They've been called Norway's answer to
Depeche Mode and
Erasure, EBM-style, and that's fairly apt -- though
Monofader (a duo consisting of
Icon of Coil's
Sebastian Komor and
Richard Bjørklund of Spektralized) isn't quite as hook-smart as
Erasure. Luckily, they're more hook-smart than
Depeche Mode ever were, and their music is quite a bit more sonically complex than that of most of their peers. Lyrically, they seem to have something of an obsession with the concept of mind control, but musically they keep things relatively light on
Frost, which features such accessible songs as "Mimic" and "Solid Ground," the positively swinging "Why?," and the contemplative "Cold and Awake," not to mention the borderline anthemic "Deliver." Best of all is "Failure," which features some truly nifty rhythmic tricks and dislocations. This one is definitely worth hearing.