Venus in Furs - Real Moral Fibre (1986, Backs )

I was nothing short of buoyed upon hearing the first track off this crackly slab of wax, "Love Lies," a wondrous six minute salvo of new romantic synth pop oozing a great Peter hook-style bass line, the rhythmic propensity of A Flock of Seagulls, all couched in the more accessible vestiges of Echo and the Bunnymen.  And then...I heard the remainder of Real Moral Fibre, and soon learned that said Venus in Furs jewel of an opener was very much the exception, not the rule.  It isn't that the rest of the LP isn't worth tuning into, so much as the going takes a turn for the difficult quickly.  ViF definitely had a Jones for insular prog ("Mashima's Sepukko") and more so goth ("New Terrorists" and "Verve").  Not the most unenviable plateaus for a band to be stranded on, but if you're salivating for anything resembling a hook, ...Moral Fibre may as well begin and end with the aforementioned "Love Lies."  Apologies in advance for the abundant surface noise on this record, which despite my misgivings really deserves to be remastered for a digital medium of some sort.  

01. Love Lies
02. Your Lover Just Called
03. Verve
04. Mishima's Sepukko
05. Terrorists
06. Wunderkind
07. The Hand That Squeezed The Heart

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