Compact Space "Nameless" reviewed *UPDATED*

Album opener and first single, Push Push, is a hauntingly gritty and atmospheric track that instantly makes one think of Eigner’s 2005 solo record, Recovery, on which Florian also sang on a couple of songs. It’s a great track, and the obvious single pick.

Who Says It’s Real? sounds like the long lost sonic cousin of Martin Gore’s Counterfeit 2 album. Some wonderful vocal arrangements here, and a great drive to the song. A single contender perhaps?

The album’s third track The Unstoppable Collision is a space age lullaby – quirky and charming. And while the guitar is supplied by none other than Martin Gore, the real star of this track is Florian’s gentle and oddly seducing vocals. Gorgeous.

Red Alert is probably one of the stand out tracks for me on this all together very strong album. Upbeat, great drive, catchy hook and a killer break down. Perfect for both the open road and the gritty clubs.

Up next is Lonely Star, which is a bit of an oddity. Florian’s in complete Jekyll/Hyde mode here. Verses are screamed in a manner that channels early Trent Reznor, and the choruses are about as mellow as can be. All this on top of a track that combines a nice mellow synth hook with dirty beats and lots of beepity-beeping going on. Took a few listens, but it’s definitely a grower!

The albums first miss for me is the “ballad” (and I did hesitate to use that word, but I’ve yet to come up with another more fitting one) Don’t Look Back. It’s not that it’s poorly executed, because it’s not. It’s just not my kinda thing, and at five minutes long it seems at least a good 2 minutes too long.

Reverse Happiness is another fave. A perfectly balanced track – not so much going on that it becomes cluttered, but enough to keep it fresh and interesting with repeated plays. It’s a lovely track, and should definitely be a single contender.

Where A Boy Used To Be wraps up the album nicely. An ethereal blend of sweeping synths, acoustic guitar and (I think) a hint of live drums in the back ground. Great ending to a great album.

The disc also features 2 bonus tracks in the form of extended versions of Don’t Look Back and The Unstoppable Collision.

This album should be a fixed feature in any Mode fan’s library – for info on where to get yours go here.