Category: Reviews (Page 134 of 200)

VANBOT Siberia

7 April 2017 / electricityclub

Stockholm based singer / songwriter Ester Ideskog, otherwise known as VANBOT, has undoubtedly produced the most striking album of her career following the comparatively conventional offerings of ‘Vanbot’ and ‘Perfect Storm’.

‘Siberia’ is the result of a 17 day journey on the Trans-Siberian railway, recorded by Ideskog with collaborators Johannes Berglund and Petter Winnberg while cooped up in a small carriage compartment with just battery operated technology for company, out in the wilderness, largely away from civilisation…

The musical adventure captures extreme and expansive landscapes from Moscow to China via Mongolia with a roaming atmospheric ambience. Embracing the technological limitations, the threesome purposefully made no additional recordings upon their return to Sweden to the resultant album, naturally titled ‘Siberia’.

With constant motion and new locations looming throughout, most of the tracks have been subtitled according to the location of their conception. It begins with an incessant drum machine as the train departs for ‘Not That Kind (Moscow)’. Sparse and steadfast, haunting female and male voices chill across the airy soundscape. And with the dreamy percussive collage of ‘Stay With Me (Perm)’ that follows, it is evidence that ‘Siberia’ is not a straightforward pop album but one that is dictated by the mood of its surroundings.

‘Yekaterinburg’ is a beautiful instrumental recalling the work of Norwegian duo FROST with lo-fi organ sounds and processed voice samples, the gentle clattering symbolising the move into a new continent on the city’s Eurasian border. Meanwhile, ‘On the Fly (Omsk)’ takes the journey into South-Western Siberia where the mood is gloomier. Omsk is said to be one of the saddest places in Russia and the track’s sombre aura certainly reflects that.

The crystalline ‘Collide (Krasnoyarsk)’ sees a more obvious Nordic influence creeping into proceedings and compared to the tracks before, it is more song based as the pace picks up with some gorgeous melodies too.

‘Hard to Get Used To (Baikal)’ sees the rhythms take a breather as the sight of the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake brings in an early GOLDFRAPP influence; Ideskog filters her whispers ‘Felt Mountain’ style as a ukulele plucks away in the background.

The fabulous oddball percussive template of ‘Fiction (Listvyanka)’ is made even stranger by a cacophony of pitched up vocals and distorted bass synths for a wonderfully cerebral experience. ‘Louder (Ulan-Ude)’ featuring a duet with Petter Winnberg is close to being a conventional ballad as the train treads the rails towards the sparser landscapes of Mongolia.

‘On Wasted (Terelj)’ evokes the area’s vast rocky landscape with a breathy awe, while an unexpected uptempo mood change on ‘Close Enough (Ulan Bator)’ recalls IAMAMIWHOAMI as the train speeds up and trances towards the album’s conclusion as Ideskog repeatedly chants “I can’t get closer now”.

To close ‘Siberia’, the ambience of ‘Stuck In Between (Yak – Moscow Airport)’ reflects the frustration of the transfer to get home with acoustic guitar and a slow arpeggio. The haunting synth layers are gently hypnotic while bursts of hissy noise are used inventively as a backbone without being obtrusive.

An aural exploration of the relationship between time, location and emotion, ‘Siberia’ is a bold experiment in creativity, capturing otherworldliness on earth. Most importantly, ‘Siberia’ is accessible, an example of how experimentation doesn’t have to be wholly uncompromising and can include melody. Like I AM SNOW ANGEL from the shores of Lake Placid, VANBOT is quietly subversive.

Those who favour her previous ROBYN-esque sound will be surprised or even shocked, but for Ester Ideskog, the third VANBOT album will sow the seed to establish her as an artist of worth for the future.

‘Siberia’ is released by Lisch Recordings in vinyl LP and digital fomats

http://www.vanbotmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/vanbotmusic/

https://twitter.com/vanbotmusic

https://www.instagram.com/vanbotmusic/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
7th April 2017

SARAH P. Asks “Who Am I”

6 April 2017 / electricityclub

As a trailer to her first lull length album ‘Who Am I’, SARAH P. has unveiled a striking video for the title track…

Having previewed the introspective synthpop of ‘Teach Me How To Love’ and the haunting ‘Berlin During Winter’ already, ‘Who Am I’ comes over as possibly her sparsest and most emotive number yet.

