2CD, Sequenced Sonic Interferences, 2004
www.3coldmen.com
“3 Cold Men”, the debut album by the Franco-Brazilian band of the same name was, for me, one of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2004 and I was not disappointed at all with this Retro Wave opus.
Retro Wave may indeed be the best way to describe the music in this album. In most aspects, it is a trip to the past, to the days of New Wave and the beginnings of Synthpop. The 3 Cold Men pull this stunt quite well as the music is definitely retro but does not sound dated at all. The instrumentation and musical arrangements are skillfully done, all songs are very melodic and, at times, catchy, succeeding in conveying the feelings and moods that are dealt with in each song.
Franck Lopez’ deep vocal singing style is a good complement to the music, certainly adding feeling to the songs. However, from time to time, one gets the feeling that maybe he could try to cut a bit more lose like he does in the title track, “The 3 Cold Men”.
In the tradition of New Wave, most of the lyrics revolve a lot around personal feelings, relationship needs and the like and this is the weak spot in this album. Having a couple of songs following this theme wouldn’t be bad but too much of this can get a bit tiresome. Some thematic variety would be interesting.
The first track in this album, interestingly also titled “The 3 Cold Men”, prensenting the concept behind the band and the album, is quite probably the best (and catchiest) track in the whole album. “The Tower” is another interesting piece as are “Truth” and “X_Fragile”. “All you got will be static…” is a somewhat unexpected (though welcome) instrumental piece, very moody, and ambiental. The skill of the 3 Cold Men is further demonstrated by their cover version of “Fade to Grey” by Visage which owes nothing to the original and paradoxically becomes “retro fresh”.
The limited edition of this album includes a bonus disc with seven remixes. Some of the remixes are particularly good and present interesting twists to the originals. Aghast View’s remix of “X_Fragile” changes the original’s style completely and gears it for the dance-floor, the same happening with Cesium 137’s mix but in perkier manner. “The 3 Cold Men (Tubescreamer mix)” by The Cryptkeepers is perhaps the most unexpected twist in the remix disc with heavy guitar work giving it a definite edge.
[8/10]
— Miguel de Sousa