Musical Over Dose is proud to present Since January 2002 another new release, have fun .: about release :. Name .:. Soft Cell - Happiness Not Included Genre : Electronic Source : CDDA Type .:. Album Artist : Soft Cell Label : Bmg Rights Management (Warner) Titel : Happiness Not Included Tracks : 12 Playtime : 55:11 Size : 105,75MB Encoder : VBRNEW - LAME3.100 - V0 Quality : VBR kbps / 44.1kHz / Joint-Stereo Bitrate : avg. 267kbps [ Tracklist ] 01.Happy Happy Happy 04:47 02.Polaroid 04:41 03.Bruises On My Illusions 04:46 04.Purple Zone 03:11 05.Heart Like Chernobyl 03:25 06.Light Sleepers 04:42 07.Happiness Not Included 04:55 08.Nostalgia Machine 04:35 09.Nighthawks 05:14 10.I'm Not a Friend of God 04:35 11.Tranquiliser 03:51 12.New Eden 06:29 Total 55:11 Min In the mid 20th century Aldous Huxley warned us of a dystopian future in the 1932 novel Brave New World, while George Orwell also outlined such warnings in the 1949 novel 1984. Both highly influential pieces of literature, while we are floating around in the year 2022, the real question is, were they right? That all depends on who you ask, but if you take a moment to disconnect from your devices, you can see the truth is in reality. Which leads us to the new album *Happiness Not Included from Æ80s hitmaker Soft Cell. Due out on May 6, 2022, you are probably thinking what does bleak dystopian worlds have to do with the the duo that brought us one of the big Æ80s hit, ôTainted Love,ö or such unforgettable songs like ôSex Dwarf?ö Well, everything, and soon you will find out why. For those of you which do not recall, Soft Cell is made up of Vocalist Marc Almond and Instrumentalist David Ball. Together, as Soft Cell, they became pioneers in the Synth-pop worldàand we are talking about much more than ôTainted Love.ö There sound was dark, moody, sensual, and highly influential. Unfortunately they dissolved in 1984 after the release of their album This Last Night in Sodom, and it is a shame too, because they were unique. Sure there have been reunions here and there, and each member has done some really great stuff solo, but did the idea of a new Soft Cell album ever cross even the most dedicated fanÆs mind? Probably not, but here we are preparing for it twenty long years after Soft CellÆs last album, 2000Æs Cruelty Without Beauty. As mentioned, while Soft Cell has mostly been dormant forever, Ball and Almond have not. Ball has produced and released some of his own music, while Almond has been quite prolific as a recording artist. Now they dust off Soft Cell yet again for *Happiness Not Included, a new 12 track album that is really something to look into. In many cases artists reunite to record new music, and in truth, a lot of the time it is swing and miss. Leave it to trying to be too contemporary or simply not truly having their hearts in it, whatever it might be, it happens a lot. This is absolutely not the case with Soft CellÆs resurrection because these songs are thoughtful, well-composed, and true to who the duo are. Furthermore, they are not shiny or pumped up on happy pills, but instead they are provocative, free-thinking, and on the outside fringes of societal conformity. With real subject manner that is at any times pretty dark, it is also not to say the songs of *Happiness Not Included are downbeat. It is really quite the contrary, because each song has a strong beats, colorful synthesizers, and well-placed spoken sound samples around AlmondÆs unmistakable voice. This is exemplified right from the get-go with ôHappy Happy,ö a track that could be discussed in a separate essay due to the striking context. Quickly summarizing it, ôHappy Happyö confronts the sad, complex, soulless world we have created and continue to sink into. This is also the case with ôHeart Like Chernobylö which reflects the culture of fear, while the title-track ô,Happiness Not Included,ö talks about the delusion of erasing things we do not like or agree with to re-write history. Featuring a sea of deep thoughtful topics amidst it all, other stand out moments on *Happiness Not Included include reflections of the past with ôPolaroid,ö the Darkwave vibes of ôBruises on My Illusions,ö a collaboration with Pet Shop Boys for the escapist themed ôPurple Zone,ö the irresistible dance cut ôNostalgia Machine,ö and the harsher EDM drive of ôNighthawks.ö And then there is also ôIÆm Not A Friend of God,ö the perfect anthem for the disenfranchised, ôTranquiliserö screaming for some originality in the modern grey world, and a fitting final goodbye in the ôNew Eden.ö Is there Eden? Are we looking in vain, or were we already here, and ended up just destroying it all? Overall *Happiness Not Included possesses a very heavy climate amidst the lyrics. You can tell that Almond is a bit anti-establishment and that is applauded when everywhere you turn nowadays you are seeing conformity blanketing the globe. The truth is Almond is probably not alone in his feelings, because there are many more who feel and see what he does. Beyond the lyrics, the music is also top notch; it is modern enough, yet not too over the topàit is has just the right balance of classic Soft Cell. An excellent return from Soft Cell, and highly recommended, Cryptic Rock gives *Happiness Not Included 5 out of 5 stars. www.softcell.co.uk