Category: Reviews (Page 102 of 206)

DOUBLE MIXTE Romance Noire EP

19 February 2019 /


Brooding Parisian duo DOUBLE MIXTE have scored a major coup with their debut EP ‘Romance Noire’ by joining the Italians Do It Better family, home to CHROMATICS, GLASS CANDY and many others.

Produced and mixed by head honcho Johnny Jewel, ‘Romance Noire’ comprises of four tracks and three variations on the theme, tied together by the creative synergy of Clara Apolit and Thomas Maan.

On the ‘Romance Noire’ title track, Apolit offers her almost dispassionate but alluring Gallic prose over a metronomic beat, fat bursts of sequenced bass and aggressive swirling synths for a slice of decadent electronic dancefloor cool.

Within a billowing haze of Gauloises, Maan takes the lead monologue on the more moody and filmic ‘Arlette’, but a surprise comes with ‘November’ which sees Apolit not only vocalise in English but also in an almost incongruous folksy manner; despite the clash of styles, the combination of soprano and stabs of synth provides for an eerie soundtrack that is only missing the visuals.

A wonderful neo-ambient aural sculpture with dramatic synth arpeggios, ‘Arlette’ effectively closes the main ‘Romance Noire’ before wordless and beatless ‘On Film’ encores of the title track, as well as an instrumental take on ‘November’.

Recorded in 2017 but only released now, ‘Romance Noire’ showcases the varied index of possibilities emerging from DOUBLE MIXTE and it will be interesting to see where they head in the future.

Tout est possible, mais oui…

‘Romance Noire’ is released by Italians Do It Better, available in pink champagne vinyl direct from https://italiansdoitbetter.com/product/double-mixte-romance-noire/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th February 2019

SPELLLING Mazy Fly

18 February 2019 /


“A winged spirit” moving through SPELLLING’s new album is ‘Mazy Fly’. Chrystia Cabral, known as SPELLLING, is based in the Bay Area and her musical concoctions are born within the sanctuary of her Berkeley studio.

Having started sound experimentation in 2015, to follow in the creative footsteps of a lost love, Cabral’s objective was merely to preserve and further the artistic legacy of someone who could no longer do so. Her first long player ‘Pantheon of Me’ in 2017 was drawn from images in her dreams, making her vision as unique as it is ubiquitous.

‘Mazy Fly’ follows in the footsteps of dream imagination, combining the elements of fear of destruction and the thrill of the exploration of the unknown. Enter the bizarre slurred tones of the opening ‘Red’, texturally evoking images from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks Black Lodge. What’s not backward comes forward, vividly leading into the curious mind of SPELLLING’s.

Dark and gloomy images of the passage of slave ships into the colonial worlds over the ‘Haunted Water’ float vividly over sequenced melodies, offering vocals that John Fryer would gladly accept for his BLACK NEEDLE NOISE projects, where Cabral sounds like Jarboe meets Zia.

The deeply personal ‘Hard To Please’ marries catchy synth bass with layered vocals, which fly away into the atmosphere, breaking away into the great wide universe, meeting the unthinkable in the process. The beautifully presented ‘Golden Numbers’ is relentlessly captivating with the extraordinary organ arrangement, but in itself, it’s just a pop song with a twist, or she will have you think…

Don’t let the ‘Melted Wings’ slow you down, for this celestial offering holds you close to ‘Under The Sun’, which is “a cosmic prayer for good fortune that sees the potential for radical newness in our own lives in the births of stars”.

Who’s having the ‘Real Fun’? The aliens, of course! They have travelled to Earth to sample the musical genius of SPELLLING, as if enclosed in a bubble, which rolls and rolls uncontrolled across the world, showcasing the samples of humanity, all for the extra-terrestrials to witness. And they’re experiencing the best she has to offer; epic synthy cinematic soundscapes and voices that defy all logic.

Can Cabral’s music be taken to the ‘After Life’? With the captivating riffs of bluesy guitar and operatic singing, she’s in for the win again. Angels chanting above, while she’s floating into the misty air, fulfilled and appreciated. Just for a second, let’s go back to the glorious psychedelic era and sample the drugs that will make everything good again, as presented in ‘Dirty Desert Dreams’, oh she’s luscious.

But beware from pulling on the ‘Secret Thread’, as that’s where ‘Mazy Fly’ flirts with the sky at night. A more delicate, almost of the dainty qualities of Fifi Rong, this gentle ballad is like a giant blanket. Everything will be all right in the world, so don’t fear of ‘Falling Asleep’ with its wholesome textures of regenerating and restoring qualities.

