Author: electricityclub (Page 119 of 440)

“I don’t like country & western, I don’t like rock music… I don’t like rockabilly! I don’t like much really do I? But what I do like, I love passionately!!”: CHRIS LOWE

“Good taste is exclusive”: NICK RHODES

MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY Bloods, Side A

12 July 2021 /

Following the acclaim for his accomplished third album ‘Infinity Mirror’, Ryan A James returns as MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY with his latest long form release ‘Bloods, Side A’.

MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY has been held in such high regard that Ryan A James has worked with notable artists such as RÖYKSOPP and IONNALEE. Having become a father, James’ perspective has changed and while shoegaze may have been an element to MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY in the past, the synthwave overtures of acts across the Atlantic like COM TRUISE, FM ATTACK and BETAMAXX have caught his attention.

But also having released a cover of Phil Collins’ ‘Another Day In Paradise’ in 2020, the MTV era of decades past has also figured. From ‘Infinity Mirror’, the song ‘Beta Blocker’ was a sign of his future musical direction, featuring a meaty programmed electronic bassline of the type adopted by PROPAGANDA and FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD.

Beginning with ’Pilot’ and accompanied by subtle stuttering beats, this is a short delightful instrumental that showcases the influence of both FM ATTACK and BETAMAXX. But the excellent ’Savannah’ springs a total surprise with a dreamier take on the sort of rhythmic new wave pop that adorned many a John Hughes or Jerry Bruckheimer movie montage and at times, it sounds as though it might morph into a track by expat Scot popwave exponent Michael Oakley.

Drawing from COM TRUISE, the moodier ’Gardener In A War’ features a great self-deprecating line about how “I’ll wash the petri dish for you”. Although it is more typically MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY in its introspective outlook and presentation, as its intensity is enhanced by a hypnotic cacophony of electronics, there are also unexpected Shakuhachi samples and programmed bass patterns with shades of Howard Jones.

Short but sweet, despite being less than a minute and a quarter, ’Our Silences’ gives room for a fabulous freeform synth solo before ’Ultra-Nightmare’ closes the A Side and sees the return of the Shakuhachi while the driving pulse journeys onto an expansive synthwave adventure with a sinister manipulated voice creeping back and forth to provoke a sense of unease.

With guitar seemingly absent, ‘Bloods, Side A’ acts as a fine pointer as to how MAN WITHOUT COUNTRY has evolved. While the sound remains melodic and reflective, Ryan A James has headed West and is now even more electronic than before; ‘Side B’ is now eagerly awaited to complete the set.

‘Bloods, Side A’ is released on 16th July 2021 as a CD and download, pre-order from https://manwithoutcountry.bandcamp.com/album/bloods-side-a

https://manwithout.country/

https://www.facebook.com/manwithoutcountry/

https://twitter.com/mwc_music

https://www.instagram.com/mwc_music/

https://patreon.com/manwithoutcountry

Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th July 2021

POLYCHROME UltraViolet

10 July 2021 /

Filmic dreamwave duo POLYCHROME are back with a new single ‘UltraViolet’ that comes with a force of aggression not heard before compared to their 2018 self-titled debut album.

Several songs found favour with TV producers and advertising agencies around the world. But with ‘Ultraviolet’, an overdriven digital rimshot, as used by the likes of Prince in the past, makes a dynamic rhythmic statement. Meanwhile the rich haze of a malfuctioning Yamaha DX7 and understated bass warbles from multi-instrumentalist Olly Price provide the backdrop for the angelic treated vocals of Vicky Harrison.

A blend of ELECTRIC YOUTH, CHROMATICS and CHVRCHES, Vicky Harrison said of ‘UltraViolet’: “It’s quite driving with a faster tempo and I think it leans more towards synthpop, but there was no particular conscious choice. We made a series of electronic vibes and picked what we liked and started sculpting those. We might do that in a few sessions on one song, but the main body is there by the time we get to the end.”

While the computer animated video does feature an abundance of clichéd synthwave imagery including grids, sunsets, palm trees, sports cars and shades of magenta, there is a twist with Harrison’s lips making an eerie appearance…

The dystopian resonance of ‘UltraViolet’ reflects the darkness of a year where many have suffered and lost. It was no different for POLYCHROME and what began as a song about relationship break-up mutated into a narrative comprising of a post-Covid world where that last few people alive on a dying earth struggle to survive and are forced to live in a computer simulation! Despite the subject matter, there is a strange beauty to ‘UltraViolet’.