With hypnotising hints of KATE BUSH, percolating Sakamoto-like textures prevail as the Greek-born songstress announces “I don’t know where I come from… do you know my name?” before a metronomic beat kicks in to lead a dramatic house-laden climax. The song is an ode to “humanity, the world we live in and our importance (or unimportance) as individuals and / or as a whole” according to SARAH P.

The video by Italian director Oirot Buntot is a mini-arthouse movie filmed at the Teatro Rossi Aperto in Pisa and paints a moving picture of the philosophical question “Who am I and where I come from?”

Strangely perhaps, the film was actually conceived to another song. But as SARAH P. eloquently puts it: “Science may have proved that opposites attract each other – but that doesn’t always apply in life; like-minded people attract each other, too – perhaps more often than rarely. And since I’m a romantic, I like to think that a series of events brought Oirot Buntot and me together to magically intermix our artistic work and serve each other’s vision, while enhancing our own. How many chances for two independent artworks that were made at a different time, to find each other and become one thing?”

And it all comes together perfectly in this musical tale of modern day disorientation.

‘Who Am I’ is available now as a download single, the album of the same name out on 12th May 2017 via EraseRestart Records.

http://sarahpofficial.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sarahpofficial/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Christoph Neumann
6th April 2017

PAUL STATHAM Ephemeral + Installation Music 1

5 April 2017 / electricityclub

PAUL STATHAM has had a diverse music career if nothing else.

He first made his name as the guitarist of B-MOVIE who appeared on the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ alongside DEPECHE MODE, SOFT CELL, BLANCMANGE and THE THE. Following the band’s disbandment, he began a nine album songwriting partnership with Goth icon Peter Murphy of BAUHAUS fame.

With producer Pascal Gabriel and singer Lisa Lamb, Statham formed synthpop trio PEACH who released their only album ‘Audiopeach’ on Mute in 1997, a long player which also featured some of the last vocal recordings made by the late Billy MacKenzie and an American hit single in ‘On My Own’.

This helped Statham maintain a successful career co-writing and producing songs for a variety of diverse acts including DIDO, DOT ALLISON, KYLIE MINOGUE, RACHEL STEVENS, SARAH NIXEY, THE SATURDAYS and LOST BOY! aka Jim Kerr.

While B-MOVIE reformed in 2004, Statham continues with projects outside the band like THE DARK FLOWERS which featured his previous collaborators Kerr, Murphy and Allison. And now he can add ambient and experimental instrumental music to his forte.

The first collection ‘Ephemeral’ consists of four lengthy pieces reminiscent of BRIAN ENO, the first of which ‘Ephemeral 1’ is a shimmering cross between ‘Neroli’ and ‘Thursday Afternoon’.

With its sonic clusters of synth, it actually moves at a slightly faster pace than both, but that of course is all comparative. Whatever, it is a wonderful slice of thinking music.

‘Ephemeral 2’ takes the pace down further, droning rather than shimmering, its denser textures recalling those of ‘On Land’. The sound painting continues with ‘Chronology 1’ adding piano and acoustic guitar to the orchestrated structure, while ‘C2’ is more obscure with its sparse experimental jazz feel.

The second body of work ‘Installation Music 1’ is more fragmented and follow the lead of ‘Music For Films’, with its nine tracks mostly clocking in at less two minutes.

Opener ‘Breaking Water’ takes waves and mechanical noises into a cavernous aural collage, while ‘Radio Dreaming’ does what it says on the tin, but is too short to lead anywhere.

The pretty rings of ‘Submerged’ are serene, it could easily develop into a longer ambient piece but sounds unfinished. However, the other tracks like ‘Particles’ and ‘The Deep World’ really do submerge into their own other worldliness. Overall, ‘Installation Music 1’ has some great ideas but comes over more as incidental accompaniment like its conceptual title suggests.

