Architecture And Morality

This was psychedelic and creative and had many enjoyable parts, but it was also Long and I was busy while listening to it so I'm sure many aspects slipped away from my attention, but I'm comfortable giving this a three and maybe could even be convinced to give it a four if I listen to it a few more times

I saw OMD in concert once (along with Thompson Twins), with friends Bob and Patricia, in Jacksonville, I believe in 1986. OMD were part (indeed, pioneers) of a group of mostly British New Wave synth pop bands in the early/mid-80s, which I definitely liked (in general), but didn't quite love. This album is from 1981, though, so a bit before they'd showed up much on my radar. So I'm happy to check this out, and can confirm (though the songs are new to me) that, yes, this sounds like OMD (lol). For better and for worse. Overall, a good sound, but perhaps leans toward a certain coldness (sonically inherent to synth pop, maybe?). Definitely takes me back to that particular slice of '80s life, though (college & grad school, for me). But I do wonder if OMD's heavy use of synthesizers and programmed percussion, and their aloof (?) singing style created a specific musical palette which tended to evoke feelings of ... aloofness and cool/coldness? Anyway, to rate the music: for me, a 3.

I couldn't quite get a read on this one? I'd enjoy some parts and then it would veer off. Sometimes the choral elements would work, and then they'd suddenly feel very droney. "She's Leaving" and "Souvenir" were enjoyable though

En ymmärrä mikä tarve kasarilla oli laulaa tämmösellä lima-jumissa-kurkussa hoilotusäänellä. Instrumentaatiot oli oikein mukavat ja hyvää hiimailua ja elektropoppia. Kasari kautta viis, mutta ärsyttävä laulaja tiputtaa keskivertoon arvosanan.

Ihan okei. Tykkäisin nauttia syntisen poppini kuitenkin vähän reippaampana. Välillä meinas vähä haukotuttaa.

Joan of Arc was the only track that really captured my attention.

Nokkuð fínt og semi-áhugavert.

Self-satisfied, wishy-washy art-school wank.

oh no this goes for an hour. Well, that was my reaction after the first 15 seconds, anyway. The second song was barely an improvement. Album is artless. ⭐

3/5

Not about architecture; not sure about morality. Some pretty ground-breaking yet limited work.

the strength of this album lies in what it DOESN'T do as opposed to what it does. That is to say its minimalism, which allows the listener to fill in gaps and become immersed in the mood and atmosphere. As for what it does, the drum patterns are primitive and the synth lines aren't spectacular. I'm feeling generous with a 3, because I sense that it's more than the sum of its parts A general comment about this list; it's a shame we have to listen to bloated remasters rather than the original slim LP's

haaaa, deja la pochette de l'album j'aime bien. Par contre les noms a rallonge c'est bon. Pas mal, original. Tres retro je trouve. J'aime bien enfaite

Ok ok. original mais pas inoubliable

Theatrical, artsy, dramatic, with hints of darkness and emo - a style their own that is at once unique but also a bit confining

this was a great album!

It's possible to make an experimental album that's interesting... this is not one of them. The majority of the album is filled with looong droning sounds with minimal melodic content to support. The vocals are similar. It's one thing to implement unique sounds, what you do with them is another thing.

one of my favourite albums again! Just had such a great sound and as an album has really nice range without feeling disjointed.

I quite like this album. I remember OMD when they first appeared, but didn't take to them as my tastes were more towards Guitar music. That said it's easy to hear the influence on others who came after. So not my fav, but good and definitely influential. 4/5

Considering the sheer volume of lame 1980s electronic synth-pop apparently inspired/encouraged by this album, I was surprised that I didn't dislike it more. It's actually quite restrained even occasionally thoughtful. I don't have any plans to ever listen to it again, but I can now say that I heard this album before I died.

Like it 3/5

Liked Souvenir, (and Extended Souvenir).

I really like this album! It’s beautiful and interesting and engaging. 4.4

I was expecting to like this more than I did. An 80s electronic album seems right up my alley but this wasn't my kind of album. Its hard to say exactly what I dislike. Its more like I want the music to go a certain way or do something and then it doesn't. Something is missing for me in the songs. The album isn't really bad, its just not for me. There is so many other albums in the same genre from the same time that I would prefer to be listening to.

"Asså vi e inget popband, vi håller på med riktig konst ..." Den pretentiösa ansatsen dödar något som ibland skymtar fram – en fin popskiva. Plattan kan få en tvåa tack vare några få fina pop-hooks.