Cabral’s offerings are certainly not for general consumption, and she’s far from craving such.

Her imaginary world craves a better tomorrow and ponders human progress, trying to digest how technologies and inventions gave the mankind endless possibilities, at the same time driving towards total devastation.

‘Mazy Fly’ isn’t gloomy in its persuasion though; it’s actually an optimistic journey towards the hopefully better unknown.

‘Mazy Fly’ is released by Sacred Bones Records on 22nd February 2019 in Vinyl LP, CD and digital formats, pre-order from https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr221-spellling-mazy-fly

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Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
Photos by Catalina Xavlena
18th February 2019

WITCH OF THE VALE Trust The Pain

15 February 2019 /


In the world of plenty, the nature runs through the laws of the land and she decides on all outcomes. Break the cycle, and you’re doomed, turn against her, and you will pay the highest price.

Deeply rooted in Celtic folklore with Wiccan beliefs, the highly spirited music of WITCH OF THE VALE is like nothing else within the world of electronica today. Outer Hebridean Isles meets the mysterious and hostile shores of Loch Lomond to create the freshest musical abyss of strength and stamina to deliver the most unusual sound and please the most discerning synth lovers.

Relatively unknown, Erin Hawthorne and her husband Ryan’s music has been recognised enough to claim the support slots for ASSEMBLAGE 23, CLAN OF XYMOX and SOLAR FAKE.

WITCH OF THE VALE’s debut last year with ‘The Way This Will End’ EP gathered enough appreciation and enthusiasm for the pair to continue their Pagan musical experimentation and this winter sees the release of the second EP ‘Trust The Pain’.

The eponymous first track introduces serene, yet uncertain feelings channelled via Hawthorne’s clear vocals over the croon from a raven. The angelic ballad puts all the fears to sleep, leading gently into ‘The Ghosts Won’t Know’, which continues with ethereal quality of vocals and sparse instrumentation in form of delicate piano, which is met by cold strings and slow ritualistic drumming.

‘Suffocation’ sees a mood shift, where the piano meets more haunting sounds, painting elements of dread, fear and tears, palpable in the musical execution, even though the vocals remain softly celestial and almost divine.

The surprise comes with an unusual cover of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Gods & Monsters’, which was a Top 40 hit in the UK, and was covered by the likes of Jessica Lange, as well as used in films and TV series. WITCH OF THE VALE bring out a fresh approach to this controversial piece, whose lyrics describe life lived dangerously, not seeking redemption but ploughing harder and harder towards the tragic end. As opposed to the gritty, sleazy vocal from Del Rey, Erin brings a certain celestial quality to this massive number, shadowed by nothing but a delicate piano and retiring synth.

Erin and Ryan Hawthorne are definitely revealing more and more of their magical world and they are ones to watch out for. Not affiliated with any musical circles, the pair do their own thing with beauty and poise, creating the most astonishing arrangements and it feels like they definitely have more up their sleeve, so follow The Witch.

‘Trust The Pain’ is available as a download EP from https://witchofthevale.bandcamp.com/releases

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Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
15th February 2019

LIZETTE LIZETTE Non

11 February 2019 /


LIZETTE LIZETTE is Lizette Nordahl, a gender neutral Swedish / Peruvian producer and performance artist whose first mini-album ‘Queerbody’ was released in January 2017.

Its co-producers were Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg, better known as KITE. Having started out in a more rave inclined environment, ‘Queerbody’ signalled LIZETTE LIZETTE’s entry into more synthy climes.

Like KITE, ‘Non’ follows the extended EP or mini-album format and features writing contributions from Stenemo and Berg, although the production is by Gabriel Wagnberg.

Opening with the euphoric house pop of ‘Junk’, the track is rich with vogue-friendly beats, hooks and melody. Dreamily laid around pizzicato and some spacey overtones, ‘Obey’ is like a synthetic bubble bath. It’s something which ‘Void’ also takes its lead from, but with the addition of some slightly weirder noises.

The beautifully sad Nordic synth ballad ‘Computer Game’ in tribute to a departed friend is a fine showcase to Nordahl’s emotive side, something that was not obviously apparent in previous LIZETTE LIZETTE recordings. Meanwhile, the punchy technopop of the ‘Non’ title song compliments Nordahl’s more typically assertive stance, a robust danceable jewel that is an “anthem for all non-binary worldwide”, proclaiming “You wanna call me a girl, you wanna call me a woman… I am NON.”