Both are now available as free downloads, with a third album on the way. This is music worthy of BRIAN ENO himself that can provoke feelings of relaxation. It’s gratis, so why not take the chance?

‘Ephemeral’ and ‘Installation Music 1’ are available as free downloads from https://paulstatham.bandcamp.com/

http://www.paulstatham.com/

https://www.facebook.com/paulstathammusic/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
5th April 2017

ANNA ÖBERG Härsknar

3 April 2017 / electricityclub

Since a good percentage of great synth music comes from Scandinavia, with Sweden notably leading the field of good electronica, it’s not a surprise that another act surfaces from the ashes of LADOMIR.

Having described their sound as “synth and string”, the band had enjoyed a brief period of popularity, but Helsingborg born ANNA ÖBERG has long been a self-sufficient composer, lyricist and artist.

Citing the influences such as JOHN CARPENTER, KRAFTWERK, THE CURE and BOB HUND, Anna admits that pop is constantly at the centre of her own songwriting.

‘Härsknar’ is her first solo long player, produced by Charles Storm, known for his collaborations with HÅKAN HELLSTRÖM.

Promising a good dose of “pretty noise”, alongside flute, glockenspiel and voices, all added to synthesizers and drum machines circa 1972-1986, ‘Härsknar’ invites the listener to immerse themselves into a Swedish extravaganza of new wave, industrial and punk.

Performed in Swedish from top to bottom, Anna’s solo enterprise sure is a step into the unknown for many listeners used to their favourite genre being performed exclusively in English. The songs are about “people’s anxieties, capitalism and homelessness, but also of hope and perseverance”.

Musically, the album is truly an eclectic mix of instrumentation, voices and effects. From the delicately ethereal ‘Var Inte Rädd’, put together with the help of a Jupiter 4, JX8P, DSS-1 and MODular with a twist of a flute, through to the beat loaded ‘5 Minuter’, which features no less than an SP12, TR-606, Synsonic, Pro-One, Prophet 5, Jupiter 4 and DX7 to the gritty ‘Sin Mamma’, Anna certainly showcases her wide musical tastes.

Supported by Kire Nilsson and a host of synthesisers on ‘Se Mig’, Anna doesn’t rest there. What follows is a harsher sounding ‘I Morgon’, with the addition of glockenspiel to round up the host of hardware used here.

‘Ett Rop På Hjälp’ sounds like a dirty collaboration between PET SHOP BOYS on steroids and AND ONE, while the closing ‘DNA Är Gratis’ is more of a poppy synth sweetie, being a cross of early DEPECHE MODE or YAZOO, with Love Parade sounding beats and the further use of glockenspiel.

While to many, singing in Swedish may be an obstacle, some will appreciate the plethora of fantastic synthware used on this long player. ANNA ÖBERG isn’t a stranger to those instruments and certainly knows what she’s doing.

This is a perfect alternative to those seeking something different this Spring.

‘Härsknar’ is released in vinyl LP and digital formats, available from
https://annaberg.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/Anna5Oberg/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
3rd April 2017

SOULWAX From Deewee

2 April 2017 / electricityclub

‘From Deewee’ is the first studio album from Belgium’s SOULWAX in twelve years, the core of the act are brothers Stephen and David Dewaele and their return has seen a shift towards using more real drums, employing JAMIE T’s Victoria Smith, TURBO WOLF’s Blake Davies and SEPULTURA’s Igor Cavelera (all percussionists) to help achieve this vision.

The usage of live / acoustic drums with electronic music has often been a contentious issue amongst the synthpop fraternity.

By its very nature, synthesizer-based tracks should sound rigid, robotic and missing the dynamic that an acoustic instrument can bring. There have however been bands that have carried it off: DAF, NEW ORDER, VISAGE to name a few… but with that Basildon band now back in the limelight, it’s hard to wipe the mental image of a certain insensitive drummer beating the life out of a band’s back catalogue on stage…

The band obviously had a clear concept in mind before sitting down and making ‘From Deewee’; that being the successful melding of up to three live drummers with a primarily electronic musical backbone. But before you go running to your nearest copy of ‘Dare’, this has really worked incredibly well and if you’ve seen the band’s ‘Part of the Weekend Never Dies’ live set, you’ll know that this will translate incredibly well into their live experience too.

