Somewhere in the Night is a collection of recordings, circa 1982-'85, from France's Stereo. We hear shades of "Xanadu," Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" and the Blade Runner soundtrack (only imagine Vangelis collaborating with a mellower Visage and a more mysterious Human League and Roxy Music) in the three opening tracks, but don't let that description scare you. There is an unabashed sincerity to the entire package that just works. Recommended!

"Somewhere in the Night" is a great collection of recordings made by France's Stereo during the early- to mid-'80s. The three opening tracks are full of some totally unexpected workout video/jazz-wave vibes that had Other Music's Karen and me wondering why we couldn't stop listening the first time we played the record in the shop. I kept hearing shades of "Xanadu," Irene Cara's "What a Feeling" and the Blade Runner soundtrack (only imagine Vangelis collaborating with a mellower Visage and a more mysterious Human League and Roxy Music) all rolled into one infectious train wreck. Then the epic drama-dub of "Moonshine" came on. Karen and I both smiled and looked at each other with knowing nods of the head. It all suddenly made sense; embrace this record and don't be afraid. I know the description might sound a bit scary, but Somewhere in the Night actually rules! There is an unabashed sincerity to the entire package that just works. Not only was this a very welcomed curveball from the label when released last year, this was also the very first record on Minimal Wave to be made available ("Gasp!") on both vinyl LP and compact disc, as well as MP3 download.

-Scott Mou (April 5, 2010)