The Good Book 

In its brief lifespan, Book of Love never scaled the commercial heights of its late-80s synth-pop peers, but the NYC-born unisex quartet’s artfully winsome sound sure made an impression. Unlike your typically icy Pet Shop/Depeche/New Order smash, BoL’s were sunshiney shoulda-been hits that came off like Donovan at the disco or The Brady Bunch with drum machines.

Now that the entire BoL oeuvre has been reissued (out today), the music is ripe for rediscovery. While the later efforts (1988’s Lullaby, 1991’s Candy Carol, 1992’s Lovebubble) have their charms, the self-titled 1986 debut remains the group’s magnum opus. An irresistible bit of microchip psychedelia, it still sounds like nothing else out there, and all the digitized bells and whistles that candy-coat classics like “I Touch Roses” and “Boy” feel positively euphoric, thanks to ace remastering.

If you’ve worn out multiple copies of the debut over the years (we’ve gone through three), note the reissue includes a bonus disc of unreleased demos, instrumentals, dubs and live tracks. Sweet!


Book of Love, Lullaby, Candy Carol and Lovebubble are re-released today from Noble Rot Records.