Yes, for those keeping count (and trust me, I know there are many, oh so many of you!) after some 30 years of working on their respective ongoing music projects (ie: Erasure/Yazoo/Depeche Mode), finally Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore have come together for the first time since 1981 as VCMG to release their brand new album, Ssss.

The album kicks of with the jaunty 'Lowly,' before the pulsating 'Zaat' (which also musically sounds like an old arcade game) and 'Spock' (complete with a little DM twang) come to the fore. This musical collaboration from Vince and Martin, both influential as pioneers in electronic music, is definitely one designed for the techno lovers out there. And to say that it might well take 10 or more spins to really begin to judge it is an understatement, trust me!

In truth, the whole album gets better with each play. Cuts like the bouncy 'Windup Robot,' the appropriately-named 'Bendy Bass' and 'Single Blip' all very unique, all featuring en mas of layering and textures, that after a few listens seem to make more and more sense re: their collective placement.

And sure, there are now so-called "dancefloor smashes" to be found here, but were you honestly expecting there to be? Indeed, these two are masters at crafting songs and they truly get to exercise their lifelong love of the genre in such tracks as the paced 'Skip This Track' and 'Aftermaths,' and album closers 'Recycle' and synth beat of 'Flux.'