Architecture And Morality

I'm completely blown away by this album - it's so full of surprises. It starts as a Cold War inspired atmospheric exercise, a la "Spacelab" by Kraftwerk or "Warszawa" by David Bowie. Heavy on rich synth sounds of the era. It moves seamlessly to industrial instrumentals that masterfully layer noise and disparate sounds. Throughout they throw in bouncy pop songs that carry that Soviet synth sound, overlaid with vocals with loads of reverb and echo. Given that this album came out in 1981, it feels like a "granddaddy" reference for so many bands, and albums that would follow. Hell, it sounds futuristic to this day. One of the best albums in recent memory! (And this is one I listened to probably 30 albums into this exploration).

OM NOM NOM. More New Wave albums, please. OM NOM NOM.

Sounds like Depeche Mode but boring. Didn't see anything special in this, just more 80s synth music. I think my ghost would have been pretty apathetic if I never heard this before I died.

I'm genuinely pretty shocked to be giving a new wave synth pop album five stars, but this was looooovely! I've never really listened to OMD before, except passive radio play, so I didn't really know what to expect, other than a vague idea they were very poppy? This was excellent - atmospheric, emotive, unexpected shifts happening mid song - it kinda prefigures post-rock! Fave track - "Sealand". Just - WOW.

This album was one that confused me a lot as to its importance until I looked it up. In a lot of ways it sounds like a typical 80s synthpop album. However, it was released in 1981, which puts it way ahead of its time. Reframing it that way helped me contextualize this work. It's not one that particularly grabbed my interest, but it's good and was clearly influential in the decade it helped usher in

Notes - Experimental synth-pop album - Band famous for their songs “enola gay” and “if you leave” - Increased use of mellotron and choir samples - A lot of the time, the synths on here sound like they’re struggling to produce the notes - Which is really effective and adds to the melancholy of this whole album - Moments of atonality over top of more pop elements, almost some aspects of post-rock - Delicate, sparse, deliberate, cold, personal - What a strong mood…. Holy shit Fav - She’s leaving - Love the way the vocals are treated and the chime-y synth lines Least fav - I mean…. There really isn’t one - Just listen to this album! 5/5

It's an OK album. Nothing out of the ordinary with some nice chill tunes. Sometimes a bit too electric for my taste.

This is an outstanding album, one of the best of its genre. I can't really think of another band from that era that sounded like OMD. They were leagues ahead of their peers. I think one of the big differences is that OMD had a talent for balancing the lovely with the dissonant, the melodic/accessible with the experimental/strange. These songs are incredibly elegant, with gorgeous, thoughtfully crafted arrangements, but also with a strategic use of dissonance to keep it all from getting too pretty. A big part of this sound is Andy McCluskey's unusual and compelling vocal style, that ranges from croonerish to almost grating. There's no one else in music who sounds like him. The band headed in more of a (frankly, less interesting) pop direction as the decade progressed, but this album stands out as being some of the most inventive music of that time. It's a historically important collection of songs, but also just such a pleasure to listen to. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Souvenir, The Beginning and the End, She's Leaving, Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans), Joan of Arc, Sealand, The New Stone Age, Georgia, Architecture and Morality

A beautiful album which I will always be grateful for stumbling across. This is an example of why I persist with this project…without it I would have been musically the poorer. Buy this album!

Yeah, decent. Like a cross between Kraftwerk and The Cure but actually more listenable. Not really what I’m into but certainly ahead of it’s time for 81.

Interesting, some good tunes, of its time

Albums like this are exactly why I'm going through this project. Some albums you slog through. This one flew by.

I had the good fortune of running across this album in my youth when it came out. I ended up going on a bit of an OMD binge, and paid attention to them for several years. This record has some great atmospheric songwriting, and was way ahead of its time. This is a great example of a record that needs to be on the 1001. There are so many people that will never hear this record -- I feel sad for them.

Great great album. Was surprised how much I liked it. This is the 2nd really big discovery where I hadn't heard of the artist before and it was 5/5. Stoked!

