OurStage

Tasty -- Band of Outsiders -- (UK) Ahh..wonderful synth pop music. I used to hate you, now I love you. Mainly because of bands like Potion. Potion make romping, bruising, sophisticated, fuck-you pop music, and in Annie Maley they have a true star just waiting to be found and made into an international queen of the free world. “ Band of Outsiders” never really lets up. From “25th Century” -- an ode to Buck Rogers it seems -- onwards, Potion's sound is that of a modern pop band running wild through the history of music. They even make the banjo sound sexy. Beat that George Formby! And even where things do let up a little, the quality never dims. Take “Til The Morning”, which, oddly, sounds a little like The Smiths around the time of “The Queen Is Dead” but with a drum machine. And I think that's the beauty of Potion. While they are essential a synth pop band -- they have enough about them to realise that a love of Bis and Depeche Mode will not an album make. All hail them, then for taking in even a bit of Latino -- oh yes! -- and following it up with something that wouldn't sound out of place on an Orb album. Ecelctic is a phrase that is too often used, but there's no better one for Potion. They might scramble your eggs sometimes, but on the whole I think that's a good thing, don't you? [sam metcalf]

Editor's Pick Potion - Band of Outsiders Quirky pop-rock greets the ear immediately as “Band of Outsiders” begins. You can hear some Depeche Mode influence somewhat along with a nod in the direction of the more alternative rockers The B52's. But Potion knows how to draw their own line in the sand as they continue with political commentary surrounded by catchy hooks and noodled vocal trips that not everyone will instantly like. Always up-tempo, Potion loves to rock the Casbah with all the hefty mighty guitar-centric kids set aside for a moment. Yeah, there are plenty of bleeps and electronica's for all the electro fans but this isn't a rehashing of what already happened during Reagan's tenure and that's what makes it so darn special. [J-sin]

Band of Outsiders is Potion's 2005 release on Blue Orange records. It's at least as good as their previous release Circa (and that's saying something), but one thing remains true -- it's still too short! Admittedly it's more then twice as long as Circa, and about the same length as the even earlier Among Dreams, but I'm still left wanting more. Perhaps that's part of the charm -- each CD ends before you can get tired of the style. There is also a certain symbolic satisfaction to a 37-minute CD -- it's approximately the length of one side of a record. Ruminations on length aside, Potion continues to produce their signature style of strongly retro, vibrant, shimmy-pop. The music alternately supports and in turn is supported by Annie Maley's exceptionally smooth voice. Part of that retro-feel stems from the inescapable comparison between Annie Maley and Chrissie Hines, but such a comparison can be misleading. It underemphasizes both the contribution of the music and of Annie Maley herself, and it overemphasizes a similarity that, though present, is only one factor amongst many. The word “retro” also carries many of the same complications. While valid, it oversimplifies. Band of Outsiders may at times evoke the music of the late 70s and early 80s but there's more to it then just a recreation of an older style. The music is a true synthesis of elements, and contains many modern techniques along with the retro-elements. I'm amazed at how seamlessly the duo has managed to mesh the sampling and synthesizer work with that earlier aesthetic. As lead vocalist, Annie is the most visible member of the duo, but I don't wish to do a disservice to the skills of Michel Diaz de Bedoya. Potion truly is a duo, and it is from the confluence of their respective skills that the music arises. Without losing their distinctive character, Potion has begun to expand in new directions. On average, the tracks become more heavily layered with each subsequent release. On Band of Outsiders, some of those layers are acoustic rather than electronic. In this respect I particularly enjoyed track 3 “Til The Morning”. On other tracks, the trend is reversed. It is used to good effect, and I enjoy the variety. A prime example is the heavily post-processed track 4 “Samba Spatiale”. Unlike “Til The Morning”, “Samba Spatiale” is almost pure techno-lounge. Most of the music on the CD lies somewhere in between these two opposites, including the toe-tapping title track “Band of Outsiders”. It enables them to experiment with different techniques without sacrificing their sound. To put this CD in perspective I went back and listened to their last two albums. I was struck by how much their skills have been expanding. Though the tracks have become increasingly layered, the increased use of ornamentation was not made at the expense of the underlying music. Subservient to this underlying character, different musical traditions and styles have begun to make an appearance. Although the music has always been catchy, the increased sophistication makes for a more satisfying experience. The duo has also expanded their repertoire of instruments, and this too adds texture and depth to their music. I can't wait to hear what they do next. [Peter Dolan]