Muchos sintetizador este álbum

A pretty fantastic early synth-pop record that I've never heard of before. It's much more artful than its contemporaries, albums from the likes of the Human League, for example. Moody probably isn't the right word; it's something a bit more melancholic and dreary, drawing from the otherworldly and evocative sounds of '70s Eno-adjacent ambient and Berlin School legends like Tangerine Dream in its wildest moments, like the title track. The pop moments are certainly still there; an incredible standout was 'Souvenir', whose deep vocals and simple synth sequence immediately reminded me of something Beach House does (decades later, of course). It just shows how visionary this record was; a song like this really did away with the clunk that a lot of early '80s electronic music carried. 'Sealand' was a great demonstration of this album's more atmospheric leanings, same with the closer 'The Beginning And The End ', whose hopeful but simple four-chord progression over this huffing hi-hat-driven beat reminded me of one of my favourite Eno songs, 'The Big Ship'. A beautiful closer. And when those reverb guitars come in, it's like we've officially jumped 20 years into the future of post-rock out of nowhere. Incredible. 'Joan of Arc' and its follow-up were a bit more of your traditional synth-pop, with those very animated vocals. The opener 'The New Stone Age' too, but I did still enjoy these songs, if only because, again, the synth work and composition were great, and the sort of shouty and panicked chorus also proved its earworminess after a couple of listens. Great album and pick for this list, and one of my favourite discoveries so far.

I like 80s music. I didn't like this 80s music. Souvenir is decent and Joan of Arc not bad. Heard it before? ❌ Listen again? ❌ Rating out of ten? 3

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality (1981) On Day 303, this record delivered a largely atmospheric and hypnotic listen that stood out for its unique blend of religious choral textures and early 80s synth-pop. The project opened with a jolt on "The New Stone Age," defying typical genre expectations with its urgent, distorted drive. "Souvenir" proved to be an exceptional, floating highlight built on gorgeous tape loops, while the "Joan of Arc" dual suite brought grand historical drama and thunderous percussion. However, several passages felt unnecessarily drawn out, dragging down the overall pacing and keeping the record from leaving a truly indelible, timeless mark. A moody, respectable 3/5.

AKA, Orchestral Man Hoovers in the Dark... This album includes Souvenir which has a strong meaning for me remembering a friend who died. It always takes my breath away.

I appreciate both the experimental elements of Architecture & Morality and its catchy hooks and strong melodies, but the album seems to bounce back and forth between the two, making it feel a bit all over the place. Considering when it was released, I understand its significance and influence, and I suspect that if I'd discovered it years ago, it would have grown on me with repeated listens. At this point, though, it's not a genre of music I connect with and I don't really see myself returning to it. Still, I'm glad I gave it a listen.

Poppig och lite syntig musik som inte riktigt hållit med tiden.

3.5

A song or two I liked, but overall, not my style at all. This is what I imagine something like Tears for Fears sounds like to someone who doesn’t like them.

This one got old really quickly. Really felt like it was all the same song for most of the album. Not one I'll run back to ever again.

I did not expect to like this at all, but it was Ok. Won’t be coming back to it anytime soon but listened to it all the way through!

So apparently this is quite an influential work to the movement of synth pop. However I also think like this is quite average work at best. It is quite interesting indeed, however it just doesn't grab me that much. But of course I am not huge fan of synth pop anyway. So for me, this is 3 stars, at most.

It’s a lot of softer ambient pop music. His crooning singing isn’t that exciting to me. The record is mostly boring background noise. I like the two "Joan of Arc" songs but the rest of it just kinda drones on as not-particularly interesting background noise. I'm bewildered as to why this was a hit or why critics love it. I don't.

When this came up I was disappointed it didn’t included Enola Gay, but it doesn’t need to. Space age Eighties.

This band thoroughly surprised me by living up to their perplexing name: they attempt to wow with atmospheric production and synths, while leaving the listener completely in the dark as to what they’re actually saying. In most tracks, at least. There are a handful of impressive tracks (Joan of Arc, Souvenir) but inevitably, when they aim for musical transcendence, as on the overlong Sealand, they fall short. The album title is the giveaway: despite the catchy synthpop approach, design is prioritized over enjoyment.

First listen. It was alright and nothing really stuck with me.

Wasn’t the biggest fan and the weird knocking scared the shit out of me.

OMD is cool!

Started off strong then trailed off for me.

Surprisingly diverse and adventurous. It really caught me by surprise a couple of times. I was enjoying this quite a bit until the weaker final third, but a nice new discovery overall, will definitely come back to it. Favourite track: Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)

Souvenir and the first Joan of Arc songs (why are there 2?) were excellent. The rest kind of fell into the background.

