reviews of enflame

enflame is a densely packed collection of synth-pop that actually teeters under it's own weight. it's 1983 now, and bands like yello and omd have been exploring the potential of combining noise with electro-pop. the passage give it a try with enflame, and take it in a really odd direction in my opinion. if you know neon judgement's horny as hell lp, you may have the right idea. neon judgement were a bit more seedy & sleazy though; the passage are more like sociopaths on the warpath. the real gems on enflame are the catchy little ditties though: dogstar, drugface, and ddr usa jfk. enflame is synth-pop, but it's not "feel good" synth-pop. it's sexual-socio-political commentary made palatable. and you can hum to it!

scott gibbons

the strength of the passage lies in dick witts' sense of sympathy, symphony, and social comment. all passage tracks vary enormously musically and often have the tone changes of an orchestral work

music

enflame is no flickering fire, it outright burns with sheer energy: percussive polyrhythms, unfolding electronic strands soon coerced in a fierce cohesion that leaves no doubt where the passage stand. witts' superb talent to play with words and phrases results in his message being hammered strongly yet subtly. he gets the maximum play out of the minimum amount of material, allowing the audience to work out free-associations

trans fm