Big Music (Simple Minds) | 3/5

SINGAPORE - It’s the end of the year and for some reason, there has been a deluge of new music being released by old, familiar names. New albums from the likes of Neil Young, Pink Floyd and Foo Fighters have received mixed reactions. But here’s a comeback album that bucks the trend somewhat. Scottish post-punk band Simple Minds was a mega-band in the ’80s, thanks to the song, Don’t You Forget About Me, that was brilliantly used in the teen flick, The Breakfast Club. While the last two decades have not been kind to the band’s fortunes (despite numerous personnel changes), the core of singer Jim Kerr, guitarist Charlie Burchill and drummer Mel Gaynor have soldiered on. Rather than relying on their “oldie but goodie” status, Simple Minds have continued to release new material and Big Music recalls the heady days of the ’80s when the band’s star shone brightest. True to its title, the music is epic and larger than life, with a canny emphasis on dance-rock aesthetics. If you have a hankering to revisit the glory days of big new wave music, then tracks like Honest Town, Blindfolded and Blind Diamonds will do the trick.