Accompanied by a selection of detuned metallics, ‘Moonland’ declares a return home where “brothers and sisters are waiting”, while ‘Soil’ earthily penetrates with vocally derived textures and hypnotic arpeggios for a tune which with Nordahl’s richly delivered tones, ROBYN wouldn’t have been unhappy with.

Ending with a dramatic widescreen waltz, ‘Beaches’ is glorious Scandipop, layered in multiple vocals, that comes over suitably nautical. A fine follow-up to ‘Queerbody’, ‘Non’ adds new colours and vibes to the expanding LIZETTE LIZETTE template.

‘Non’ is available as a download direct from https://lizettelizette.bandcamp.com/

http://lizettelizette.com/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th February 2019

PET SHOP BOYS Agenda EP

8 February 2019 /


Never shying away from political matters, the British synthpop duo PET SHOP BOYS like to say it as it is, often with a sarcastic twist.

Having enjoyed years of successful record making and musically surviving many of their contemporaries, with ever a fresh approach, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are back with a tongue-in-cheek EP ‘Agenda’.

It’s 2019, so what’s on the agenda? This time not the gay anthems, not slinky love songs, not dance your feet off punches, but straight to the point observations of the world we face today.

Photo by Pelle Crepin

Of course, Tennant and Lowe always aimed high with well observed poignant statements, be it from the very beginnings of their career with ‘Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)’, or later cryptic attacks on Tony Blair and George W Bush on ‘I’m With Stupid’.

Further traces of Tennant / Lowe’s world affairs know how surface on many other tracks, depicting flaws in both historical and current politics, while their gay rights hymns inspired many to champion the LGBT communities. So what have we got here? “It contains three satirical songs and one rather sad song” claims outspoken Tennant, “I think it’s because of the times we’re living through.”

He’s certainly not wrong; both of the earlier unveiled tracks don’t mince words. ‘Give Stupidity A Chance’ speaks for itself, mocking both Donald Trump in the middle eight, as well as Michael Gove , with his infamous pre-Brexit vote statement “people in this country have had enough of experts”. Perhaps we should “give stupidity a chance”, as “intelligent people have had their say. It’s time for the foolish to show the way … We’ve had quite enough of experts and their dealings. Why face the facts when you can just feel the feelings?”

Trump’s sexual harassment accusations, which started after his misogynistic comments about grabbing women “by their pussies” find their reflection here too: “Chicks are always up for it. You’ve got to grab whatever you can. We need a leader with an eye for a peach-perfect piece of ass”. All this veiled with a simple melody and demure vocals.

‘On Social Media’ picks up the tempo, driving a quality gay club piece like ‘Outside’ by George Michael. The song is a total mockery of living our lives on social platforms, where our lives appear fantastic, and if things don’t go right “console yourself with a selfie or two and post them on Social Media”. Are your tweets re-tweeted? Are your family holiday snaps uploaded? Because “it’s so nice when people like you, you’re feeling hashtag ‘blast’, you’re part of the conversation, it’s like you’ve passed the test!”.

‘What Are We Going To Do About The Rich?’ is a further dig, this time “we’re talking about extreme rich – oligarchs and that kind of thing. The super-rich” says Tennant, with Lowe adding “The ones that don’t pay any tax.”

Tennant further describes it as “a sort of mock-protest song”, with the emphasis being more on the lyrical content as opposed to the melody, which, fortified by trumpets acts as a perfect canvas for the clever lyrics.

The fourth and final song from ‘Agenda’ is ‘The Forgotten Child’ and it represents “the sad song”. The demure, crying strings open up the tale about a missing girl, which is also political but in a more veiled manner, “where is the child? The child is lost”. The middle eight opens into a beautifully crafted section which PET SHOP BOYS are famous for, just to float away quietly.

All the four tracks were produced by Tim Powell with the duo themselves, and recorded at the end of last year. Stuart Price is due to produce the pair’s next album, which will follow 2016’s ‘Super’, and is due for release in the autumn.

Will it contain further political plug-ins? Let’s hope so, it is PET SHOP BOYS after all…

‘Agenda’ is available now via x2 Recordings in digital formats, please visit http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/ for information on CD and vinyl EP formats which will be released on 12th April 2019

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Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
8th February 2019

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