Supreme synth music, almost in Kraftwerk class

I had no idea what to expect going into this album, because my only exposure to OMD was "If You Leave" from Pretty in Pink. The opening track starts off sounding like an early U2 song (e.g., Sunday Bloody Sunday). I didn't expect them to be so post-punk and dark. The next song is much closer to the light, ethereal new wave I'd expect from them. The third song sounds like the direction Joy Division was heading in when Ian Curtis died — dark and dreary, but with some incorporation of brighter synths to give it an otherworldly feel. The title track's experimentation with industrial sounds also reminds me of Joy Division. The two songs about Joan of Arc sound like a more polished version of something Siouxsie and the Banshees would do. This album feels like the bridge between early post punk and what eventually became new wave. It has the darkness, the atonalities and sparse arrangements, and sometimes the dark lyrics of post punk, but it also has the bright synths, ethereal singing, and dance beats of new wave. I can definitely hear the religious music influence they were going for throughout the album, but it also reminds me of groups like Erasure and Yaz who did catchy pop songs that had a weird, ethereal twist. This album feels ahead of its time to have come out in 1981. In some ways, it still feels very modern now. The song Georgia sounds like a hyperpop song that Grimes would have made in the 2010s. That it was made before digital synths existed is impressive. I listened to this album on a dreary day during a thunderstorm, and it's quite a vibe. It's a little kooky, and it flips back and forth between soothing and unsettling. Not all of the songs are great, and it runs a bit long because of it, but I enjoyed it a lot. Highlights: The New Stone Age, She's Leaving, Architecture And Morality, Of All The Things We've Made 4/5

The first song was an absolute BANGER, but the rest of the album bounced between "pretty good" and "pretty boring" unfortunately.

I appreciate the pun, but “Manoeuvres” is one of the most infuriating words I’ve ever had to type out. I guess that’s why everyone calls them OMD, because the “M” in that acronym is fucking impossible to spell correctly. The 80’s synth pop on this record is fine and usually engaging, but if you’ve heard any of the other 300 British synth pop records on this list, it’s hard to be impressed by it. OMD doesn’t do much to differentiate themselves from that maudlin crowd, at least to my ears. With that said, I had glimmer of hope during the first track that this record might be a little more adventurous than it turned out to be.

L'arrivée de cet album dans le générateur confirme ce que je pensais depuis déjà un bon moment : Robert Dimery a un sens de l'humour très aiguisé. Je n'ai pas trop envie de m'attarder sur l'aspect musical de cet album qui est, nous l'avons tous compris, une sorte de poisson d'avril avant l'heure. On est en effet plongé dès l'introduction dans un ennui des plus profonds. Différents sons se mélangent, mais aucun ne parvient à attirer notre attention, et ce tout au long de l'écoute. De temps à autre, une voix dont on se serait bien passé vient se poser sur les instruments pour nous débiter différents couplets sans le moindre intérêt. Je soupçonne d'ailleurs le chanteur à qui celle-ci appartient d'être né de la même portée que le camarade Morrissey tant les deux voix sont horriblement similaires. À côté de cela, j'ai été très irrité de voir que mon analyse du genre de l'album comme étant majoritairement de l'"Ambient rock" n'a pas été partagée par Wikipedia qui a préféré le cataloguer de "Synth-pop". J'entrerai donc très bientôt en procès contre l'encyclopédie en ligne et vous tiendrai informés de chaque étape de la procédure. À bientôt chers lecteurs

Incredibly good experimental synthpop from 1981. Like if Kraftwerk were musical and listenable. Vocalist has shades of Robert Smith, too!

Solid album. Never really listened to them, so this was a pleasant surprise. High quality electronic pop music.

A delight. Groundbreaking, genre defining, but also completely listenable. If only this whole list was full of albums as worthy as this one.

I've been curious about this album for a long time and wow, it's impressive. My first impression was Gary Numan meets The Smiths, but as it goes on, I really hear more Brian Eno and NEU. This is definitely an album that deserves to be heard in its entirely, and multiple times, as the whole thing really opens up the more you listen. The choral religious influences lift the synth pop style into new territory and forms a template for many 80s bands to come. But it's also balanced out by some really beautiful and interesting ambient music. It's a very influential album on a lot of artists and I can now see why. I'll absolutely be spending a lot of time with this one.

