Warm Digits - Interchange

Given that the Warm Digits' debut album contained the Kraftwerk ode Trans-Pennine Express, is only right that they get their own transportation system to soundtrack, namely the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Interchange is, according to the band's website, 'an album and experimental film inspired by images drawn from the Tyne and Wear Archives, of the 1970s’ biggest civil engineering project on Tyneside – the construction of Metro.'

The film (which can be seen as a set of videos for each of the album's tracks) is excellent, but the music stands alone as an exceptional album - there's nothing particularly new going on here, but what you do get is 6 tracks of fantastic analogue synths and some fairly funky, head nodding krautrock.

Anyway, it's now available as an 'art edition', which means 180g vinyl, DVD, lovely artwork and screen prints.

Set along to a tinny drum machine, Cut and Cover sends us straight into that familiar Neu/Harmonia riff until the three minute mark, at which point the drums, bass and fuzzed guitar kick in with a new melody, shortly followed by what sounds like half their synths breaking down.

Following this is Working For A Better Future, which has an altogether more frantic disco/ Punk Funk feel that wouldn't sound out of place on Simple Minds' classic Empires and Dance album, before kosmische keyboards and piano take us to the blissed out world of The Connected Coast.

At times the album reminds me of post rockers Trans Am or Holy Fuck with thunderous rhythms and overloaded guitar/keyboard workouts. You can imagine the conversations in the recording studio:

"I think this track is almost done - what else does it need?"

"More"

"More? More what?"

"More everything"

The album comes to a climax with the percussive Terminus, where a variety of instruments carry the main refrain until, just as you wonder where it's all going, an almighty life affirming melody comes crashing in to close the show.