Robot Rock (album) explained

Robot Rock
Type:Album
Artist:Joy Electric
Cover:robotrock.jpg
Released:November 18, 1997
Recorded:The Electric Joy Toy Company, March–July 1997
Genre:Synthpop, electropop
Length:30:50
Label:BEC Recordings
Producer:Michael Knott
Prev Title:Old Wives Tales
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:The Land of Misfits
Next Year:1998

Robot Rock is the third full-length album by Joy Electric, released in 1997.[1] [2] [3] It is the group's best-selling album.

Production

The album was recorded solely on analog synthesizers.[4]

Critical reception

The album was reviewed favorably by critics. Heather Phares, writing for AllMusic, designated the album as an "Album Pick" from the group's discography, and praised its simplicity and vocalist Ronnie Martin's vocal performance. Trouser Press wrote that "had the album been released in 1981, songs like 'Sugar Rush' and 'Monosynth' would likely now be beloved new wave classics. Robot Rock is among the best of the neo-new wave albums, and deserves a spot on the shelf next to albums like the Human League’s Dare, Depeche Mode’s Speak and Spell and Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.[5] CMJ New Music Monthly called the album "synth-pop reduced to its [Gary] Numan-ian essence."[6]

Track listing

(all songs written by Ronnie Martin)

  1. "Sugar Rush" – 2:23
  2. "Monosynth" – 3:19
  3. "I'm Your Boy" – 2:59
  4. "Joy Electric Land" – 2:53
  5. "Storybook Love" – 3:05
  6. "The Robot Beat (We're Back)" – 3:24
  7. "Forever Is a Place" – 2:23
  8. "The Berry Patch" – 2:57
  9. "Strawberry Heart" – 3:34
  10. "(We Are) Taking Over" – 3:53

Credits

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Joy Electric | Biography & History. AllMusic.
  2. Book: Alfonso, Barry. The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. September 23, 2002. Billboard Books. 9780823077182. Google Books.
  3. Book: Powell . Mark Allan . Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music . 2002 . Hendrickson Publishers . 460.
  4. Web site: BEC Christian Act Joy Electric Is Wired Into Electo-Pop, Punk. Billboard. March 13, 1999. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. Google Books.
  5. Web site: Joy Electric . Trouser Press . 22 September 2020.
  6. Web site: Reviews. CMJ New Music Monthly. January 23, 1998. CMJ Network, Inc.. Google Books.