(Synth Pop, New Wave, Pop/Rock) Thomas Dolby - 2 albums - 1984,1994 - MP3(tracs),320 kbps

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1. Dissidents
2. The Flat Earth
3. Screen Kiss
4. White City
5. Mulu the Rain Forest
6. I Scare Myself
7. Hyperactive!

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1. Armageddon
2. Planet of Souls
3. Big Bang Backwards
4. N.E.O.
5. The Ascent of Man: Iceflow/Harpmonic/The Power of Dreams/The Ancients/C
6. Valley of the Mind's Eye
7. Nuvogue
8. Quantum Mechanic
9. Moon Base

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Exceptionally mature for a sophomore release, The Flat Earth holds up considerably well since its 1984 release. This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. "Dissidents" steps in cautiously and conjures images of blacklisted authors and ugly snow, gray from oppression. Here and elsewhere, Matthew Seligman's bass is a welcome addition -- throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track, "The Flat Earth," is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar. "Screen Kiss" has a similarly ethereal quality, and the lyrics are lush with imagery, if occasionally cryptic. "White City"'s drug reference and chugging groove is as murky as it is energizing, so new wavers might find themselves frowning a bit on the dancefloor. Then there is "Mulu the Rain Forest," a globally minded curiosity of foreboding and disorienting samples that certainly feels a long way off from Golden Age of Wireless. Dolby gets points for shrugging off any obligation to formula, but this voodoo spell has an adverse effect on the rest of the album. What follows is certainly a graceful recovery -- his rendition of 1967's "I Scare Myself" is a balmy jazz club cocktail -- faithfully nostalgic, right down to a bittersweet trombone solo from Peter Thomas. "Hyperactive" is, and always was, one part bizarre to two parts infectious. Guest vocalist Adele Bertei fuels the fire to what was already destined to be a memorable diversion, beyond the reach of Top 40. Thomas Dolby's work on The Flat Earth harkens back to a time when songs mattered more than the video, even as MTV was discovering its strength. Last time the songwriter blinded us with science; this time it's musicianship.

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Soundtrack work suits Thomas Dolby, who here turns in a variety of musical settings for a computer animation video that include everything from moody electronic instrumentals and dance tracks to a '30s pop pastiche complete with horn section ("Nuvague"). Five of the nine tracks have vocals, two of which are contributed by Dr. Fiorella Terenzi. Dolby himself sings, raps, and even murmurs Napoleon's words of love to Josephine. As a nonvisual listening experience, it all seems scattered, but The Gate to the Mind's Eye demonstrates Dolby's continuing inventiveness.