Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe are a Brisbane synth pop outfit who revel in 80s-inspired music. Think Human League and Georgio Moroder. They look great on stage, too. Their latest album is Atlantic (Cohaagen) REVIEW: The latest offering from Brisbane’s Tycho Brahe features something old, something new, but it’s all pure, unashamed ‘80s. The band, built around the nucleus of Ken Evans and Georgina Emery, take their inspiration from the likes of Georgio Moroder and Human League; indeed, the band’s early cover of HL’s Marianne has been dressed up for inclusion here and fits seamlessly into the album. One of Tycho’s most distinctive tunes, Avarice, released previously as a single, is also included in two versions. The latter is a remix, interesting mainly for showing how the original 80s sound has been adapted to the techno dance floor. This is the land of electric dreams made with layers of synthesised drum and effects. A guitar lead gets a look in on Free, one of the album’s few slower tracks, where the counterpoint between male and female vocals is particularly effective. It’s the dance-oriented tracks that really respond to the synthesised bass lines, though; the single Don’t Feel That Way, Avarice and Throwaway Fashion are highlights on a solid outing. Some New Order moments in Military Option serve to show the influence of the pioneering synth pop outfits, as well as take a poke at the use of warfare as a political arm with sound bites from a certain sabre-rattling president.