Dated? In which place? There are few synthesizers on the new album.
Few, but still way too many.
Mostly used for atmospheric effect. Note that the very last sound you'll hear on the record, at the end of
One Big River, is a synth. I'm not sure where it sneaks in (and why), but it's there at the end, as so often. And while it's impossible to ruin a song as good as this, the synth is also totally unnecessary, in my opinion.
The synths I dislike the most are the ones that pretend to sound like real instruments (but don't quite get there), like the string synths on the otherwise wonderful
Black Tie Jobs. Why not have an orchestra at British Grove? I don't get it.