Muscle - The Pump

It's time to break out the fingerless gloves, parachute pants, and awesome mullets of the 80s, because Muscle is here to give a huge nod and throwback to the heydays of the decade that made leg warmers and mini skirts a time stamp. As their first release to ever come out, this is a mainly instrumental, electronic release that is absolutely fantastic.

The album perfectly sets the mood with the first song, Feel The Steel. It comes off extremely retro, and upon hearing the wonderful synths that pulsed in the veins of this beauty, I could see this being used in an array of eighties inspired works. Whether it be in the energy fueled movie of Drive, or even brought to the soundtrack of the video game Hotline Miami, this song would be perfect for modern day retro works.

While the first song showed off instrumental talent, The Pump showcased a ton of talent from special guests, Gym-Groupie Choir. With gorgeous vocals backing the track that beats out any Madonna track I've ever heard, this song was an absolute thrill ride.

Our Bodies In Heat came back out to the instrumental side of things, delivering yet another synthesized piece. While not as good as Feel The Steel, the chimes in the song still made for one hell of a kick ass song. Then we were brought into an electronic guitar ridden song in the form of All My Ex's Died In Texas. It was pretty, however, I felt as if the guitar didn't flow as well as it could've with all the electronic beats surrounding it.

As far as dancey songs come, look no further than IL Stallone. With laser like sounds, and a faster pace than most of the other songs, this is one that would have easily been used in cocaine ridden clubs of the decade long gone. And, finally, we get to the last song, Sexin' In The Steamroom, which starts off with a funky beat along with a quote from none other than action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. I felt as if the samples in the song that kept going, "Yes," were a bit annoying, and the electric guitar went very well this time around, sounding really superb.

And that's the end of this short release. This release has really just taken me back in time to an age I was sadly never a part of. As much as I wish to experience that age, I will never be able to. However, with displays such as The Pump kicking it old school and bringing forth such an awesome array of sounds, I think I may just have to strap on some moon shoes, grab a boom box, and parade around town listening to this album on repeat for hours. Mar 27 2014