OMD, or Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark as they were better known, have always had a way as much with a grandiose title as a persuasive synth tune.
"The Punishment Of Luxury" is borrowed from an 1891 painting by the Italian Giovani Segantini and apparently "it's in the air for all to see". You might argue there is little evidence of luxury being punished in a divided Britain, but typically Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys still make the song tug and snag you on their 13th studio album.
This is an electronic record for today, yet with nods to Kraftwerk on the motorik Isotype and Robot Man. Elsewhere, the pop-noir synths bring to mind the "retro futurism" of such computerised acts as James Chapman's Maps and Brighton's Mirrors, while the impact of Public Service Broadcasting's use of old public information recordings is apparent too.
Good news, they can still knock out a memorable hook, from What Have We Done to Kiss Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Bang. Bang on.
OMD play York Barbican on November 18. Box office: 0844 854 2757 or at yorkbarbican.co.uk
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