... wow

10/10

I like this a lot. The Cure-adjacent

I was too young at the time that this album was released, but remember the hits from the radio and later bought The Best of OMD. What a gem this is. A great blend of soundscapes and synth pop hits.

Masterpiece album that was a cornerstone of me at 19 years old. There isn't a bad track on this album at all. Standouts: Souvenir, Georgia, Joan Of Arc.

Reminds me of the Cure but more electronic. Interesting use of instruments. Beautifully 80s. Very atmospheric. Very early 80s, so must have inspired the decade’s sound a lot. Makes me happy. Interesting soundscapes. Varied, experimental and still cohesive. Fabulous.

5/5. The minimalism really works here and yet there is grandness about it that makes it sound maximalist. A perfect balance with great song writing. The instruments are diverse and the singing seems like amateur holiness, like a young person's heaven. It kind of feels like Bowie's Heroes and Low second half of each album, but just continued past the end of the album and this came of it. It's a mixture of beautiful and haunting. And it's short enough to just throw on repeat. Best Song: Souvenir, Joan Of Arc, Georgia

A brilliant reminder that once upon a time, electronic music was diverse, creative and highly original.

Bra grejer det här. Ägt alla tre singlar från albumet.

Brutal.

a deeply rooted industrial album, almost like a massive rusty factory came alive and suddenly made music for the masses. it's almost liminal in a lot of aspects. ghastly hits of metal objects, prophetic lyrics... it's groundbreaking above all else.

The New Wave crashed and reverberated through America in the 80's, and became the Cold War of the British Invasion. Listening to albums like this, it's hard not to see why. The rattle, humming and texture of the album belies the novelty that was synth-pop's first breaths. It's a masterful experience to listen and hear the sound cascade over your ears in "Sealand". There's a distinct, and odd, warmth to every track bleeding through the frigid synths. OMD not only created a blueprint for the later 80's, but also it's first bonafide masterpiece and balances open soundscapes and tighter, shorter tracks. As a big fan of synth-pop and New Wave, this is an essential listen for all those passionate about the genre 8/10

I really like the sound palette on this, by using more analog electronics (I assume) it avoids the sort of ageing that some synth based albums from the 80s sometimes fall victim to. Also one of my favorite album covers, but I wouldn’t let that influence my score, would I?…;)

If there was a clear high point for OMD in terms of balancing relentless experimentation and seemingly unstoppable mainstream success in the U.K., Architecture & Morality is it. Again combining everything from design and presentation to even the title into an overall artistic effort

If there was a clear high point for OMD in terms of balancing relentless experimentation and seemingly unstoppable mainstream success in the U.K., Architecture & Morality is it.

Retrospectively turgid

I was quite excited by this album - unfortunately for me it did not deliver. I like the Souvenirs song, but nothing else really stood out.

Weird songs, good songs, bad songs. I honestly don't know what to rate this :P

I do not consider the sounds of microwaving popcorn and hammers beating on empty containers to be music

I really find it humorous that every time I get a new wave album from the 80s, it's either amazing or terrible. No in between. Unfortunately I thought this was terrible, none of the songs felt cohesive or like complete thoughts

A couple moments I enjoyed but not for me…

No. No thank you. You can keep your pretentious songs, boring production, primitive synths, and wannabe-Morrisey vocals. I don't want any part of it.

It's like Tears for Fears if they fired half their band and replaced the singer with a screaming cat.

I avoided them at my freshers’ ball. That is my main connection to this feeble synth doodling. Undeservedly revered.

I question this record's inclusion on this list. I was not impressed. I guess for historical context it's here, but this was not a legendary listening experience for me.

An EPIC New Wave Synth Album I can get behind. Lapping this up. Lovely!

first time listening to something from this group, really dark and gloomy synthpop that hits the spot just right. incredible stuff

It has to be featured in “all-time” lists. Synth-pop at its finest.

Completely forgot how much I completely love this.

Really really good. finally some good fucking food

Absolutely marvelous album! Songs that are as fresh as in the day they're released. I had a wonderful time listening to this album and reliving old memories, memories that go back to when I was a young teenager and we got together in groups, at some friends house, listening to this and having a great time <3 Can we go back in time, please?

