1986. “Don’t You Want Me” came out in 1981, and it’s one of the greatest synth pop songs of all time. Certainly better than any of Kraftwerk’s. “I Ran (So Far Away)” was 1982. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” was 1983.

You get the idea. The idea is I don’t like Kraftwerk. I don’t deny their influence. I never have, but I don’t deny that nearly ever single act to follow them could flaunt a tune far better. But not even Kraftwerk fans are crazy about Electric Cafe, so here’s not the place to go into a full-out derision.

I actually rather like—not love—”The Telephone Call” and the title track. And the synthetic strings in “Sex Object” remind me of one of Pet Shop Boys‘s signature sounds. They had only released their first album earlier in the year, so I won’t say Kraftwerk are behind on that style, but they’re barely working any more muscles in their music than they ever have and Pet Shop Boys would be one of the (far superior) groups to pick up their stead and bring out the life in synth pop for the new decade and beyond—showing that was what people wanted all along. Humans are meant to evolve. But Kraftwerk aren’t programmed for that, and that’s never been more obvious than in 1986’s Electric Cafe.