Category: Reviews (Page 153 of 206)

ASSEMBLAGE 23 Endure

1 September 2016 /

Seattle based musician Tom Shear has carved a justifiably successful career over the past 20 or so years with acclaimed releases such as ‘Compass’ and ‘Storm’.

2012’s ‘Bruise’ album saw a move towards a more mature sound which was complimented by a remix disc featuring reworks by the likes of ex-COVENANT man Daniel Myer. In the interim, Shear returned to a harder EBM style with the side project SURVEILLANCE, made possible via a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign.

The same approach has been deployed for the latest ASSEMBLAGE 23 release ‘Endure’, once again to similar success. This album sees that more sophisticated sound used on ‘Bruise’ and apply it to startling and in places, quite beautiful effect.

This is an unusual album in the ASSEMBLAGE 23 canon as it goes against not only the accepted genre types, but also in many ways what Shear himself has done before. This is evident from the start with an actual title track which is also an instrumental. It’s obvious the John Carpenter albums have been on heavy rotation in the Shear household, as this driving piece would not be out of place on the ‘Lost Themes’ releases.

Next up is an apocalyptic tale in the shape of ‘Afterglow’. One of A23’s main strengths, which stands them apart from many contemporaries, is the use of actual melody. Shear is openly a fan of many Synth Britannia bands and that is obvious on this, one of the album’s standout tracks. It’s here we get a first taste of one of those shifts in sound in the production on Shear’s vocals which foregoes the usual EBM / Industrial effects to allow a more upfront, dry performance.

This in turn throws Tom’s lyrics into sharper relief than before. These lyrics are especially fine on the next track ‘Bravery’ on which we are reminded that we all have self-doubt, fight personal battles and that “some days just waking up is an act of bravery…” – all this is underpinned by a thumping backing track.

Next up is ‘Salt The Earth’, a more straightforward EBM track which is not to take away from the strength of the songwriting, but placed on the album between ‘Bravery’ and the track that follows, it fails to stand out. ‘Static’ opens with a very un-A23 way with a plaintive piano motif, which is duplicated as the song builds by synth plucks and then strings. Again, the confidence that Shear has in his voice is demonstrated by the dry production he employs. ‘Call The Dawn’ and ‘Butterfly Effect’ act as strong album tracks, again enforcing the maturity of the overall delivery of both instrumentation and vocals. This is also true of the later track ‘Grid’.

Then comes one of the highlights of ‘Endure’, the excellent ‘Barren’; all of the parts that make up the album come together here beautifully to deliver a track that is in turn, a piece that can be listened to thoughtfully but also sounds fantastic through a club PA. This is destined to become a staple of A23 live shows for years to come.

After the aforementioned ‘Grid’, we come to the album closer ‘December’. Again Shear isn’t afraid to let his voice do the talking and carry the emotional weight of a song dripping sadness and regret belying the dance driven instrumentation.

So what of the 2016 incarnation of ASSEMBLAGE 23? It’s evident that this is an enormously enjoyable release. It stands with ‘Bruise’ as an example of what can be achieved by a musician working with a clear goal, that also delivers what his audience wants with a few surprises along the way.

This week, it was announced that once again VNV NATION will headline the 2017 Amphi Festival in Germany, one of the scene’s biggest events. It’s a surprise that this slot isn’t occupied by ASSEMBLAGE 23 as they have the tunes without the bombast employed by Ronan Harris and his band. ‘Endure’ is a highly recommended release.

‘Endure’ is released by Metropolis Records on 9th September 2016 in CD, deluxe 2CD, vinyl and digital variants, available from http://www.assemblage23.com/store

ASSEMBLAGE 23 tour North America throughout September and October 2016, please visit
http://www.assemblage23.com/ for more information

https://www.facebook.com/Official-Assemblage-23-138651156153800/

https://twitter.com/Assemblage_23

https://soundcloud.com/assemblage-23/sets/endure

Text by Ian Ferguson
Photos by Bob Libby and Tom Shear
1st September 2016

MARSHEAUX Suffer The Children

23 August 2016 /

MARSHEAUX have recorded a cover of TEARS FOR FEARS ‘Suffer The Children’.

