After playing bass for Secret Shame for five years, Matthew (he seems to prefer the one name) is branching out into pop electronics as XOR. He kicked some songs around with a Roland JX-3P and eventually came up with this album.

XOR XOR (self-released)

Landing somewhere between early 80s New Order and late 80s Cure (with a decided nod to early OMD as well), XOR is old school, right down to the synthesizer of choice. The synth melodies are gorgeous, the lyrics are often very dark (it has been a shitty couple of years for everyone) and the sparse beats keep everything moving.

The sound is somewhat more modern; XOR leaves a bit of brightness in the synths, and the beats are more organic-sounding than many of those 80s bands. The song construction (and length) are far closer to pop-punk, which is probably another factor in giving these songs that extra kick.

A little bit dreamy, a little bit dark and a whole lot of movement. A wonderful mishmash of old and new, whipped up with panache. XOR doesn't sound like it's trying to make a grand statement, but it might have managed the trick anyway. Quite a hidey-hole for my worried mind.

Jon Worley