It took me a minute to realize this is OMD and not an elaborately named band that I’ve never heard of. I had no idea that OMD stood for Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark. I had never heard of this album. The first three tracks felt like textbook 80’s synth-pop. They had good energy and the vocals reminded me of Depeche Mode at some moments and Erasure at others. Then, at Track 4, the album kind of lost me. “Sealand” felt too long and minor. And then the other songs that followed kind of blended together into one except for “Sacred Heart” which was pretty. I guess this album was the band’s exploration of religion and I give them credit for the choice of instruments and tones really leaning into that, especially creating the feel of an organ playing in a church on some of the songs. It just wasn’t for me though.

7.6/10. A true experimental synth-pop album, it was very unique to listen to songs that don't follow the norms of what makes them good. It created a new sound, but it was all very listenable, and I liked it. It did however have multiple songs in the back half that sounded like they couldn't been the closing track, so it was a little confusing to listen to. The instrumentals were powerful, and the lyrics were certainly interesting. I'd listen to a few songs again.

Good if you are an omd fan, but far from their best

I had never heard of this band or album before, but I was pretty impressed. Early new wave synth pop, which is a genre I like.

OMD mám celkom rád. Akurát nerozlišujem medzi albumami. Prídu mi všetky (80' roky) rovnako dobré, zároveň nie za 5*

I didn’t really care for it, mostly faded into the background.

It’s not horrible it’s just more synth pop drivel. 2.5

no songs on the level of "sailing on the seven seas" sadly

I'm a Dazzle Shipper for life, but A&M is a stone cold classic. OMD is straight up the best synthpop band to these ears. Insanely passionate vocals, he's dying to get everything out. Everything feels like possible futures and impossible romances and fear and love. Awesome Awesome Awesome and underappreciated.

Architecture & Morality is one of the defining achievements of early electronic pop because it understands something that many more technically ambitious records miss: technology is most expressive when it serves an emotional idea. OMD don't merely write songs with synthesizers. They use electronic sound to create a distinctive emotional language—one that can feel architectural, devotional, lonely, and unexpectedly tender. The album's finest moments are not just catchy or influential; they feel like places you can enter. Its weaker tracks prevent it from being completely untouchable, but the best material more than compensates. “Souvenir” is a miniature study in melancholy, “Joan of Arc” is a beautifully controlled crescendo, and “Maid of Orleans” is the kind of composition that can make an entire album feel essential.

I mean it's alright

These guys were considered pretty uncool by their Eric's contemporaries in Liverpool. I don't think the pretentious sounding name helped. A shame really cos this record is pretty good.

1. "Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans)" 2. "Souvenir" 3. "She's Leaving"

Not on Apple Music. Rating based on other album.

Prvič slišim za tole. Zanimivo throughout. Will listen again.

Favorite Song: Joan Of Arc Least Favorite: Motion And Heart

Listened before?: yes, i heard this once before i started using this site to track my 1001 albums progress. i recall liking this one, but perhaps my enjoyment will be different this time The New Stone Age - 4/5 She's Leaving - 4/5 Souvenir - 5/5 Sealand - 3/5 Joan of Arc - 4/5 Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans) - 4/5 Architecture & Morality - 2/5 Georgia - 4/5 The Beginning and the End - 3/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the first few tracks start off really strong, just as i remembered them. unfortunately, the remaining 2/3 of the album just doesn't blow me away this time. it's like the energy and passion too a nosedive after Souvenir. for that, i can't see myself giving this any higher than 3.5 stars (or 3 solid here)

Moody mostly instrumental but didn’t feel great listening to this

I feel like I’m running out of no redundant ways of saying that I don’t like something.

I really liked this.

Perhaps unfair of me but I’m definitely new wave burnt out and this is just more new wave. I like new wave! But at what point is enough enough on this list?

mensen kunnen hier echt hard op gaan. ik ben niet mensen

This isn’t my favorite OMD album as it’s missing any of the songs that would be considered their hits, but it’s solid top to bottom.

Thought I'd like this more being a massive 80s fan. In the end it was a little bland, but might grow in time. I don't remember a single song though.

this is like the cure goes fully synth pop. i love the cure, and i have a soft spot for (some) synth pop, so this, surprisingly, really worked for me. like many others on this list, this would be better if it was about 15 mins shorter, but this time i didn’t mind too much. weird little album (affectionate).

