The Non-Commissioned Officers are going to use their synthesizers, damn it. And they’ll use them to resurrect the spirit of British ’80s glam pop. Money Looking for Thieves, the band’s second album released March 11, sounds like the soundtrack for a Bowie-guided tour through the Labyrinth or a slick nightclub Talking Heads would have frequented. The drums are crisp and the feedback is transparent as the sextet emulates Peter Gabriel, The Smiths and occasionally The Police.
Thieves is a synthesized playground that shimmers and pops from the drizzly buzz and clean percussion of “Party for 40 Bucks” to the quivering noise of “Salt of Earth” with its vacant, western-influenced guitar pluck echoing over Eric Lehning’s solemn croon. At times the album seems a little pleased with itself, particularly with “Fair Verona” and “Take Me to Your Teacher” which have a Bowie-like vanity and grandeur, but that comes with the territory.
Standouts include the opener “The Message” in which Lehning gets wordy spouting hyped-up poetic rhymes, or “Rich Stuff,” the album’s poppiest number that would be right at home at an ’80s high school dance. It’s a guilty pleasure, but it’s well-executed and polished, which is true for the entire album. – Jessica Pace