Who knows how history might have gone if the John Foxx-led era of Ultravox was able to stick around for more releases after Systems of Romance, but given the multiple resulting projects that gained success in their own right as well as the veneration of the album among synthpop stars to follow, maybe the split was what needed to happen in the end. As it stands, Systems is a remarkable listen, Foxx’s at once precise and dreamily-delivered singing set against astonishing electronic-led arrangements on standouts like “Slow Motion” and “Quiet Men.”

– Ned Raggett