If the synthesizers used by early
OMD or
Kraftwerk reprogrammed themselves with the help of
Joy Electric, there's a good chance that their output would resemble Sweden's
Pluxus.
European Onion is instrumental, innocent electro that isn't cold like one would expect. It's actually quite warm and bouncy, like a little kid on a trampoline. The slightly experimental, IDM-style percussion plays with the lighthearted synths wonderfully, with particular fun on "April 1724" and "Psykopotat," which sounds like a vintage Nintendo game gone haywire. There's space-age lounge for the electro generation on "Business," while down-tempo trip-hop finds its way into "Dagsmeja." The buoyant "Polyfant" is easily the peak of
European Onion with its quick pace and escalating arpeggios, before chilling out with the moody "Molltolerans." Vocals could easily be added, but this is about the joy of those bubbly synth modulations, even if humans are still the presumed creators. ~ Kenyon Hopkin