Album Review: MOBS – Cinema Paradiso

The ‘80s could be pretty shit. There was plenty of groundbreaking music happening in metal, hardcore, indie and elsewhere, but it was sandwiched between vast piles of bland, vacuous drivel. For reasons best known to themselves, Aussie mob MOBS have decided to revisit the worst parts of the decade.

There’s nothing wrong with the gimmicky concept of this debut album, which presents songs themed around classic ‘80s films, but it’s executed terribly. I’ll Be Back channels The Terminator through Billy Ocean’s When The Going Gets Tough, while Big World is a take on Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, and the Ferris Bueller-inspired School’s Out is less Alice Cooper and more awful beige pop-funk.

Even viewed with a sense of humour and irony firmly in place, the shtick fails to stick because the music is so irredeemably awful. You want it to be funny, but in the event, this is just really annoying. Rather than revisit past times, it’s time to get back to the future.

Verdict: 1/5