Robotique Majestique : Ghostland Observatory : Review : Rolling Stone

The two Austin dudes in Ghostland Observatory like electro rock with extra drama — which might be why the duo's rhythm/production ace Thomas Turner often wears a cape. On their third disc, released on their own Trashy Moped label, they've got an over-the-top sound to match their style: Robotique Majestique is a sexy mash-up of Eighties synths, Euro pop-metal hooks and twenty-first-century sleaze. Turner and shades-sporting singer Aaron Behrens embrace a processed mix that always sounds like it's on the brink of turning into Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" — New Wave drums, power-ballad vocals and spooky keyboard lines are the staples of tunes like "Free Heart Lover." The magnetic pulse holds everything together until Ghostland Observatory try to mess with the formula: When they ape Queen ("Dancin' on My Grave") or strut around like an electroclash version of White Lion ("No Place for Me"), you realize there's not much under the funk, just a nagging sense of bloodlessness.