This is the 2004 second album for Subimage, with Chris Campbell joined by Sgt. Sawtooth, Cedub and James, although only Sgt. Sawtooth (Rob Robinson) was in the band with Chris at the time of this record. This album show a slightly darker cast to the Subimage blippy and bubbly sound of before, which is appropriate because the songs come from a dark period in the Subimage history. It's quite odd to hear the combo of Subimage's trademark bubbly and bouncy synthwork combined with the more dark themes of this album, but after I got over my own expectations of the album, and listened to it for what it is, I found it quite good. "Dearest Mentor" starts the album off well, with a catchy track that's dance-friendly, but not greatly so. "Nastiness" is a song with a very sinister edge, especially when the vocals become slightly distorted. "Free Me" is probably the most accessible and catchy track so far, with a excellent chorus and a melody that is first-rate. "Polar Skies" is the first track to really not work well. The harsher vocals and tone just don't fit very well with the usual smooth Subimage synth music. This track needs a EBM kick in the pants, with a higher tempo and more sharp and harsh synth sounds. "The Wasted Years" starts off well, but the chorus hook just falls flat. "Devour Me" follows it with a very good song, but "I'll Touch Your Lips" just seems to lose focus near the end. I really liked the poppy sweetness of the track. "More Than A Day" has been a favorite since it was released as a preview MP3 for the album, and it still is to this day. A great song! "Minimal Mentor" is a alternate version of the opening track, slower, and a little more brooding. "Time Will Remove You" has a neat intro, somewhat similar to the 10 minute remix of "Generic Guitar Song". In fact, this may just be another remix of that song, I'm not sure. "Spring" closes off the album, and it seems a odd choice to close the album with. It's a slower song, and it just seems to me that it would have been better placed at the track 11 spot. Overall, this album is good. It's not quite the immediate attention grabber that it's predecessor was, it did take a few listens for it to grow on me. It will probably take a few listens for you as well, but I think you'll find it worth the effort.

First of all, I love the title of this album! It's so, Subimage! This band has won fans with their last album "Etoc", with their bubbly, bouncing, fun-spirited synthpop approach. They also entertained synthpop fans at A Different Drum's festival last month, putting a small on faces with a light hearted, entertaining attitude. Subimage might be described as a mix of Anything Box with Joy Electric, sped up and tweaked to a bubbling heat. The band is unabashed in their love of 80's synthpop, but manages to create their own sound without being too cliche or comparable to particular 80's bands. Any fan of light, melodic synthpop will enjoy Subimage. Though they will send the "brooding-synthpop-only" folks running for cover, it's fun to have a really bubbly release when you want to smile and sing along to some clever lyrics.