[rating=3.00]

The new album Diver from Lemonade, is what happens when the music of the 80s comes back after the club years of the 90s. The album layers "classic" synth tracks with a vocalist whose sound is both understated and also clearly influenced by the singers under whom the likes of Paul Oakenfold (think Bunkka) has laid down beats. The synth tracks are particularly nostalgic, if that can be said for synth tracks, for those born before 1980. It runs the gamut from faux clapping a la Pet Shop Boys ("Whitecaps," "Big Changes") to wavey lines of digital topography, as on "Whitecaps," that bring to mind "The Final Countdown."

However, the songs are also layered with the four-on-the-floor kicker of mid-90s (and through today, really) trance and rave anthems, as well as a more contemporary approach to sampling, with sounds taken from a variety of genres and cultural influences. For example, one hears hints of Asia throughout the album, with different tonalities subtly layered into the works. Similar, one can occasionally hear the unique sound of steel drums or marimba, often layered in such a way as to not truly stand out while also remaining crucial to the texture of the piece.

If you’re hankering for an update on familiar-seeming music, Diver is a solid recording. It doesn’t really break new ground – indeed, most of the tracks on this album would only barely be out of place on the soundtrack of The Breakfast Club (or any Corey Haim movie) – but it is an enjoyable continuation and merging of musical themes from the last 20-30 years.

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