Olly Price caught Covid hard at the start of the pandemic and its effects still loom; “This Virus is a f*cker…” he said, “So many people have had it way worse than us so this is our tribute to everyone who has had a crap year”

‘UltraViolet’ is released by Hilo Lohi records, available on the usual online platforms and direct from https://soundofpolychrome.bandcamp.com/

http://soundofpolychrome.com/

https://www.facebook.com/soundofpolychrome/

https://twitter.com/soundofpolychro

https://www.instagram.com/polychromesounds/

https://open.spotify.com/album/3n1pAJ0hDKtOaDpPpQRrHZ

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Héloïse Faure
10th July 2021

ALICE HUBBLE My Dear Friend

8 July 2021 /

Following her acclaimed 2019 debut album ‘Polarlichter’ which was released on Happy Robots Records and gained the support of Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq and Gideon Coe from BBC 6Music, synth earth mother Alice Hubble will issue its follow up ‘Hexentanzplatz’ this Autumn.

Named after a Harz mountain located just over 70km south west of Magbeburg, Hexentanzplatz literally means “Witches’ Dance Floor” in German and accurately captures the mystic air of the old Saxon cult site where legend has it, ancient fertility rites were practiced and sacrifices took place.

However, the second single from the album ‘My Dear Friend’ is more optimistically romantic having been inspired by the discovery of a collection of love letters written by Alice Hubble’s mother to her father around the time that they first met. “My mother passed away when I was in my teens” she said, “these letters gave me a real insight into who she was as a person, her ‘newly in love’ giddiness jumping off the page”.

The hazy kaleidoscopic black and white video for ‘My Dear Friend’ directed by Alice Hubble herself captures an immersive hazy feeling while the song itself, with its combination of understated drums from Matt Kelly and a whirring cacophony of varyingly tuned synths, recalls the electro-organic pagan ritual of LADYTON’s ‘Mirage’ from the ‘Gravity The Seducer’ long player which is now 10 years old.

While the already premiered ‘Power Play’ with its important statement on the #MeToo movement reflects Alice Hubble’s embracement of collective digital activism and serves as her protest song, one of the glistening highlights on ‘Hexentanzplatz’ comes with the rousing indie synthpop of ‘Projections’.

‘My Dear Friend’ is available via Happy Robots Records on the usual online platforms including https://happyrobotsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/my-dear-friend

‘Hexentanzplatz’ will be available in vinyl LP and digital formats on 10th September 2021, pre-order from https://happyrobotsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hexentanzplatz

Alice Hubble 2021 live dates include: London Folklore (7th October), Nottingham Old Cold Store (8th October), Leeds Wharf Chambers (15th October)

https://www.happyrobots.co.uk/alice-hubble

https://www.facebook.com/alicehubblemusic/

https://twitter.com/alice_hubble

https://www.instagram.com/alice_hubble/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
8th July 2021

LAURA DRE Moving Spaces

6 July 2021 /


With a fascination for yesterday’s tomorrow, German Filipino songstress and musician Laura Dre presents her solo debut album ‘Moving Spaces’, a collection themed around the traumas of unrequited love.

Laura Dre was formally the front woman of electro-rock combo VINYL BLACK STILETTOS whose second EP ‘Electrical’ was produced by PET SHOP BOYS programmer and engineer Pete Gleadall,

‘Moving Spaces’ sees a return in the studio with her previous co-producer Robert Harder whose credits have included David Byrne, Brian Eno and Neneh Cherry.

Her mix of modern synthpop and synthwave anthems coupled to her deep nonchalant vocals capture the rainy dystopian air of ‘Blade Runner’, but there a sexy enigmatic allure and a mischievously wired groove that wouldn’t go amiss in a West Berlin nightclub scene from the Cold War spy flick ‘Atomic Blonde’. While there are darker tinges compared to her contemporaries, ultimately ‘Moving Spaces’ IS a pop record and an entertaining one.

‘Interlude: Utopia’ is an opening instrumental that sets out the album’s intentions, being rhythmic, atmospheric and melodic. The following love ballad ‘Loving You Is A Beautiful Sin’ touches on the lyrical gist covered in David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Forbidden Colours’, chugging with sombre bass pulses counterpointed by digital chimes and washes of sweeping synths. With her expressive contralto voice, this is everything SAY LOU LOU should have been but weren’t.

With a gallop, ‘Pulse & The Drive’ is punctuated by vintage digital drums as our heroine melts into the backdrop. Hitting some wispy higher notes while the keys provide the diamond cuts, the dreamy ‘Moving Spaces’ showcases some glistening electronic pop capturing a wonderful nocturnal atmosphere and a subtle euphoria.

Perhaps autobiographical in its longing for the unobtainable, ‘Ice Maiden’ presents an even punchier triplet while blippy swirls add to the song’s windswept aesthetic. ‘I Wanna Be Your Only One’ sees Laura Dre bear her soul following the unrequited love theme of the album, expressing a desire for a partnership that breaks the rules, declaring “We could be Bonnie and Clyde”.

The glorious uptempo disco number ‘All Day, All Night’ offers great crossover potential; drenched in sparkle and a delicious percussive base, it’s one for fans of early PET SHOP BOYS, complete with a classic Tennant / Lowe styled instrumental middle eight.

