Category: Reviews (Page 151 of 206)

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.

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Mimi 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 Romg 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.

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The 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

HANNAH PEEL Awake But Always Dreaming

22 September 2016 /

Since her debut album ‘The Broken Wave’ in early 2011, Hannah Peel has undergone something of a transformation.

Her collaborations with JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS and BEYOND THE WIZARDS SLEEVE have seen more electronic elements absorbed into her own traditional template where the piano, violin, trombone and music box have been her instruments of choice.

The title track of her interim EP ‘Fabricstate’ saw analogue synthesizers take an increasing role with a blistering solo amongst the organic instrumentation. But on her 2014 seasonal single ‘Find Peace’, Peel went the full hog with a dreamy cacophony of electronics and percussive mantras. ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ is Peel’s long awaited second album and it is an adventurous electronically textured experience, taking its lead from artists like THE BLUE NILE and Kate Bush while Delia and Daphne also linger in the background.

Themed around memory and the effects of dementia, the album’s opening gambit ‘All That Matters’ is marvellous slice of driving synthpop with sparkling arpeggios, staccato voice samples and uplifting bursts of symphonic strings. A mantra to live in the moment, Peel said the song was: “A constant reminder that no matter what life throws at you, to not forget about the ones who will always care, the ones who are standing waiting to welcome you back, the ones who will forever look after you and say simply, they love you. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, caring and being cared for. Yet to love and not be loved is one of the saddest things of all.”

A spacey ambience provides the steadfast setting for ‘Standing On The Roof Of The World’ before whirring synths alter the mood. Meanwhile, on the LITTLE BOOTS styled electropop of ‘Hope Lasts’, our heroine plays around with some great counter-melodies for a sumptuous statement of faith.

A pretty piano introduces ‘Tenderly’ with a combination of exquisite strings and synthesized noises constituting the rhythmic passage. Continuing along a similar palette, a sparse percussive motif holds down the very personal ‘Don’t Take It Out On Me’ as drones and low slung bass build to add to the absorbing drama. Meanwhile, on the widescreen ballad ‘Invisible City’, tinkling ivories smothered in reverb provide the structure while the emergent orchestrations recall the blurry overtones of Brian Eno’s ‘Just Another Day’.

The second half signals the more experimental aspect of the album; in an interview with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, Hannah Peel said: “the running order is quite specific in terms of how it goes into the rabbit hole of the brain and the darker side. The instrumentals and tracks with no lyrics represent how people lose their speech and hallucinate, so with that second side which is more psychedelic and the repeating of lyrics, I made sure certain elements were brought out…”

‘Octavia’ is an abstract art piece that reflects aspects of Peel’s Mary Casio project with cascading woodwinds and brass combining with a buzzing barrage of electronics, not dissimilar in vein to GOLDFRAPP’s earlier material on ‘Felt Mountain’. Following a short burst of piano, more strident notions kick in and it all starts to sound like Philip Glass reinterpreting something off OMD’s ‘Dazzle Ships’! The experimentation continues with the comparatively song-based eight minute title track; a twisted electronic adventure with ‘Fourth World’ vocal textures, percussive bleep collages blend in with passages of synthphonic strings seemingly trapped in a nearby radio.

A mournful piano shapes ‘Conversations’, the most Bush-like offering on the collection, as the search for further memories goes on. Lonely and heartfelt, its sonic representation of loss sets the scene for the challenging expedition of ‘Foreverest’. Symbolism for life’s mountain to climb, it’s a delightfully odd fusing of unsettling swoops and windy soundscapes coupled to bursts of clattering offbeats. Linked by a claptrap, the second half of this sub-nine minute progressive epic develops into a salvo of mechanical noise while some Vangelis-derived interventions also drift in.

A beautiful music box assisted cover of Paul Buchanan’s ‘Cars In The Garden’ ends the album and confirms Hannah Peel’s affinity with THE BLUE NILE. A harmonic duet with Hayden Thorpe of WILD BEASTS whose song ‘Palace’ Peel covered on ‘Rebox2’, it makes for an emotive closer as gentle synths wallow in and out of the consciousness. With ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ being a record about memory, it poignantly captures “the luminous and beautiful formation of memories and the devastating loss or slow, insidious damage to the mind”.

Producer and collaborator Erland Cooper has done a masterful job of merging traditional instruments with the electronics on this artistically ambitious album. If Hannah Peel’s debut was ‘The Broken Wave’, then ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ could be considered ‘The Tenth Wave’; as Kate Bush described ‘The Ninth Wave’ concept on ‘The Hounds Of Love’ as a person’s “past, present and future coming to keep them awake”, the comparison is not unreasonable.

