Peter Baumann – Repeat Repeat

#TDSoloSaturday Week 14: REPEAT REPEAT.

Continuing with Peter Baumann's solo career, we've reached an unusual turn of events - the rise of synthpop!

"We have heard this song before, haven't we, haven't we?" declares Peter Baumann on the title track - a little ironic given he's breaking entirely new ground on his third solo album! Co-produced with Robert Palmer, there's a slick New Wave sheen to the whole package, engaging with simpler and more attention-seeking synth melodies than previous releases. Unfortunately, I'm hesitant to describe the result as successful. The weakest part here is Baumann's vocals - hardly a natural singer, the cold one-note delivery runs at odds with the wild instrumentals underneath, lacking the nuance or range required to carry the album. Perhaps a more subdued production (akin to Kraftwerk's Computerwelt from the same year) could've proved more compatible.

I must confess that the instrumentals themselves, while flashy on a technical level, lack the catchy earworm melodies required to salvage the album. "Repeat Repeat" is the only one I could find myself humming; the rest are sadly forgettable. We've explored Baumann's penchant for exploring new genres in this series previously - and as seen here, when it comes to experiments, you'll have to hit a dud sooner or later.