Some music acts age quickly (Limp Bizkit, anyone?), while others mature like a fine wine. You wouldn’t think that synth-pop pioneers Yaz would sound fresh today given the technological advancements that have occurred since singer Alison Moyet and keyboardist Vince Clarke created classics like “Situation” and “Don’t Go” back in the early ‘80s, but you’d be surprised. The duo, which released only two albums before breaking up in 1983, has reformed for the Reconnection tour.
What impressed me about the sold-out show I caught at Los Angeles’s Orpheum Theater is not only the passionate reaction Yaz received from the audience throughout a set that encompassed just about every song they ever made, but, with the obvious exception of “Goodbye Seventies,” how relevant their songs still sound. Standing across from each other on a sparse stage with a colorful LED backdrop, Vince Clarke pumped out the minimalist music on a single synthesizer attached to a computer while Alison Moyet crooned the often-painful lyrics of songs like “Nobody’s Diary,” “In My Room” and “Winter Kills.” Her voice—deep, resonant and very soulful—is as powerful as ever and calls attention to how thin the voices are of the majority of female singers littering today’s pop landscape. As Moyet belted out “Midnight”—a song that showcases the range of her distinct voice—I couldn’t help but imagine an onstage sing-off with Britney Spears as the latter emits a high-pitched squeak and then explodes in a cloud of powdered sugar, y’all. Moyet’s voice is that thunderous—almost elemental—and the crowd was willing to have it rain down on them for as long as she wanted.
Even during the duo’s heyday, Yaz played only a few dates in the U.S., and only in New York. Moyet later made a string of solo albums while Clarke had success with Erasure. As you read this, Yaz is back in the Big Apple before playing dates in Washington, Dallas and Costa Mesa, California (on a bill with the Psychedelic Furs.) If you’re a fan of electronic music or just want to feel the power of a strong female singer course through you, you’ll want to reconnect with Yaz before they disappear for another 25 years.
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