An impressive body of work that will startle even her new followers who have come on board via her work with John Foxx, ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ sees Hannah Peel at her most experimental yet. And it’s an achievement she can be very proud of.

‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ is released on 23rd September 2016 by My Own Pleasure on download, vinyl and CD, pre-order at http://hannahpeel.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=29367#sthash.lv0m8noE.dpuf

http://www.hannahpeel.com

https://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusic

https://twitter.com/hanpeel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
22nd September 2016

WRANGLER White Glue

19 September 2016 /

After the release of their debut album ‘LA Spark’ in 2014, 2016 has seen a ramping up of activity in the WRANGLER camp, with June’s modular synth remix album ‘Sparked’ being shortly followed by a new collection of 9 tracks which make up ‘White Glue’.

There was also a high profile support slot for the band when they recently appeared at The Royal Albert Hall supporting US singer John Grant which has now blossomed into a forthcoming live collaboration between the two. For those unfamiliar with the make-up of the band, WRANGLER comprises Stephen Mallinder (ex-CABARET VOLTAIRE), Phil Winter (TUUNG) and Benge (JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS).

When played back-to-back with ‘LA Spark’, its successor is less dense texturally (there are fewer string chords) and features far more complexity in its interlocking of monophonic synthesizer parts. As with its predecessor, the order of the day is primarily linear, hypnotic electronics/sequencers with Mallinder’s vocal used as more of a textural instrument rather than a topline melody. The usage of Benge’s smorgasbord of vintage analogue synths with their slightly wonky tuning gives the album an edgy and unstable feel in places which suits the generally dark nature of the material.

Album opener ‘Alpha Omega’, with its dual note bassline starts off like a deconstructed analogue version of ‘Enjoy the Silence’ with a sound not dissimilar to that of one-man modular freak SOLVENT. Vocoders are used to mask Mallinder’s vocal here – “Alpha Omega, a favour for a favour…” and contribute to the robotic nature of the sound. At 2:42, things even turn a bit synthpop with a catchy 10 note riff coming out of nowhere to join the sequenced backing track.

‘Stupid’ sees a higher, almost falsetto vocal from Mallinder over a texture of interlinked hypnotic monophonic synths. The track’s rhythmic heart could almost be described as “funky” and the modulated synths which punctuate throughout the track combine to create a fantastic robotic electrofunk feel.

‘Clockwork’ with its title and ‘Computerwelt’ sound palette gives an obvious nod to KRAFTWERK whilst ‘Stop’ easily has the standout lyric here, with its anti-consumerism mantra: “Stop spending money that you don’t have / Stop buying sh*t that you don’t need!” As well as a generalised statement, the couplet itself could easily be applied to a few synth nerd trainspotters who get bitten by the bug and can’t stop investing in new modules (although Benge wouldn’t consider himself one of these!). The outro musically scaled synth line on ‘Stop’ adds in a touch of GARY NUMAN for good measure.

‘Real Life’ takes the listener to a futuristic motorik/robotic dance floor, referencing Acid House but without the over-obvious 303 clichés. It also introduces some welcome musical and tonal shifts which help differentiate it from most of the more linear pieces here. The best way to describe album closer ‘Colliding’ would be if AIR had originated in Düsseldorf rather than Versailles – the track has flanged Solina-style strings, vocodered vocals and the kind of lead melody sound that would have happily sat on the second side of ‘Autobahn’.

‘White Glue’ tends to work best when listened to as a whole, the combination of Benge and Tuung’s electronics with Mallinder’s vocal wash gives the listener the feel of a continually moving synthetic soundscape. For some listeners there may not quite be enough melody here as some of the vocal parts are melodically flimsy to say the least. But for fans of Benge’s work with JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS and Mallinder’s with CABARET VOLTAIRE, there is a plethora of synthetic delights to enjoy.

All in all, ‘White Glue’ is a worthy follow-up to ‘LA Spark’ and the upcoming collaboration with JOHN GRANT is sure to help bring the band to an even wider audience.

‘White Glue’ is released by Memetune in CD, vinyl and digital formats on 23rd September 2016

WRANGLER perform a collaborative set with JOHN GRANT at The Barbican in London on Saturday 22nd October 2016 as part of Rough Trade 40, more information at http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?id=20075

https://www.facebook.com/mallinderbengewinter/

https://twitter.com/wearewrangler

http://memetune.net

Text by Paul Boddy
19th September 2016

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