Category: Reviews (Page 144 of 201)

PRESENCE OF MIND Pure

30 September 2016 /

presence-of-mind-pure-artworkAlthough PRESENCE OF MIND released recordings as early as 1995, the Swedish trio only released their full length debut album ‘Interpersonal’ in the summer of 2014.

Their first songs borrowed from the Vince Clarke school of synth programming.

But today, as exemplified by the album’s stand-out song ‘Queen Of Redemption’, PRESENCE OF MIND are a much darker proposition with MESH, DE/VISION and DEPECHE MODE being key elements to their industrial pop sound.

Thankfully, Christoffer Lundström, Johannes Ambros and Anders Wallroth have taken far less time to produce their follow-up album ‘Pure’ which develops on the dark, but danceable electronic soundtrack of its predecessor.

The band say it is “about how small events in our surroundings affects our emotions and our vision of how life should be, or could be, depending on whether we just thought a little bit longer before making a decision”.

The thrusting electro Schaffel of ‘It’s Too Quiet’ opens the album in a characteristically MESH-like fashion. But the most striking aspect of ‘Pure’ that emerges is its use of dubstep elements on several songs. ‘What’s In It for You?’ is a melodic treat and dressed with wobbling synth motifs, while the vibrant ‘Help Me Help You’ places some wonderfully meaty Doepfer bass noises within a hybrid techno backbone. And on ‘Brittle Bones’, a sparse musical framework is taken into some unusual territory for the industrial pop genre.

Lundström is a charismatic frontman with a great voice and on ‘I Am Demon’, he even comes over like a Futurepop Sinatra. The trio lock together well on with driving electronic numbers like ‘You Behave Sometimes’ and ‘Black Angel’, while the widescreen drama of ‘Chasing Waterfalls’ adds a further dimension. Unfortunately, ‘Welcome Home’ plods, but ‘Interstate’ follows a more classic synthpop vein despite the noisy infiltration of sub-bass.

Two very DEPECHE MODE influenced numbers end ‘Pure’ with ‘Slowly’ certainly exerting more passion than most of what ‘Delta Machine’ managed.

presence-of-mind-16However ‘Show Me’ is less successful and on occasions, sounds slightly strained. But it is still better than much of the opposition operating in the same theatre.

PRESENCE OF MIND have certainly taken a few risks sonically on ‘Pure’ and that is commendable. Add in some quality production from Wallroth and Ambros, ‘Pure’ comes over as a much more accomplished long player than comparable works like SINESTAR’s ‘Evolve’ which came out earlier in the year.

‘Pure’ is released on CD and download by Cramada on 7th October 2016

https://www.facebook.com/PresenceOfMindSwede

https://twitter.com/POMelectro/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
30th September 2016

DAS BLAUE PALAIS Welt Am Draht

28 September 2016 /

DAS BLAUE PALAIS is the project of Düsseldorf based music veteran and Bellerophon Records co-founder Jochen Oberlack.

His aim was “to mash up Elektronische Musik and Krautrock – but straight from the view out of 2015, just to create a hybrid somewhere between HARMONIA, NEU! and LA DÜSSELDORF!”

Competent in guitar and drums, synthesizers, VSTs and antique drum computers were also brought into the mix by Oberlack to help accomplish his dream.

Co-produced by Mathias Black, the right hand man of Karl Bartos for ten years and engineer Rudy Kronenberger, ‘Welt Am Draht’ is an impressive attempt at relighting the past musical spirit of Die Bundesrepublik.

Now finally available in 2016, the album’s intent is signalled with the opening track ‘Oberbilk 80’, an optimistic and musically anthemic slice of space rock with guitars, drums and synths in equal measure. ‘Gegen Licht’ is classic Kosmische Musik in the vein of NEU! guitarist Michael Rother with the minimal six string chimes paying a respectful homage to the former KRAFTWERK member.

But things go off-piste slightly with ‘Himmels Geister’ which surprisingly takes on blues scales and comes across like Chris Rea, especially in Oberlack’s vocal delivery; it could be playfully subtitled “Die Straße zur Hölle”! Regardless though, it’s a likeable guilty pleasure.

Things get back on track with the instrumental ‘Silberwald’ and its echoes of Klaus Dinger’s LA DÜSSELDORF. But it is not, as might be expected, a tribute to ‘Silver Cloud’ but to the eponymous theme song from LA DÜSSELDORF’s debut long player, only with more synths and at a less frantic speed.