OMG OMD!! Instant 5 but I'm listening to it again—more music of my teen years.

Never listened to this before although a good part of it was familiar as it contains three big hit UK singles 'Souvenir', 'Joan of Arc' and 'Maid of Orleans' which are all great. The whole things screams early 80s (a la Ultravox and to a slightly lesser extent The Human League), but the album is a moody treat.

Fun and clever pop. A gem.

Pet fav songs: The New Stone Age; Sealand; Maid of Orleans; Architecture and Morality. Heard of OMD and listened to couple songs in the past but never a full album. This was quite the revelation. Coming out in 1981, OMD put their mark on the synth-pop sound recognizable as "aggressively 80s". (To quote my husband.) Add the minimalist album art and pretentious title, there is so much to love. Definitely will have pride of place on my list of all-time favorite albums.

An album and band I’d never heard of before, and a love it. It’s like meeting the Cure’s dad. For coming out in ‘81 some of the sounds on the album are wild. Unexpected five stars.

water magic music...river stream energy...just teaming with life and i can see all thru it and its cleansing and man ghsjdghjsd this had a rly strong effect on me tbh. i do remember liking it years and years ago and i think since then ive only grown larger in my love of this kind of synthesizer. sealand is an absurdly good setpiece on which the whole record pivots, just so soaky and wonderful, and everything else is pop songs that are as economic as they are lush and ornate. a huge amount of emotion, desperation, and warmth soaks thru all of it. impressionist emotional landscapes...super glad to rediscover this

80s baby

Omnipotent Musical Deities Obviously Much Dancing Oh My Days

this was freaking cool!!

My heart lifted when this popped up. I mean I bought this at the time and was DISAPPOINTED!! Can you believe it? I must have been mad. (I'd loved Organisation and didn't like the more polished sound on this album but now that's all in the past). I love the Brit Synth sound of New Wave. OMD=*****

I'm writing this review a few days before Valentine's Day, so maybe love is simply in the air, but this New Romantic, synth-pop masterwork took me completely off guard and sent my heart to the moon.

Considering when this appeared, I cannot but understand this as both genre defining and a technological milestone. By today's standards it might feel a little outdated, but that is rather because so much of the sounds and tools have stood the test of time and have been transferred to technologically advanced tools and environments. What an innovative record at that time. And the songs are mostly great and surely prepared the ground for what came in most of the 80ies. In retrospective, a great record with too many copyists to follow suite.

She’s Leaving

Groupe connu. Cet album fait partie de mes préférés. J'avais été conquis par les hits (Souvenir, Joan of Arc) qui passaient souvent à la radio à l'époque. Je l'avais donc acheté sur cassette, et je ne m'en suis jamais lassé. Le groupe était au top de sa créativité (de mon point de vue jamais retrouvée après), tous les morceaux sont excellents. Nouvelles sonorités, morceaux plus expérimentaux, tout y est ! Il mérite la meilleure note. =>5/5

Tolle 80er Musik! Großartige, harmonische Melodien.

I don’t know if I’ve ever listened to this all the way through before. It’s up there with Upstairs at Eric’s as a classic 80s electronic album. Brilliant.

Amazing classic EDM with more depth than its modern counterparts

I expected to see Dazzle Ships but this album and OMD and Organisation and Crush are also all 5 stars.

Fantastic!

When I was young, I often listened to Dazzle Ship, the successor to this album, and was thrilled. Much of this album reminded me of it. I only knew Joan of Arc from earlier times. Overall, I really liked the album. I should add OMD to my music feed more often. 5/5

Megahits: Souvenir, Joan Of Arc

This is why I love this project. This album is like the soundtrack to an 80s movie. I also feel like it could have been just released. Either way, I’ve not heard of the ban or the album or a single song before today and I LOVED it.

loved it. new wave proto synth pop? sign me up! souvenir is 🫦🤌

I'm genuinely pretty shocked by how much I loved this album. Its totally brilliant. I've never listened to OMD before and am now going to have to go on a journey learning all about them. This album is excellent - lots of changes and difference in the tracks, Its a very good listen. Favourite song: Sealand and Joan of Arc Least favourite: Architecture and Morality Album artwork: Great cover

A pitch perfect slice of clattering and industrial early synth pop.

