The video for "Atomic Ranch" is the second of three animated videos by Henning M Lederer (the first video, "Decimal" debuted earlier in January and is posted here). All three videos will be featured on the bonus DVD bundled with the deluxe version of the band's new album English Electric, which drops on April 8th.
According to OMD, English Electric is an attempt to move forward, yet without losing their distinctive sound. Last summer, Andy McCluskey was interviewed on the BBC about the sound of English Electric and had the following to say about the new album:
"Lyrically, English Electric seems to be an exploration of how one's Utopian dreams often end in dystopic failure and regret. Musically, it uses many current sounds and styles. Dresden sounds very 'OMD,' Our System is like a Glitch style Stanlow/ROTT if that can be imagined. Helen of Troy sound like Georgia meets first album Depeche. Please Remain Seated, Decimal, and Atomic Ranch use programmed robotic voices and have a hint of Dazzle Ships to them."
Fans of the more classic OMD sound can rejoice: the band recently confirmed they've recorded a new version of "Kissing The Machine" for the album. The original version of the song, long considered a gem among OMD fans, was released by the Karl Bartos (ex-Kraftwerk) side project Elektric Music in 1993 and featured Andy McCluskey. A full new recording of the track appears on English Electric and is expected to stay fairly close to the original recording which has been out of print for a number of years (the original version is posted below).
The first official single from English Electric is, "Metroland," which is scheduled to be released on March 25th. English Electric will be released April 8th as a digital download, standard CD, deluxe CD/DVD, vinyl LP, and collectors' tin boxset. Take a look at the full tracklisting for English Electric below and catch up with OMD here.
01. Please Remain Seated
02. Metroland
03. Night Café
04. The Future Will Be Silent
05. Helen of Troy
06. Our System
07. Kissing The Machine
08. Decimal
09. Stay With Me
10. Dresden
11. Atomic Ranch
12. Final Song
"Kissing The Machine" (original 1993 version by Elektric Music)