The debut release by Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, Bloodsongs, is one of those rare recordings that manage to be both retro and modern at the same time. The electronic drumbeats sound like something out of a modern-day dance club, while if you spliced the synths and vocals away from the rest of the sonic stew, you could be fooled into thinking that it was straight out of new wave’s early-’80s glory days. Hailing from Youngstown, OH, Gil Mantera’s Party Dream is a duo of multi-instrumental brothers, Gil Mantera (programming, keyboards, bass) and Ultimate Donny (vocals, guitar), who split the songwriting duties straight down the middle. Prime examples of the duo’s aforementioned style and approach include “Shadow Grip” (which features some very Gap Band-esque moments), “Bunz Therapy” (a robotic synth ditty), and the album opener, “Buffalo Tears.” Picture an Americanized, more uptempo and dance-ready Air, and you’re not far off from Gil Mantera’s Party Dream. – Greg Prato