This rather marvelous new album from Lasgo, one of the few dance acts in recent years to manage to reach the Billboard Top 40 in the USA, sees this Belgian outfit tone down the some of the Trance flourishes from their "Some Things" debut in favor of more retro-1980s Electropop style. Starting with the awesome lead single "Surrender," Lasgo wonderfully toughen their technique with a slightly stripped-down production style and energetic "Go!" hooks. This harder edge comes to the fore throughout the CD; with the robotic guitars laid over flaring bass hits on "Tonight," in the minimally vocal, dark and buzzing Electro track "Who's That Girl," and on the hard hammering "Lying" where lead singer Evi Goffin's vocals are reminiscent of 80s dance-rock starlet Kim Wilde. On the converse side, also evident are influences from the lighter Hi-NRG school of 80s groups like Erasure in the giddy electronic flourishes added to absolutely charming tracks like "Deep In Your Heart," "Only You," and the bleepily throbbing "All Night Long."
Fans of Lasgo's first album are not forgotten either and they should be pleased with the high-flying Trance style of "Yesterday" and the glorious instrumental "Far Away" as well as with the chilled downtempo track, "True" that strikingly builds to a crescendo with the addition of a glorious yet subtle choral riff near the end of the refrain. Winding this CD up and providing a homage to the New Wave influence that permeates "Fly Away" is "Hold Me Now," an ambitious cover of the Thompson Twins classic that utilizes an alternately clicking and twinkling arrangement for the song that flatters the original while appealingly modernizing it as well.
Really, with the exception of a few tracks, "Fly Away" is jammed full of gems that are laden with potential as future singles. A perfect example of today's Dance-Pop sound at it's finest.
