So this is The Cars first album in over 24 years (the last being 'Door to Door' in 1987) and the question I guess is "do we really need a New Wave album in 2011?" Well, we may not need it per se but there seems to be a pretty big 80's revival bug going around at the moment (hell, in Wolverhampton and Birmingham alone in the past 12 months three 80's themed bars have opened for business) so this album will no doubt perk the ears up of anybody who gets misty eyed for the simple synth pleasures of bands like A Flock of Seagulls or Human League.

'Move Like This' definitely comes across as an 80's band staying true to their sound, standing tall like a huge monument to the decade, hitting multiple musical milestones that could only be attributed to the 80's along the way;

Synth pop? That's there, in the form of album opener 'Blue Tip' a track that has a 'Don't You Want Me Baby' meets 'Video Killed The Radio Star' quality to it, and making no uncertain markers as to the band's electro-rock leanings.

Epic, rocking tunes? 'Keep On Knocking' has a kind of early U2 vibe to it, combining larger than life guitar with a strong, catchy chorus, which will soon have your head bouncing back and forth.

Inspiring, slightly cheesy song, which could easily fit into a movie? Yeah we've got that, the tracks 'Too Late' and 'Soon'' will have you thinking of Teen Comedies and training montages faster than you can say "John Hughes or Karate Kid".

Disco dance floor filler? 'Sad Song' provides this in bucket loads, opening with a riff reminiscent of T-Rex's 'Get it on', before moving on to a chorus that could be more associated with dance music, giving the whole song a sort of "take to the dance floor" feel.

Gratuitous use of a glockenspiel? You best believe that's there in 'Drag On Forever'.

Mandatory power ballad? No record claiming to have a foot in the 80's could claim so if it didn't have one, and 'Take Another Look' has an opening, which would have Tom Cruise breaking out the aviators.

The overall mix of styles on the album is the perfect combination of all of what made the Ric Ocasek led Cars so great back in the day, combining the guitar sound of the band's early powerpop driven albums with the more mainstream pop and sampling of their latter days to create a mix which boasts an ability to get you dancing whilst retaining an almost chill out quality.

I think it goes without saying that 'Move Like This' is an out and out 80's record, however that isn't such a bad thing as it is all of the highlights of the 80's sound rather than the crappy excesses and utter mediocrity that hounded almost every band at some point during the decade, giving the album a strong nostalgic feel which will no doubt appeal to those who still want to dust off the shoulder pads, back comb whatever hair they have left and absorb themselves into decades gone past.

http://www.thecars.org/