Neon Neon: Stainless Style

Label: Lex Records

Super Furry Animal’s singer Gruff Rhys and hip-hop producer Boom Bip gave us one of the year’s great party records, a deliciously nostalgic 1980s rock opera/concept album recounting the life story of automobile engineer, playboy, and ultimately drug-trafficker John Delorean. The opener “Neon Theme” sets the tone for the rest of the album, with new wave synthesizers and a funky disco bass line. Also check out the hilarious “Michael Douglas,” an ode to the power-crazed fictional character Gordon Gekko, replete with sequenced beats and synthetic drum machines. In the end, Stainless Style’s ironic yet warmly affectionate musical statement about the failure of the American dream is a perfect slice of Pet Shop Boys/OMD/Duran Duran synth-pop and would be the perfect soundtrack to the VH1’s series I Love the ‘80s. (Morgane)