Do you like New Wave? You know, the 80s variety with unisex feathered hair and keyboards. Bands like Berlin, Missing Persons, A Flock of Seagulls, and the first Ministry album.

Trans-X are an 80s New Wave band from Canada. They had the look down pat, and even had a hit with the song Living On Video.

Living On Video is 77 and a half minutes of bliss for anyone who likes their tunes electronic, with beats, male/female vocals and a little fromage - kind of like DMX Krew.

The songs are from 1983 and 1986: 14 tracks with seven from each year. There are 3 versions of Living On Video (1 in French) and 2 of Message On the Radio.

Trans-X was the brainchild of Pascal Languirand. He melded disco and pop in the same way that fellow Canadian's Lime did. there are moments when the synths on this record sound like classic OMD (particularly # 5, Josee), but this band does not have the cerebral edge Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark did. It is more Tears for Fears than OMD.

Josee is my favorite track on the disc. I could picture it on an italo-disco compilation, or in a DJ set along with electroclash chestnuts.

Monkey Dance could be tied to Men Without Hats Safety Dance by anyone with even a little imagination, but I wouldn't hold that against this record too much.

It would be real easy to trash this disc. It sounds like a goof that a current band would create in homage to the 80s. But Trans-X were real, and this disc has all you will need to hear from them in one place.