The instrumental overture ‘Preset Tense’ has an arpeggiated TOMITA feel to it with warm Moog textures before hitting an electronic crescendo and seamlessly mixing into the 303 driven ‘Masterplanned’. What sets SOULWAX apart from some of their contemporaries is that in amongst their collection of cool analogue electronic sounds, they still retain an ear for melody and adherence to writing actual songs rather than coasting along on a few semi-decent synth patches. At the musical heart of ‘Masterplanned’ you can also hear the ghost of the kind of chords that Martin Gore is a huge fan of…

Photo by Alex Salinas

‘Missing Wires’ starts off with a ludicrously over the top drum roll before a rising/flanged segue into a mid-range reverbed synth bass.

It’s hard not to smile and appreciate the attention to detail when the phrase “missing wires” is first featured in the lyric and a synthetic hand clap is deliberately dropped out of the mix. A loping sequenced part which recalls ULTRAMARINE joins the mix and the final two minutes features a cheeky re-work of the ‘White Lines’ bassline.

With melodies that could have been fleeced from the debut YMO album and the GARY NUMAN trademark of following the vocal line with a synth melody, ‘Missing Wires’ is a definite highlight here. ‘Conditions Of A Shared Belief’ is a modular synth lover’s wet dream, featuring the style of detuned blippy sounds favoured by Daniel Miller on the early Mute releases.

It’s not just live drums that get their chance to shine here, ‘Conditions’ features a brilliant homage to the white noise percussion synth break from ‘Being Boiled’ and drum pattern from ‘The Black Hit Of Space’ too.

‘Is It Always Binary’ features a Burundi styled ADAM & THE ANTS live drum mantra before breaking into a DAF-style sequencer pattern which perfectly matches the snares beat for beat. A drop into a vocal section (which sounds like the band have sampled their own track ‘Krack’) leads back into the driving rhythmic section again. Probably the nearest to a filler track on the album, ‘Is It Always Binary’ works, but it’s not the strongest track here.

‘Do You Want To Get Into Trouble’ starts with a GLITTER BAND double drummer stomp and live guitar and bass. After vocalist Stephen Dewaele’s menacing intoning of the song’s hook, a wonderful Mellotron string break shows that it’s not all monosynth action here and the outro of the song again owes a big debt to Germany’s DAF.

Photo by Younes Klouche

‘Here Come the Men in Suits’ pinches a lyric from THOMAS DOLBY’s ‘Commercial Breakup’ and starts like an out-take from the ‘Stranger Things’ TV show before heading into a funky modular synth break down.

Solina strings flesh out the song towards the end before closing with the down-tempo ‘Goodnight Transmission’.

One thing that cannot be denied is that SOULWAX have immaculate taste, they are the synthpop equivalent of a fine dining experience, each track has a superb provenance of sounds and influences featuring an enviable range of vintage analogue equipment.

Elsewhere, this album has been compared to a “batshit crazy sci-fi disco concept album” which sort of hits the nail on the head, although it does stick within certain conventions and could be accused of being a little two-dimensional in places.

‘From Deewee’ does what it does extremely well and will translate superbly into the band’s live shows, especially as the band’s new trio of drummers will be taking to the road too. The album was apparently recorded ‘live’ in one take, but this is hard believe considering some of the vocal overdubbing present, especially on closing track ‘Goodnight Transmission’.

If you are a synthpop fan that is put off by the words “features live drums”, don’t let it deter you; this is a superbly produced piece of work that although does take risks, ultimately succeeds and adds another fine set of songs to the SOULWAX back catalogue.

‘From Deewee’ is released by PIAS

SOULWAX play London’s Electric Ballroom on 8th April and Manchester O2 Ritz on 9th April before a two night stint at Brussels Ancienne Belgique on 11th-12th April 2017

http://www.soulwax.com/

https://www.facebook.com/soulwax/

Text by Paul Boddy
2nd April 2017