A largely synthetic offering that doesn’t rely on lyrical depth to get a directional proposal across your bow.

Flowing Forever

Tim & Puma Mimi – Japanese pop with a Euro twist sounds remarkably Japanese complete with attention deficit disorder vocal prowess and video game synths. I’ll take the title at face value and assume this song is about that moment when you enter a restaurant and realize the fish that are greeting could soon be on your plate.

Sissy Wish – Fulfilling this week’s Swedish requirement is this few-years-too-late import that didn’t have to be worth the wait but certainly fulfills that intention. The 60’s girl group overmod is entirely too authentic but the super-busy drummer gives away their true inspiration.

Air – They continue to do their best to embody the elements of their namesake that likely drew them international fame and fortune in the first place, though I wonder how anyone at all remembers they even existed despite always being around. I would have enjoyed some lighthearted patter somewhere late in the song.

Music Go Music – The myth of historical simplicity is reinforced by backwards looking musical confections like this offering. In truth time allows us an easier swipe at judging the relative merits of ABBA or Pilot, which makes retro-worshipping efforts somewhat of a cheat. When you already know what’s good, it’s easier to pick a starting point.

United State of Electronica – While not as delirious as their first effort, the suddenly shortened U.S.E. (do they have less members now?) still make copious use of the pitch correction technology at their disposal without forgetting that a bit of talentless rap can go a long way to building up billowing clouds of memory.

Eva and the Heartmaker – The whole exercise seems quite meticulously designed, and that’s just the packaging. Imagine the budget for the multiple clothing changes in one single CD booklet! I hope she rented that piano key necklace! Where do they find all these solidly colored walls?

Health – If ever a band name was a misnomer, this group seems determined to damage at least one internal organ of each listener, probably the pancreas. Rapidly forming squalls of dissonance mate with New Order-precise dance beats in an unholy cry for catharsis through unintended physical activity.

Signer – Bringing up the rear, once again some musical effort that arrived with little more than a press release, a naked disc and a google-proof name. At least this one seems like self-sabotage was the true intent, given the lack of puppy dog earnestness in the prose and the performance.