This selection was made by Gen X dad.

Gen X dad says… The Psychedelic Furs were the third or fourth concert I saw on my own in high school. They played at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas and were touring with their album Mirror Moves. Talk Talk opened for them. They were touring with their album It’s My Life. Of course at the time I didn’t think too much about what a great double bill that was.

I still have my original vinyl copy of Mirror Moves along with the poster that came with it. The Bronco Bowl, where I saw many a great show, is no longer around though. It was replaced by a Home Depot. So you know, you can’t go home again, but you can pick up some duct tape and caulk.

In their original run (from 1980 to 1991) the Furs released for the most part (I’m looking at you Midnight to Midnight) a great run of albums. I’ve always loved how fully formed they seemed with their self-titled debut. They began to stumble a bit with the slick, but still solid Mirror Moves in 1984. They did recover a bit from the nadir of Midnight to Midnight with their last two albums (Book of Days and World Outside – both underrated). Then they called it a day. Richard Butler went off to do some solo albums which pretty much just sounded like the Furs.

The band regrouped in the 2000s and have toured fairly regularly since then. I saw them again a couple of years ago at Thalia Hall in Chicago. This time around the always entertaining and talented Robyn Hitchcock opened for them. It was a fun show. The Furs sounded and looked great.

Made of Rain is the band’s first album of all new material since 1991’s World Outside. Much like Bauhaus’ with their 2008 return Go Away White, the Furs have managed to pretty much pick back up right where they left off. After 29 years, that’s no small feat for a group with such an iconic sound and style.

Though there’s far less snarl than before, Butler’s raspy vocals don’t sound all much different than they did in 1980. While the music itself doesn’t exactly harken back to the melodic wall of noise of their first two album it hits a sweet spot between their earlier and later sound.

Generally I try to avoid nostalgia. But, the soaring melancholy of the chorus of Wrong Train put a lump in my throat and took me right back to mid 80s. There are quite a few other moments like that on the album. While you can enjoy this album in its current context, it is sometimes nice go back for a bit.

Highlights: You’ll Be Mine, Wrong Train, Come All Ye Faithful, and Hide The Medicine.

Gen Z son says… While some people may not have grown up in this time period, whenever people usually think about 80s bands, they may think about Simple Minds, U2, A-ha, Depeche Mode, and the likes. From what I’ve heard about the decade, a lot of British new wave bands were constantly being played everywhere. While this genre isn’t as popular now as it was back then, many of these bands and their songs are still well-known. Some are still making music today, and one of those bands are The Psychedelic Furs.

Made Of Rain is their first album since 1991’s World Outside got released – almost 30 years ago. That album launched the #1 Billboard Rock Charts hit Until She Comes. While the band had previously reunited in 2000, they had only toured and had not released any new material until now.

On this album, the Furs mostly stay true to their new wave roots. The guitar-based pop rock sound of their older albums is still present throughout the album. However, they do mix it up a bit on some tracks. For example, there are some upbeat, danceable numbers, such as the industrial-tinged Come All Ye Faithful. There are also more slower ones, such as the closing track Stars and Ash Wednesday – the latter of which ends with a chorus that repeats throughout the song, a song structure previously used by My Chemical Romance in Famous Last Words.

Overall, even though Made Of Rain didn’t come until 3 decades later, it still proved that The Psychedelic Furs could make good albums, and that they have lots of energy left in them. Some songs are happy and upbeat, some not so much, but you’ll still probably enjoy the record anyways.