Andy McCluskey wrote a special article for The Athens Voice newspaper this week. We're happy to have the opportunity to present it here for your reading pleasure:

"Perhaps OMD haven't got as much recognition as we deserved for our output in the 80's. One of the things that Paul and I said to each other when we decided to play again was that, by the very nature of the band, because we weren't trying to be pop stars and weren't terribly interested in presenting ourselves as sexy or colourful, when people think back to 30 years ago, we're often forgotten. Because we were just about the music." More inside »

OMD had struggled to get a foothold of the American market during their early years - a feat that many UK and European bands had to contend with. Despite this, record label DinDisc sent them across the Atlantic in a bid to increase the exposure of the band.

These jaunts also occasionally took the band north of the border to Canada, helping to create foundations for a hopeful future. In fact the early Canadian concerts saw the live debut of the freshly minted She's Leaving. More inside »

OMD's history is marked not only by some classic records, but also some classic designs. The sleeves for releases such as Architecture & Morality, Souvenir, Maid Of Orleans and Dazzle Ships are iconic designs that have helped to craft the style and image of the band and remain as impressive visual artefacts.

In this interview, designer Brett Wickens discusses his work with OMD, Peter Saville and also his involvement with Ceramic Hello More inside »

Beginning a new series on Messages, Club 66 charts the stories of OMD's unsung moments with a look at their B-Side legacy. To start with, possibly the most classic OMD B-Side track there is - Almost.

It was with Almost that OMD began contemplating the idea of balancing the conventional A-Side material with something more challenging - or that at least offered a contrasting counterpoint. More inside »

"My favourite period of OMD musically was Architecture and Morality because of my involvement and how creative I was being at the time, using the kit differently. I love to play regular pub drummer type of stuff but I'd rather try different things, sounds and colours and see what sound I can get on a kit. I think you can really notice on an album... if I try tuning a snare drum, putting it in a different room, put different mics in, then no-one has heard that sound before. And in a very subtle way on an album, that works rather than going to a generic CD and getting another 808 snare on it."

A new interview with MAL HOLMES discusses his work with OMD in the past and also his involvement with new album HISTORY OF MODERN. Read Mal's comments here: Mal Holmes interview (via The Electricity Club).

The 2003 reissue of OMD's classic Organisation album featured sleeve notes that included comments from the band on their thoughts on the album and its place in the OMD catalogue.

The original interviews with Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys and Mal Holmes are now available here on the Messages website (and also marks the first time these interviews have been made availble in their entirety).

The interviews also feature rare and previously unseen images from the Messages archive. More inside »

The OMD Magazine Messages was originally created as an experimental project exploring the history of the band via articles, interviews, reviews and news.

The creation of Messages occurred during a period in which OMD were no longer an active band, yet in which there was plenty of OMD-related activity. This saw the release of albums such as Navigation - The OMD B-Sides album, the Peel Sessions and The Id EP. More recently, OMD have become once again a touring band releasing new material with the advent of the new album History Of Modern.

We are proud to announce that Messages is continuing as both a magazine and also as a website. We are also changing aspects of both in line with our desire to continue to experiment with the delivery of OMD features and stories. As a bonus, the archived articles on the Messages website are now also available to view publicly.

Today marked the UK release of OMD's 11th studio album following on from the 1996 release Universal. It marks a return for a band that have become established as electropop pioneers and continues their long and rich musical career since the release of their first Single Electricity back in 1979.

History Of Modern arrives in a variety of formats, including a special Box Set version (now sold out). The album also features the new single If You Want It and is available from most major online stockists as well as direct from the Official OMD site itself.

Official OMD Website: www.omd.uk.com