Technological Sun is the third album by Estonian electronic group Tehnoloogiline Paike. There’s some extra baggage to be found this time around, a result from the fact that it “bears skid marks of overcoming depression and the leader, Evar Anvelt’s devastating creative void.” Overcome is the key word here, because although the sound is a little heavier than before, it nevertheless sounds like the progress of someone getting better and working through something. It’s cautiously optimistic, if only hesitantly at first. Technological Sun, an English translation of the band’s name, also features new vocals by newest member Hannaliisa Uusma of pop group HU?.
The record begins with the very Depeche Mode -like instrumental “This Means War” before bursting right into the experimental synthpop of the wonderfully dreamlike and syncopated “Breaking It.” The second half is a trilogy of three predominately instrumental songs, ending with the melancholy Pet Shop Boys sounding “Remember Me.”
A collection of songs recorded over a four year period, it occasionally feels more like a compilation than one cohesive effort, but it is the reoccurring themes that ultimately bind everything together and produces a captivating document. Technological Sun was released earlier this year by Fantastic Planet Records.