Loved it

Part of the 80's soundtrack they are always going to be a great band

This was such a surprise. I loved the album, it was the perfect mix of 80s synth and dystopian/moody lyrics. So happy to have found this project and discovered such amazing music through it.

I agree with Moby that this is a perfect album. Such a great sound, and some real banging tunes. I love the way they almost completely avoid choruses.

Masterful

Das ist eines meiner Lieblingsalben in meiner Hörgeschichte der Popmusik. Ich habe OMD in München bevor das Album in Deutschland live erleben dürfen. Extra wurde dieses Album auf meine Bestellung hin aus England importiert. OMD war nach Kraftwerk für mich die Innovation der Elektro- und Synthesizer Musik. Wunderbare Arrangements und Kompositionen experimentiell vorgetragen. Eine Offenbarung für mich. Und dieses Duo hat für mich an Faszination bis heute nichts verloren. "Joan of Arc" (zwei Versionen) sind die ganz großen Hits geworden. Vor allem die "Maid of Orleans"-Version. Meine Prophezeiung damals, dass OMD Nr.1 wird in den Charts, wurde damals belächelt. Noch heute lächle ich darüber!

Good

Megahits: Souvenir, Joan Of Arc.

God tier synth pop from two of the best to ever do it (and one of Peter Saville finest album covers to boot)

Some very interesting compositions, a good time

Blew me away. What a great cohesive sound while varying in songwriting so much. Need to revisit ASAP!

I had listened to a couple OMD songs in the past but never a full album until now. Listening through feels like a journey through landscapes. I love the way the vocals and the synths paint a mood. Some of the tracks remind me of contemporary songs I was listening to from a decade ago whilst this was existing in the 80s. I enjoyed every track and they all worked well together and I think that makes a subtle yet great album.

Put these synthesizers directly into my veins

I never really listened to these guys before. They're somewhere between The Smiths and New Order and I love it.

This was such an enchanting surprise. I've always loved Magnetic Fields so the instrumentaition felt so strangely familiar, long before I ever made the connection. Dark, poppy, fun, sometimes trance-like. I'm in!

Really cool synth album, given this came out in 1981 I'm willing to guess it's pretty foundational to what has become an iconic soundscape of the 80s.

Architecture & Morality I was quite late in discovering how good OMD and their early albums are. The first 4 or 5 are excellent listens, but this is probably my favourite one. The Bowie (Low quite obviously), Eno, Kraftwerk influences are clear, as they are for many of the late 70s/early 80s synthpop bands, but OMD take it in a slightly different direction, blending experimental sounds, textures & rhythms with more overtly pop melodies and hooks. They are one of the best of those bands at merging a cool/minimalist technological structure with a human and emotional connection. There are no obvious bangers like Electricity or Enola Gay, but The New Stone Age, She’s Leaving (this is clearly a big inspiration for LCD Sound Systems last album), Souvenir, both Joan of Arcs are the stand outs for me. I don’t think there’s a weak moment though - it’s a full cohesive album that rewards repeated listens. Great band, great album ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So strange, I loved it.

There's always a little concern when an album that much-loved aback in the day but has been off the radar for years, crops up on here, especially with a band like OMD who seemed very '80's No need to worry on this one it's as good as it ever was.

Excellent, A+.

A pleasant surprise! I'd not knowingly listened to Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark but found a lot to love on this idiosyncratic synth pop record. It's alternately eerie and triumphant, with odd but thoughtful arrangement choices throughout. The sequencing is really sublime as well, drifting into a meditative and atmospheric mood before hitting you with another dose of sugar. At times, it feels a cousin to Bowie's lauded late 70s albums, at other times a precursor to Spacemen 3 or The Cure's Disintegration. But what really sells it for me is the band's ability to deliver a perfect hook when the moment calls for it. I listened to this album a few times days apart and was left humming many of the melodies to myself in the interim. Best discovery in a while! Rating: 4.5/5 Favourite tracks: She's Leaving, Souvenir, Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)