Vienna by Ultravox

 Vienna is the fourth album by the glam rock and synth pop outfit Ultravox. By the this album released, Ultravox had been dropped by their label Island, due to being an unprofitable glam rock outfit. The group did a U.S. tour in a last-ditch attempt to create publicity for their band. This back-fired. Two of their quintet, singer John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon left. The remaining members of the band were forced to do session work for other artists. This was when Ultravox met new lead singer Midge Ure. They would then record the synth pop genre defining 1980 album Vienna.

Ultravox’s Vienna is a cold yet stylish album for the 1980s.It was released in the year 1980. This sound, later called synthpop, would go on to define the 1980s. The lead track and sole instrumental for this album Astradyne makes this album sound like it is made for airports or supermarkets or any place that is impersonal, sterile, and for the purpose of housing a mass of faceless anonymous humanity engaged in its mundane tasks, such as picking up groceries, or getting ready to travel a long distance in a public vehicle. The sound of repetitive percussion and synthesizers floating in the air has this effect. This might be one of the rare tracks on this album that uses major chords, rather than minor chords. The dark tone of the rest of this album is notably absent here.

The rest of this album sounds like a suave and ultramodern music for an ultramodern cocktail lounge.The crooning of lead vocalist Midge Ure is suave. The synthesizers are dark, bordering on noisey. The synthesizer as a lead and backing instrument as well as the drum machine, pervade this album, giving it a sense of artificiality. There is however real violin and viola on this album played by pianist Billy Currie. The violin and/or viola on this album can sound quite noisy and almost abrasive, they however counteract the artifice of the electronic instruments on this album.

Vienna also possesses a sort of darkness. This is upheld by the liberal use of minor chords throughout. A sense of coolness is projected through the use of minor chord melody and harmony via synthesizers on this album. While dark, the lyricist avoids overtly gothic imagery, instead exuding a sort of urbane classiness. Ure notes the “...shadow tailing me again” and the “...mystical East, you've lost your way, your Western sun will rise again”. Additionally he notes the subsumption of spiritual values to consumerist values, which were all too present in the 80s. He states “Your Buddha Zen and Christian man, all disciples of messiah Pepsi can” on song Western Promises.

This album is unique for being a genre-definer. Would synth pop exist without this album? Possibly, but it might sound different, less dark and distorted. The iciness of life in Margret Thatcher's Britain is exuded by the synthesizers and electronic drums of this decadent pop album. This is overall a decent album that can become dull on multiple listens. I give this album a 7.5 out of 10.