I have to admit to having never heard of George T, The Plastic Avenger or Shutterbug. This would explain why I've never previously heard of George Demure, who featured in all three of these acts during ten years at the forefront of Scotland's electro scene. At least I'm approaching his latest album with an open mind, as well as open ears.
'The Vampire Waltz' is a sparse acoustic take on the schlock-horror sleaze you might expect an undead Marc Almond to have produced in the early 80s. It's all there, theatrical enunciation and rolled rs.
This paves the way for Single 'Liza', a Numanesque slice of synth-pop, with hints of other 80s greats like Nik Kershaw, Ultravox and Howard Jones. If this sounds like I'm being critical, you're mistaken: history hasn't been too kind to these bands, who have been remembered (if only just) for their singles which weren't entirely representative of their output, erasing the fact that they produced some interesting and atmospheric album tracks. The same is true of Demure, and 'The Drifter' is a varied and at times rather quirky (as on 'Tin Pan Alley', for example) set, while retaining enough unity to feel like an album.
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Perhaps it's Demure's length of service, but 'The Drifter' feels like a truly vintage 80s album, instead of the retro-revivalist 80s-style reconstructions that are all the rage right now. While frequently erring toward the more minimal end of electro in terms of instrumentation, the production values are big, and well-suited to Demure's vocals, which have a slightly sleezy cabaret edge, combined with a croon inflected with a hint of Jarvis Cocker.
The CD-only bonus tracks are worth hearing, too: the cover of The Stranglers' 'Golden Brown' (which appeared as the flipside to lead single 'Liza') is anything but sacrilegious, and works really well, preserving the spirit of the original while also bringing something unique to the table.
http://www.myspace.com/demurettes
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