Mello Magic vinyl

New York synth-wizard Tommy Mendel was one of the go-to session musicians of the 1980s, playing for and alongside such greats as Todd Rundgren, Tina Turner, The Clash and The B-52s. Throughout the period, he also recorded a swathe of solo synth-pop songs, very few of which were ever released at the time. Here, Canadian diggers Invisible City Editions attempt to set the record straight, gathering together ten mostly unreleased gems from Mandel's vaults. It's a strong collection, all told, with Mandel flitting between electrofunk-influenced pop gems ("You're My Only Lover"), spacey synth-scapes ("Aint Got No $"), fuzzy P-funk ("Music Business"), stylish new wave experimentalism ("I Just Want You To Love Me") and atmospheric, near-Balearic treats ("Kin Tama").