The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs' 1982 effort, Forever Now, gave the band their first real glimpse of radio success via songs such as "Love My Way." Produced by Todd Rundgren, Forever Now employs an arsenal of musicians and singers to temper the band's arty, atonal sound, and for the most part, this approach works. It certainly set the tone for Mirror Moves (1984)

It's not band breakdown (Duncan Kilburn's sax replaced, John Ashton's guitar gone) nor pop sellout (Todd Rundgren in for Steve Lillywhite at the board) nor tired songcraft (hookier than the junk-punk debut if more ornate than the powerhouse follow-up) that makes this quite entertaining album less than credible. It's the half-life of cynicism as a public stance. Last time Richard Butler's surprising new emotionality made for a winning world-weariness, but this time it sounds just slightly pat, more or less what you'd expect from a quite likable phony. (Grade - A-)