic rock band from Brighton and London, England. Their upcoming album The Invisible Line, which will be released tomorrow in the U.S. and Canada, has a distinctly danceable quality on many of its tracks that immediately conjures up romanticized thoughts of a 70’s dance floor full of slick, suave guys and gals getting groovy amidst a rainbow colored lights.

Songs like “Joy” and “Knock Me Out” are filled with this kind of retro energy that makes you want to get on your feet and start kickin’ it old school Saturday Night Fever style or by breaking out that old classic, The Robot. Some may be turned away by the thought of all of that synthesized instrumentation, but the tunes are so damn catchy that it’s hard not to get into the rhythm despite one’s prejudice against seemingly antiquated sounds. I can understand someone not liking the beeps and chimes of synth music if there is any dissonance or shrillness to be found, but there’s none of that in The Invisible Line. Programmer Luke Busby’s goal is to make catchy audience pleasers as opposed robotic tracks that only a bunch of Germans in tight black outfits can gyrate to, à la Sprockets. And Robert Diament’s soulful singing voice injects so much life into the music that it denies any unlikely potential of mechanical blandness.

As I said before, this album is heavy on the disco influence, but this not just a bunch of fun dance tracks. There is plenty of deep emotion and interesting lyrical content to be found on The Invisible Line as well. The emotive depths of the album are made more apparent by producer Guy Sigsworth’s contributions to “It’s Better to Have Loved” and “Winter’s Coming” and Imogen Heap’s vocal work on “Not That Big.” Both are former members of Frou Frou and are well-renowned for their ability to produce incredible tracks within this genre. But even without them, Temposhark would still have just as an engaging an album. Take the track “Invisible Ink” for example, which is a slowly paced song that seems to be just as introspective as it is instructive. It seems to ponder the permanence, or lack thereof, of one’s influence on the world after death. The lines, “Make it better – Work hard – Leave your mark” and “Don’t leave the world without making them think / Don’t leave the world without changing something” are repeated throughout the song as if to state that the attempt should be made by all to improve their surroundings. The use of the first-person in the verses suggest that perhaps this may be the Diament vocalizing his inner reminders to himself. Despite the simplicity of the message, it is well-conveyed and makes for a memorable song.

On the opposite end of the lyrical spectrum, there is “Crime,” which sounds a lot like an 80’s synthpop song along the lines of Depeche Mode. This song definitely plays in the realm of perversity with lines like “You can pay me by the hour – Rent a room I’ll bring the chains” and “Tie me up, I want it / Tie me up, I love it / Tie me up with rope or leather.” Do I see a little Nine Inch Nails influence in there? Some “Closer” perchance? The song does a semi-industrial quality to it. Well, if you’re a fan of catchy synthpop and BDSM, here’s your song. Please let this be the one and only time I mention strange fetishes on this site.

Anyway, I highly suggest that anyone who reads this post goes out and gets The Invisible Line. It is definitely an album of superior quality and definitely one of the better pop or electronica albums you’ll come across. If you’re a fan of Frou Frou, Fischerspooner, Goldfrapp, or Daft Punk, you’ll most likely enjoy Temposhark.

Purchase The Invisible Line by Temposhark

Temposhark – Joy
Temposhark – Not That Big feat. Imogen Heap
Temposhark – Invisible Ink

For more information on Temposhark, visit their MySpace page, their YouTube page, and their record label, Defend Music.

Additionally, there is a contest to design Temposhark’s new t-shirt for their upcoming tour at Design by Humans. The prizes are listed under that link. The grand prize includes $1,000 and other nifty little goodies. You design oriented people should check that out and earn some cash and cred should you happen to win.