Video Age's third album pairs neon-bright 80s pop melodies with a vast range of influences (including Janet Jackson, David Bowie, and Paul McCartney) to create an optimistic sound all their own. The influences vary song to song, but they're all tinted with the same rosy hue, and Singer and multi-instrumentalist Ross Farbe says, "I'm often trying to create a more idealized version of the world I'm in." Video Age's first two albums were about loneliness and discovering oneself, but Pleasure Line takes on a whole new attitude, considering both Ross and songwriting partner Ray Micarelli are getting married this year. "We're feeling the love," Ray says, laughing. But these aren't expressions of one-dimensional puppy love-this is euphoria with depth, ecstasy with complications. Darkness is always lurking somewhere beneath happiness, but in the Video Age, even melancholy sounds like something you can dance to. Ray and Ross share a love for dancefloor hits. Experimentation and play is crucial to their approach, as is collaboration. J oined by band members and multi-instrumentalists Nick Corson and Duncan Troast, Video Age recorded the album together in Ross' New Orleans home studio. Pleasure Line is a salve that protects against cynicism-listening to this album, you can't help but feel the world around you is full of romantic potential.
