The last time I went to a rave on a date me head nearly caved in from the monotonous fire-alarm ear shelling of the so-called music. It was a wretched experience. Expecting something more along the lines of the Stone Roses or the Hollow Men, I was instead tortured by wordless audio dissonance.
It was with this fear that I cautiously spun Paul Luckey's "Goddess" CD (http://www.paulluckey.com). Thankfully, all of my frightened nerves were calmed by the opening cut, "Wonderland." Luckey has a magnificent voice, kind of a twilight croon; sounding very early '80s English, he has a deep 3 a.m. delivery, half-dazed yet somewhat romantic. I suppose Bryan Ferry would be an accurate comparison as he seems to aim for that New Romantic air. That Luckey even sings lifts the record above its techno-pop peers.
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"Wonderland" is keyboard heaven, conjuring druggy clouds of erotic passion. Much of the album similarly combines old and new aesthetics, the toe-tapping and accessible vocal melodies of the '80s with the buzzed-out beats of ecstasy clubs. It should be huge on the dance floors but happily it's just as effective in the bedroom.
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