I thought this album was going to be too experimental and then one obvious hit track, but there is so much more than that. The opener sounds like many modern bands want to sound. Then you have track after track of moody industrial drums and gloriously dark synth bass backing some incredible synth lead sounds. It sounds like a church service in a metal foundry... And then maid of Orleans comes on, this is just one of my favourite tracks of all time. The glorious drums, the string synth riff. I even got my now wife to walk down the aisle to it, so I like it even more. The end tracks are more of the same. I love how they're not rushed into parts and are happy to let tracks sit in suspense with the tension rising before hitting the payoff lead synth line you were waiting for. I think at times the vocal lines could be stronger, but I like his voice. And ideally there would be at least one more big song on the album. The extended version has extended souvenir on it which I guess covers that, but doesn't really count. Anyway. I want to give it 5 for maid of Orleans alone, but the rest of it is great, so I feel no guilt with this.

The inhuman Numan-esque synth minimalism uneasily evolving into lush New Romanticism of the 80s. I kind of wanted to like this, and I kind of found a few songs interesting or appealing, but I kind of think it was way too long and kind of think it's overrated.

Wikipedia says this had a tepid reception initially but later was hailed as a pioneer of synth pop. I think the first instinct was correct. As an 80s kid, I love synth pop; this is synth drivel.

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None 1980s synth-pop inspired by religious music? I threw up a little in my mouth. Besides the beginning of the golden age of hip-hop, this entire decade is cursed.

This was the entire 80s to come in a album from 1981

It was okay. It just sorta faded into the background. I can't recall all that much about it.

I've heard the name, but that's about it. -------------------------------------------------------------- 80's synthy noodling. Overall this is pretty unremarkable (bar the fact is was made in the early 80s and with the technology of the time). The song structures are jarring, the vocals grating and the pacing - odd. I did appreciate some of the ambience and atmosphere the album generates. It's got a gloomy gothic darkness and an industrial undertone. It feels very British, like a rain thrumming onto a tin roof. 2*

I'm a fan of the synth, this was a pretty good listen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maybe it's because I'm intoxicated but this is just the right amount of weird and experimental while remaining poppy and accessible. Kinda incredibly brilliant, I'm not gonna lie.

Guff with added bells and synth strings

Couple songs were fine, but the album wasn't worth my time.

This album is fairly boring at times. Nothing amazing.

Dang! I was blown away with the opening track, a mix of Velvet Underground 60's jangle guitar rock mixed with Krautrock electronica. The album really settled into a more 80's synth new wave album after that. It is atmospheric and dreamy, cool melodies and orchestral samples. I wanted this to be more like that first track and a bit more experimental but overall a pretty 80's new wave album and ahead of its time.

Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark — Architecture and Morality Pre-Listening: I was guessing it would be big band stuff. Then read the Wikipedia. Apparently they are synth pop. I’ve recently been into shoe gaze and hope this fits the mold. Best: Joan of Arc (Remastered) Runner-Up: The Beginning and The End Third: Sacred Heart Post-listening: I kept hoping they would turn the corner from boring to interesting, but they never did. The whole album feels like a John Hughes movie; synonymous and formulaic. Definitely instrumental skill that is shown with the album, but the lyrics weren’t biting and the synths were over the top and overused. Rating: 3/10 Stars: 2/5

as fun as seeing paint dry, or being at work in a factory.

Krasser "ach-die-sind-das"-Moment im Mittelteil. Nettes Album!

Das war gut! Manchmal doch etwas altbacken. Gebe ich mir vielleicht aber nochmal.

Joan of Arc did heroic work here. Without her, OMD might actually have been DOA.

When people say they hate 80s music, I think this is what they mean. This band seems to consist of synthesizers, a drum machine, and various vocals. Most of the songs sound the same. While this is not inherently bad, it doesn't make for a GOOD album. I found it dull.

Favo’s: She’s leaving & the beginning and the end

Much better than I was expecting. I only Knew them from If You Leave. This whole thing was good

Okay synthpop. Definitely heard stuff that could've later influenced people like hot chip or anything Italians do it better

Another synth pop album. This one doesn't totally annoy me, so there's that. It has its moments. I feel like some of it could have been the soundtrack for an 80s movie like the Never Ending Story or Labyrinth or something. 3/5.

I'm an omd fan

There are some albums that just stand out within their time frame, this is one

Later made popular by the Pretty in Pink film with 'If You Leave,' this is pre-USA knowing who they were. Shamelessly listed in the book as "one of the greatest synth-pop albums ever released." Therein lies the problem: I never could get behind synth-pop any more than classic rock.

Not at all what I was expecting but pretty enjoyable

Another very 80s sounding album, I’m not complaining

Always loved the song Souvenir. Happy to discover that the rest of the album is super solid.