Walter Meego Almost Gold Recordings (2008) *** In an era replete with programmed beats and vintage synths, there is no shortage of electronic, dance-oriented music coming from virtually all over the globe. We’ve been in the midst of an international explosion of beat-driven, electrifying, futuristic tracks for a while now, a craze only further expanded by a daily crop of remixes and mash-ups. Add to the mix Walter Meego, the Chicago-bred electro-pop partnership of Colin Yarck and Justin Sconza. Their debut album, Voyager , embraces this eclectic genre and then some, providing not just the requisite beats and titillating electronic sounds, but also strong pop hooks and familiar rock influences as well. Voyager showcases Walter Meego’s impressive songcraft. The album is full of pop melodies fleshed out by animated synth basslines, smooth guitar, tender keyboard, and—of course—a collection of well-placed synth effects. The album's unique strength is its sonic diversity: quivering laser sounds shoot throughout “Letting Go,” “Keyhole” includes an extended metal guitar solo, and “Baby Please” ends on a folky piano outro. There are pop beats, rock beats and house beats. Disjointed as it sounds, Voyager is anything but. This is due in part to the high quality of individual songs—each of which takes on a unique, solid musical identity—and also to Sconza’s distinctive voice, which is featured prominently in each track and has been fairly compared to John Lennon’s. And it almost goes without saying that influences from French electro titans like Daft Punk and the Ed Banger gang are clearly evident. Refreshingly, the songs on Voyager are not repetitive, a sometimes unfortunate quality in much electronic-influenced music. Walter Meego masters their musical arsenal, hanging them upon well-structured melodies with expert timing, which fuels song progression and sustains dynamism until every last beat. *** www.myspace.com/walter meego