The robotised title track returns to the melodic solo excursions of Michael Rother but adds a more energetic pace to the symphonic backing, before the Motorik driven ‘Zeitfeld’. This one recalls the cosmic vibes of ‘Für Immer’ from ‘Neu! 2’ and via its half speed guitar motif, provides the most retrospective moment on the collection. Finishing with the more sedate ‘Blauer Regen’, the tune is less homage and more blau, recalling British acts like OMD and ULTRAVOX whose influences were seeded from neu musik forms,

“It feels like ‘coming back to Düsseldorf’ for me” concludes Oberlack about ‘Welt Am Draht’ and certainly, his sonic adventures provide an entertaining and accessible modern twist to a highly regarded cult music form. It is certainly could be subtitled “Schöne Grüsse aus Düsseldorf”.

‘Welt Am Draht’ is released by Bellerphon Records as a vinyl LP+CD set and download, available from https://bellerophonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/welt-am-draht

http://www.dasblauepalais.de/

https://www.facebook.com/dasblauepalais/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th September 2016

YELLO Toy

26 September 2016 /

Recorded in Zurich, Swiss electro pioneers YELLO deliver ‘Toy’, their first album since 2009.

Dieter Meier and Boris Blank had made a recorded return earlier in the year with the moody ‘Why This, Why That & Why?’, a track in collaboration with JEAN-MICHEL JARRE as part of his ‘Electronica 2: The Heart Of Noise’ album.

Despite 37 years of making music together, the sound of YELLO remains intriguing and distinctly European.

The deluxe 17 track variant of ‘Toy’ starts with the delightful intro piece ‘Frau Tonium’, a short collage of bending synths and machine drones.

But the album begins proper with ‘Limbo’, a classic YELLO single laced with electronic effects and percussive mantras. Meier gives his distinctive drawl over a big metronomic beat syncopated by rhythm guitar for some suitably racey music.

The Moroder gone Latin Jazz lilt of ‘30,000 Days’ is appropriately moody, with brushes complimenting the vibrant but unimposing rhythmics before the superb ‘Electrified II’; with Meier’s mind blown by the velvet voice of Malia, this could be Shirley Bassey indulging in some seductive energetic electro-cabaret as she exclaims “Life’s a bitch and I’m no witch”.

Malia continues her soulful seduction on ‘Cold Flame’ which exploits the importance of grooves working in unison with fat driving beats. It shows exactly what club music at sunset should be.

Beijing-born chanteuse Fifi Rong makes her first vocal appearance on ‘Kiss The Cloud’, a slice of dreamy elegance over a drum loop that wouldn’t sound of place on one of her own recordings.

Malia returns for a gorgeous duet with Meier entitled ‘Starlight Scene’; as the man himself says, she is “out of this world” and with Blank’s bursts of vibratoed synth, this is a continental torch song that does its thing in just over three minutes. What is apparent about many of these new YELLO songs is how short they are, so they never outstay their welcome.

The pace picks up for ‘Tool Of Love’ with Blank’s crunchy electronics offsetting the inherent jive, while on the Malia-voiced ‘Give You The World’, a 6/8 pulse takes ‘Toy’ into another direction. The steadily pulsating ‘Dialectical Kid’ sees Meier’s robotised voice pair up with yet another female vocalist Heidi Happy, whose eerie overtones suit the track’s more obviously mechanical backbone.

The haunting ‘Dark Side’ sees the return of Fifi Rong where both Meier and Rong’s voices help create a wonderful filmic atmosphere alongside Blank’s layered voice samples. A instrumental interlude ‘Pacific AM’ does exactly what it says on the tin, conjuring images of sunsets over a hypnotic rhythmical motif before the sunny Balearic flavoured ‘Blue Biscuit’.

Featuring some great acoustic guitar from Jeremy Baer who contributes all the fret work on ‘Toy’, Boris Blank takes his turn on vocals and using all manner of layered voice treatments, weirdly tells the object of his desire “you never know how much I love you”. Taking its lead from the classic percussive snap of KRAFTWERK but with an added Latin flavour, ‘Lost In Motion’ with Fifi Rong sees her on an uptempo number for a change, with her angelic breathy tones offsetting the slightly fiercer electronic action.

With the song part of the deluxe variant of ‘Toy’ now over, the album concludes with three experimental pieces. The oddball voice sample ambience of ‘Magma’, while well-intended, sadly spoils the flow of the album. Whether in standard or deluxe versions, this strangely sits on both formats while ‘Electrified II’ and ‘Lost In Motion’ feature on the deluxe only. Much better though is ‘Toy Square’, a more frantic instrumental that explores LEFTFIELD territory. A full-length reprise of ‘Fran Tonium’ ends both editions of ‘Toy’ with a collage of drones and bleeps, but unfortunately outstays its welcome.

