I had some doubts whether or not I should write a review of Fairlight Children’s debut album, 808 bit. I know that rock has a wide reach, but the electro-pop or electro-lounge of this Danish band is probably misplaced on any rock e-zine. Despite this principal consideration, I took the effort to listen to the album, and maybe you should too.

The music of Firelight Children lies close to bands like Kraftwerk, Air and Zero 7. These names regularly pop up at any newsgroup, ranging from progressive rock to alternative music. The reason why is pretty simple since it’s very hard to resist the relaxing melodies and cheerfully floating female vocals. As a matter of fact, electro lounge is the sole original influence in the progressive rock scene at this moment (Marillion and Big Big Train for example).

Firelight Children distinguish themselves from their colleagues by making use of eighties references, especially in the vocal melodies. The influences from A-Ha, Pet Shop Boys, Madness, Depeche Mode and other eighties pop and electro bands are obvious. A major weakness of 808 Bit is the continuous up-tempo computer beat, which serves as the basis for almost every song. A consequence of this is that most of the songs sound too much alike. Nevertheless there are enough fine tunes and experiments to make 808 Bit a promising debut.