Primarily composed of instrumentals "Retrograde" is a 16 track collection of neo-new wave electronica that leans more towards being what the Icelandic artist Josef Karl Gunnarson can pull off than what his machines are capable of. It is this very manual over ride that gives the music that honest quality that those of us who lived through the first new wave found so beautiful in the music. His compositions are simple and melodic affairs with the occasional abstract and clever technical incorrectness. They remind me of a cross between early Human League sketches and those low tech mutant underground tapes that were so rampant in the 80’s. Even when he does sing it has a robotic quality in the delivery. If you are lost in gothic darkness the mood may not be right for you but if you have eclectic tastes ranging from The Residents to OMD you will find this very interesting. Often going off on boomerang tangents that take you away from the established arrangements "Retrograde" brings you back to reflect on the reflections you were reflecting on.