Souvenir - 64

64 is the fourth album by Spanish band Souvenir and it has already been described as their most adventurous yet. Nevertheless, their new record is coherent with their approach to music throughout their career. Again, Patricia de la Fuente and Jaime Cristóbal show their skill for adapting a variety of influences and creating something brilliant. This time, their surprising new stylistic twist has taken them straight onto the dancefloor. 64 is basically a dance music album. 64 integrates elements from the past 30 years of electronic and dance music (techno-pop, new wave, 80's dance music) and combines them with the band's very personal language. The result is a collection of dance hits packed with memorable melodies which are brilliantly guided by Patricia's beautiful vocals and Jaime's surf guitars. Souvenir are anything but purists, therefore their vision of dance music is an unorthodox one. For instance, it seems ironic that their most techno-pop record features so much guitar playing, ranging from crunchy rock to surf. The result of this combination (synths and drum boxes with 60's guitars) is an exciting and original collection of songs, and Souvenir's most passionate record so far, with echoes of the sound of classic synthesizer such as the Prophet 5, Moog, Korg Poly-Six. In the tradition of the Human League, Blondie, Etienne Daho, Visage, Pet Shop Boys or Mylène Farmer, but also with a more contemporary resonance that links the band to artists like Ladytron, the Raveonettes, Vive la Fête, or Saint Etienne.