There are two types of people in this world: 1) Those who have an opinion about Electric Light Orchestra and 2) Those who have never heard of them. But even people in the latter category have heard them--their songs are all over the place--they just don't know it, since ELO never quite reached the same level of iconic status as, say, the Cars. For those not in the know, ELO helmsman Jeff Lynne is one of the great movers and shakers of late-20th century rock...if not for the entire ELO catalogue, then surely for his later incarnation as producer of (among others) Tom Petty, assorted solo Beatles and Dave Edmunds. Oh, and he's also "that bearded bushy-haired guy with the hat" in the Traveling Wilburys.
The songs on Time are mind-bogglingly hook-laden, as if the album was the result of a class assignment to cram the maximum amount of catchy melodies, strings, synthesizers and inhumanly high falsettos into the grooves of an album. From the frenetic gallop of "Twilight" to the dramatic melancholy of "The Way Life's Meant to Be" and "Rain is Falling," the songs of Time effortlessly melt into your consciousness upon the first listening--and immediately feel like you've heard them for years. In at least one case, you have; "Hold On Tight" is a TV commercial workhorse, most recently for Honda.
In spite of Time's earnest combination of shrewd commercial songcraft and geeky sci-fi cliches (or more likely because of it), the album comes off as incredibly dated and fresh at the same time. The abundance of synthesized robot voices and sound effects predicts the Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots as well as the fashionable, unabashed bombast of the Arcade Fire and the Killers.
Time is best taken in at night, preferably while driving alone (the better to belt along with). Pop it in, crank it up, take out your inner geek-boy, and party like it's 1981.