This last trio of instrumentals ultimately confuse the album, but will probably come fully into context at YELLO’s upcoming live shows with lashings of visuals and volume.

A danceable electronic record that is not built around the predictable beats and drops of EDM, ‘Toy’ is a mature and atmospheric statement, yet great fun. It loses it with the closing instrumental indulgences, but this album will not disappoint the eager YELLO faithful.

‘Toy’ is released via Polydor / Universal Music on 30th September 2016, available as a CD, deluxe CD, double LP and digital download

YELLO appear at Kraftwerk Berlin on 26th, 28th, 29th and 30th October 2016

http://yello.com

https://www.facebook.com/yello.ch/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
26th September 2016

VANGELIS Rosetta

25 September 2016 /

Space travel and synths were just made to go together. But while new Brighton artist JØTA pays tribute to the Soviet Space Programme of the Cold War era, Greek veteran VANGELIS brings things right up to date with ‘Rosetta’, his new album dedicated to the space mission of the same name.

Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, the keyboard virtuoso was a member of prog rockers APHRODITE’S CHILD with the late Demis Roussos. After they split, VANGELIS considered an offer to join YES as a replacement for Rick Wakeman, but went out on his own.

Embarking on a notable solo career, his symphonic electronic style, as exemplified by wonderful iconic works such as ‘Pulstar’, ‘Dervish D’ and ‘To The Unknown Man’, won him many admirers. He even had a couple of UK Top10 hit singles in ‘I Hear You Now’ and ‘I’ll Find My Way Home’ as part of a successful partnership with YES lead singer Jon Anderson, while another of their songs ‘State Of Independence’ was an international hit for Donna Summer.

Of course, VANGELIS is best known for his award winning soundtrack work. But such is the timeless quality of his compositions, his music has appeared in period dramas like ‘Chariots Of Fire’ and ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ as well as cult science fiction films, most notably ‘Blade Runner’.

Launched in 2004, Rosetta was built by the European Space Agency to perform a detailed study of comet 67P while flying past Mars and several asteroids along the way. In 2014, Rosetta manoeuvred next to the comet and its lander module Philae successfully reached the surface.

VANGELIS was inspired to compose the album following a video call with astronaut André Kuipers from the International Space Station. But this is not his first musical foray into space having produced ‘Albedo 0.39’ in 1976; indeed, the frantic sixth ‘Rosetta’ track ‘Albedo 0.06’ is a reference that past work. he said: “Mythology, science and space exploration are subjects that have fascinated me since my early childhood. And they were always connected somehow with the music I write.”

The sweeping ambience of ‘Origins (Arrival)’ and the widescreen atmospheres of ‘Starstuff’ both provide a fitting introduction to ‘Rosetta’. But the drama unfolds with the orchestrated moods of ‘Infinitude’ and the ivory laced ‘Exo Genesis’. Continuing the journey, ‘Celestial Whispers’ drifts soothingly into the ether and acts as a gorgeous space lullaby with its gentle voice samples and cascading tuned melodies.

The ‘Rosetta’ title track actually takes a slight detour, courtesy of a dreamy harpsicord motif reminiscent of John Barry and Roy Budd, before returning to the mission with the expansive soundscape of ‘Sunlight’.

The tricky landing of Philae onto the P67 comet could be likened to aiming a paper dart at a passing car and berthing it on the roof, so the climactic overtures of ‘Philae’s Descent’ document the tension and the spark. And so with ‘Mission Accomplie’, ‘Rosetta’s Waltz’ comes as a classic VANGELIS symphony, full of thematic melody and expressive vibrato to celebrate the euphoria of the achievement.

‘Perihelion’ brings back the tension with the sequencer pattern and rockist fusion tracing the probe’s journey as it reaches the closest point to the Sun within the comet’s orbit. But as Rosetta’s mission comes to its conclusion, ‘Elegy’ and ‘Return To The Void’ are laced with melancholy, although the latter’s bleeps act as a symbol of hope as data continues to be gathered and sent back to earth while the probe continues to travel across the cosmos.

Carl Walker from the European Space Agency said: “what VANGELIS wanted to do was share a lasting memory of our Rosetta mission through his music”; this he has achieved. As most humans will never travel into during this lifetime, this cinematic soundtrack without a film will stimulate thoughts and images like any good piece of music should.

While naturally, ‘Rosetta’ is not the liveliest recording VANGELIS has ever made, its spacey and sometimes abstract movements are proof that he continues to reign supreme in his field. Those Jean-Michel Jarre fans who may not have wholly embraced the ‘Electronica’ concept might find something to like here.

