Robot Rock is the third full-length album by Joy Electric, released in 1997.[4][5][6] It is the group's best-selling album.[2]

Robot Rock
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 18, 1997
RecordedThe Electric Joy Toy Company, March–July 1997
GenreSynthpop, electropop
Length30:50
LabelBEC Recordings[1]
ProducerMichael Knott
Joy Electric chronology
Old Wives Tales
(1996)
Robot Rock
(1997)
The Land of Misfits
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Alternative Press[3]

Production edit

The album was recorded solely on analog synthesizers.[7]

Critical reception edit

The album was reviewed favorably by critics. Heather Phares, writing for AllMusic, designated the album as an "Album Pick" from the group's discography, and praised its simplicity and vocalist Ronnie Martin's vocal performance.[2] Trouser Press wrote that "had the album been released in 1981, songs like 'Sugar Rush' and 'Monosynth' would likely now be beloved new wave classics. Robot Rock is among the best of the neo-new wave albums, and deserves a spot on the shelf next to albums like the Human League’s Dare, Depeche Mode’s Speak and Spell and Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret.[1] CMJ New Music Monthly called the album "synth-pop reduced to its [Gary] Numan-ian essence."[8]

Track listing edit

(all songs written by Ronnie Martin)

  1. "Sugar Rush" – 2:23
  2. "Monosynth" – 3:19
  3. "I'm Your Boy" – 2:59
  4. "Joy Electric Land" – 2:53
  5. "Storybook Love" – 3:05
  6. "The Robot Beat (We're Back)" – 3:24
  7. "Forever Is a Place" – 2:23
  8. "The Berry Patch" – 2:57
  9. "Strawberry Heart" – 3:34
  10. "(We Are) Taking Over" – 3:53

Credits edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Joy Electric". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Robot Rock at AllMusic
  3. ^ Pettigrew, Jason (June 1998). "Reviews / JOY ELECTRIC Robot Rock LAPTOP End Credits". Alternative Press. 12 (119): 96, 98. ISSN 1065-1667.
  4. ^ "Joy Electric | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  5. ^ Alfonso, Barry (September 23, 2002). The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. Billboard Books. ISBN 9780823077182 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Hendrickson Publishers. p. 460.
  7. ^ "BEC Christian Act Joy Electric Is Wired Into Electo-Pop, Punk". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 13, 1999 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. January 23, 1998 – via Google Books.