‘I Opened My Eyes’ adopts a more archetypical synthwave approach although the vocal register is unexpectedly upped to a wispy soprano in the harmonies. Meanwhile, the metronomic drive of ‘If Looks Could Kill’ could easily be reimagined as a rock number and used in a Brat Pack film montage although the bass backbone here is perhaps a little too hazy to achieve the desire impact.

Beginning with a more subtle Sci-Fi backdrop, ‘Superficial Cyberlove’ springs a total surprise by morphing into a desolate EBM-inspired climax.

With superb icy strings penetrating the core, the ‘Blade Runner’ inspired story about relationship involving “a human and a cyber android incapable of developing feelings” highlights how in this modern world, the convenience of machines can never replace the intimacy of face-to-face contact.

‘Moving Spaces’ is an impressive debut musical statement from Laura Dre, offering a cooler take on synthwave influenced pop forms that positions her between the alluring sophistication of Nina and the gothier overtures of Kat Von D.

‘Moving Spaces’ is released by Outland Recordings on 9th July 2021 in CD, blue vinyl LP, cassette and digital formats, pre-order from https://hypeddit.com/link/fal543

https://lauradre.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lauradreofficial

https://www.instagram.com/lauradre/

https://twitter.com/LauraDreMusic

https://www.twitch.tv/lauradreofficial

https://soundcloud.com/lauradre

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i6CW5oGLsKIOOIHV9sEHA/

https://open.spotify.com/album/4Pk6NQVqNR0blHHoNxvZrT

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Wiebke Kreinick
6th July 2021, updated 9th July 2021

CLASS ACTRESS Sense Memory

4 July 2021 /

Brooklyn’s CLASS ACTRESS was originally conceived as a synth driven alternative pop trio comprising of Elizabeth Harper, Mark Richardson and Scott Rosenthal, producing the debut ‘Journal Of Ardency’ EP and 2011’s ‘Rapproacher’ album.

After the band dissolved, the now solo Harper adopted CLASS ACTRESS as a nom de théâtre, issuing a mini-album ‘Movies’ in 2015; this six track collection had Giorgio Moroder as an executive producer and featured the ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ aping ‘High On Love’, the Jam & Lewis tribute ‘The Limit’ and the synthwave flavoured ‘More Than You’.

But since then, there has been silence. A brand new single ‘Dark Dopamine Ceremony’ broke the disquiet in late 2020 and created anticipation among CLASS ACTRESS’ fanbase. Then Elizabeth Harper surprised all by reuniting with original member Mark Richardson and releasing a new EP ‘Sense Memory’ which featured three cover versions that highlighted the diverse interests that occupy her musical headspace.

Using a gorgeously nonchalant delivery, THE SMITHS ‘Ask’ kept some of its six string but was turned into dancey synth indie reminiscent of NATION OF LANGUAGE with the “buck-toothed girl from Luxembourg” now amusingly turned into a buxom one… ooh Matron! Take them away!

Meanwhile, self-referencing a previous CLASS ACTRESS single from 2011 in a cover of THE WEEKND, Harper maintained the expletives on ‘The Hills (Bring On The Weekend)’ and came over like a soprano MARINA & THE DIAMONDS entering the sinister climes of ‘Twin Peaks’! Then MAZZY STAR’s husky contralto ballad ‘Fade Into You’ found its countrified feel wonderfully twisted by droning synths, rigid mechanical rhythms and an icy string machine.

But since its original release in March, ‘Sense Memory’ has been expanded with the new self-penned songs ‘Airwaves’ and ‘Saint Patrick’ to add even more value. The percussive ‘Saint Patrick’ features some infectious synth hooks while Harper’s richly passionate vocal over some strident keyboard work combine like Nerina Pallot fronting BOY HARSHER for a brilliant slice of modern electronic pop. More atmospheric, ‘Airwaves’ doesn’t disappoint either and is set around a bed of cascading synths and a hypnotic rhythmic backbone in a more rigid take on the airs and graces of CHROMATICS.

The expanded ‘Sense Memory’ heralds the welcome return of CLASS ACTRESS to continue developing on the talent that was first showcased on ‘Journal Of Ardency’ and once championed by Giorgio Moroder. With so many independent women now finding solace in synthesized self-expression such as MECHA MAIKO, DANZ CM and GLITBITER, Elizabeth Harper has found the perfect time to be making music again.

‘Sense Memory’ is released by Terrible Records, available as a download direct from https://terriblerecords.bandcamp.com/album/sense-memory

https://classactress.com/

https://twitter.com/CLASSACTRESS

https://www.instagram.com/classactress/

https://open.spotify.com/album/0ftgcEBGdn2LWCvP2RHxS4

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Benjy Russell
4th July 2021

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