As
Future Conditional at base consists of two members of
Piano Magic, it's not a total surprise that the album cover art calls to mind
Artists' Rifles a bit. But
We Don't Just Disappear has a slightly different focus than that fantastic album, instead functioning as an equivalent to
Stephin Merritt's
6ths efforts, where various guest vocalists come in and take a turn over the musical constructions Glen Johnson and Cedric Pin create. Very unsurprisingly, the elegant, haunted atmosphere of
Piano Magic's best efforts definitely has an echo throughout. Rather than simply being gently melancholic synth-pop along the lines of
the Postal Service, say, there's something wracked and lost about songs like "Bright Lights and Wandering" and the compressed guitar samples on "Substance Fear" which reaches a depth that most working in the field can't reach. That said, the ghosts of artists like
Kraftwerk and any number of Factory recording artists hang heavy as well, and the resultant combination can be addicting -- high speed twinkle and tension set against sorrowful lyrical sentiments is a classic gambit which the title track plays well. The strongest musical and singing moment is the excellent "The Switchboard Girl," with a perfect arrangement that is pure
Man-Machine into
Computer World and a female-sung lyric that's incredibly affecting. The surging "Crying's What You Need" isn't far behind, though, a classic lost anthem for an '80s teen movie blockbuster that never was. ~ Ned Raggett