Legacy: Volume One - The White Songbook
Joy Electric
BEC Recordings (2001)

Simply put, wow. This album is destined to be one of the greatest achievements in the history of the synthesizer.

Ronnie Martin, a resident of Orange County, California and only member of Joy Electric, has delivered another classic with his sixth full-length album, "Legacy: Volume One: The White Songbook". This album follows the footsteps of creativity brought together by his previous 5 LPs and 4 EPs. Living up to his long-standing status as a leader in analog synthesizers (which play only one note at a time), Ronnie plays some of his best songs ever.

This recording is clear and crisp, letting you hear everything from bass lines to claps to beeps. This album is so incredibly done it had to come with a notice, which read ‘There were no computers, samplers, drum machines used on this recording.' Ronnie Martin is amazing, making his synthesizer sound like everything from a sheet of metal to a pinball machine, and every variation within. Lyrically, Joy Electric is known for writing very unique and often mind boggling songs.

"From earliest books comes belated ink of feather green toads paired in potent pink. And barley bears from distinguished heirs make nests for us in Bavarian lairs." These are the opening lines of the album, on the title track "Chapter one: The White Songbook." Lines like these may be hard at first to comprehend and understand the meaning of, but even then, it's catchy enough that you'll sing along, even if it makes no sense at all. With songs like ‘The Boy Who Never Forgot', ‘Unicornicopia,' and ‘We Are Rock,' Joy Electric seems to be at a high note in their career, with an endless flow of music coming out of the seams.

This album is the best start to becoming a "Joy Toy Kid." It has precious melodies, endless stuck-in-your-head-for-weeks lyrics, and countless beats that make you press repeat for hours. If you like euro pop/synthesized dance music, it's a recording you will never regret picking up.