‘Rosetta’ is released by Decca Records / Universal Music in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats

https://www.facebook.com/VangelisOfficial/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
25th September 2016

DELERIUM Mythologie

24 September 2016 /

delerium-mythologie-a_w-medres

DELERIUM originated in Canada as a side enterprise of FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, with Bill Leeb as the only constant member.

Leeb and Michael Balch started off as darker ambient sound enthusiasts, but the evolution of line-up changes gradually migrated DELERIUM’s sound onto electronic dance.

Since, the venture has had an established career spanning over twenty nine years.

The strategic idea to use various vocalists on their projects, such as Jacqui Hunt of SINGLE GUN THEORY, Niels van Gogh, Sarah McLachlan, Kirsty Thirsk, Lisa Gerrard, Emily Haines of METRIC, Matthew Sweet or MEDIÆVAL BÆBES, has proven financially beneficial to the outings by DELERIUM. In fact, surpassing even FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, who have always been known for having a cult following.

‘Mythologie’ is the fifteenth studio album by the Leeb-Fulber collaboration, with a helping hand from Jared Singerland and Craig Johnsen. It’s also DELERIUM’s first album released under the umbrella of Metropolis Records.

delerium-1-cr-eric-rodent-chesiakMimi Page guests on the opening ‘Blue Fires’; Page is an established LA based composer, vocalist and songwriter, mostly celebrated by her ethereal, cinematic vocal techniques and celestial soprano voice.

‘Blue Fires’ is very much a Page track; with atmospheric philosophy and dreamy sequences, it is a perfect opening to the opus.

‘Angels’ is the second out of four songs with Mimi Page in charge. Another JULEE CRUISE styled vocal, hauntingly beautiful, hovering over the extravaganza of synth, guitar and piano. ‘Made To Move’ and ‘Dark Visions’; the latter closing the production, continue with the LA songstress’ signature soprano, painting the sublime soundscapes characterised by layered synths and grandiose textures.

Phidel takes the reins on the second track, ‘Zero’. The Londoner, whose background was musicless, having grown up in a house where music was strictly forbidden, had to fight for her passion, which resulted in the production of some fabulous pieces, which have been extensively used in television ads and various campaigns.

‘Zero’ resembles a FIFI RONG creation, with aptly programmed synths and generous amount of emancipated vocals. Phidel also features on ‘Rhitual’; an ambient piece with exquisite elements sounding like a renaissance of GOLDFRAPP’s ‘Voicething’.

‘Keep On Dreaming’ sees the acclaimed Swiss band LUNIK’s songstress Jaël, whose spellbindingly clear vocals adorned productions by SCHILLER, MICH GERBER and DELERIUM once before. The Svensen and Gieler remix of ‘After All’ went to number one in the UK dance charts in 2003.

delerium-8-col-2-cr-eric-rodent-chesiakThe New York born and LA based JES, co-wrote and lends her vocals to two pieces on ‘Mythologie’; ‘Stay’ and ‘Once In A Lifetime’. A well-known and celebrated producer and singer, a Grammy nominee and a host of her own radio show, the artist gracefully lifts the mood of ‘Stay’, which musically bears elements of Madonna’s ‘Frozen’. ‘Once In A Lifetime’ showcases the vocal abilities of JES over a perfect synth pop track.

‘Seven Gates Of Thebes’ is an instrumental gem, introducing ‘Ghost Requiem’ with Geri Soriano-Lightwood. The singer and songwriter of trip hop Supreme Beings Of Leisure characterises herself with the sultry vocal and seductive lyrics. The old record feel of this track resembles the productions by John Fryer on SILVER GHOST SHIMMER.

The last LA artist to collaborate on ‘ Mythologie ‘ is a vocalist and bass player Leah Randi. Randi is best known for playing bass in PINK’s band but she has previously collaborated with Leeb on FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY’s album ‘Civilisation’.

The two year period of completion for ‘Mythology’ pays off now. The album is wholesome, gratifying and wonderfully ethereal. Leeb’s use of various artists from three different countries, each with their own vision and incomparable vocal techniques, makes this collaboration a notable success. It truly is a production for the lovers of atmospheric, ambient and celestial music. And a very different style from FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY.

‘Mythologie’ is released by Metropolis Records, available as a download from https://metropolisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mythologie

https://www.facebook.com/Delerium/

https://twitter.com/Delerium

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
Photos by Eric ‘Rodent’ Chesiak
24th September 2016

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