“Stranger Things’ was a celebrated collaboration between Marc Almond and the much-missed mercurial talent of Icelandic producer and arranger Jóhann Jóhannsson (Lhooq, Dip, Hafler Trio…) which gave the album a consciously cinematic musical coherence with its signature melodramatic and soaring string arrangements to the fore.
Deftly combining elements of Gothic tinged Synth Pop and orchestral grandeur, the album provoked much eulogising on its original release; Ian Shirley writing in Record Buyer in 2001 that, “This is a brilliant album. Lush, orchestral and with a delightful contemporary rhythmic sheen, it sounds like the soundtrack to an imaginary James Bond film. Almond is in torch mode playing Shirley Bassey. This is no put down… he sings with an emotional depth that is very moving.”
Online music site Allmusic described the album as “dreamy and swooning”, adding that Marc, “sounds in absolutely excellent voice.”
Marc and Johannsson were kindred spirits whose shared influences were a mash-up of Philip Glass, ‘70s music, John Barry, Martin Denny, striptease soundtracks, burlesque and Techno – all of which is richly manifested in the unique sensibility and beauty of the resultant album.
Also available as a three disc, newly expanded CD edition.
The Fat Angel Sings 