Armed with synthesisers, eyeliner and a whole array of arched eyebrows,
cheese-cutting cheekbones and improbable hairstyles, synth-pop trio Veto
Silver look every bit like Duran Duran circa 1983 and sound a whole
lot like New Order.
Granted, the soundscapes crafted by Veto Silver are lush, cinematic and
imbued with a pop sensibility which anchors the project. Stay Young, Stay
Beautiful has an undeniable charm, thanks to its giddily poppy hooks, but
ultimately the song seems far too derivative of New Order, whether it is in
Ben Silver's Bernard Summers-esque vocals, or in the bridge to the chorus,
which really could have been lifted directly from Manchester's favourite
miserablists. The whole experience is too reminiscent of New Order,
Visage, OMD and a whole host of early 80's synth-pop acts (the
grand chorus of "Even after all/Just stay young, stay beautiful" sounds like
something Phil Oakey would salivate over), while the contemporary
electro-pop they aim for has been done in a far more original manner by the
likes of Zoot Woman, VHS Or Beta and even Kelly
Osbourne, on her under-appreciated Visage-inspired release One Word.
Perhaps they are just trying to hard to not look like they are trying too
hard. You get the sense that, conversely, with their put-upon apathy and New
Order-esque downbeat-at-the-disco tendencies, Veto Silver really are trying
a bit too hard. A band, sadly, whose record collection is a lot more
interesting than they are.
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