TEARS FOR FEARS’ first single was written by Roland Orzabal reflecting the Bath duo’s interests in Arthur Janov’s Primal Scream therapy to deal with the traumas of childhood; a re-worked version appeared on their classic 1983 debut album ‘The Hurting’. The enticing reinterpretation is accompanied by a suitably moody black and white video filmed in Berlin; watch carefully for Sophie and Marianthi’s fleeting cameo appearance…

The mood of the innocent childlike vocal refrain in the bridge of the original is maintained throughout MARSHEAUX’s version. The contrast of a wispy female lead vocal paradoxically adds extra resonance to the weighty poetry of ‘Suffer The Children’.

MARSHEAUX chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about the genesis of ‘Suffer The Children’ while also discussing some of their favourite covers and ones which didn’t quite work out…

‘Suffer The Children’ is an interesting song for you to cover, what inspired this?

We were on our way back from our vacation last year and were listening to ‘The Hurting’ album in the car. We were thinking of covering DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Get The Balance Right’ but then suddenly the CD player played ‘Suffer The Children’ and we changed our minds. Whenever we listen to it, it always brings JOY DIVISION in our minds, sounding like what would have happened if they’d decided to play electronic music.

The lyrics of ‘Suffer The Children’ are quite heavy for a pop song. How did you find trying to relate to them?

True, the lyrics are heavy for a pop song. These emotions are coming both ways, from parent and child. You can take the place of both, as a kid and as a parent.


What did you consciously do to make this cover as different from the original as possible?

First of all the vocals are female. Immediately the song softens its dark edges and becomes more poppy. The production is modern and all the samples that we used are from synths and applications like Circle, Alchemy, Synthmaster and Massive.

The guitar solo has been recreated with a synth? How did you achieve this?

We have used a bass from the Korg MS-20 and put it through flanger, distortion and a Boss BC-1X bass compressor pedal.

Your version also reveals the song’s OMD inspired roots?

There is always an OMD inspiration in the full MARSHEAUX catalogue *laughs*

This is actually widely known. If you listen to the original TEARS FOR FEARS version though, you can sense the OMD similarities there too.

Where do you think TEARS FOR FEARS sit next to bands like DEPECHE MODE, OMD and ERASURE?

‘The Hurting’ is a masterpiece. It stands next to other great albums like THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘Dare’, ABC’s ‘The Lexicon Of Love’, OMD’s ‘Architecture & Morality’ and YAZOO’s ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’. Every single track could have been a perfect single.

The strange thing with TEARS FOR FEARS is that each album by them represents musically and culturally, a different period for the band. Maybe it is because they had big gaps in between albums or maybe their concepts, motives and targets were different each time.

They became huge in the USA with ‘Songs From The Big Chair’, and maybe lost their street cutting sense and their artistic value (you know the whole Arthur Janov’s background with ‘primal therapy’ on ‘Suffer The Children’) but this doesn’t belittle the value of their songs.

Even the singles from their Beatles-ish album ‘Seeds Of Love’ are amazing. They surely can stand next to DEPECHE MODE, OMD and ERASURE. They are one of the great bands we have passionately loved and still do. Their lyrics are always incredible. “Memories fade… but the scars still linger”, it’s so wonderful

MARSHEAUX have some great covers. Which ones do you feel have been the most satisfying artistically for you?

THE LIGHTNING SEEDS ‘Pure’ is a favourite for both of us, as well as BILLY IDOL’s ‘Eyes Without A Face’ which was the most successful one. Imagine, this last one was supposed to be bonus track on ‘Breakthrough’ single but Out Of Line, our record company back then, didn’t like it and didn’t want to include it as a bonus in the single.

Choosing a cover can be difficult. Have there ever been any you attempted that didn’t work out?

Yes, there were actually two not very fruitful attempts. The first one was THE PRIMITIVES’ ‘Crash’ and the second was PETE SHELLEY’s ‘Homosapien’!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to MARSHEAUX

‘Suffer The Children’ is released by Undo Records as a download single and available via the usual platforms

http://www.marsheaux.com/

https://www.facebook.com/marsheaux/

https://twitter.com/marsheaux

https://www.instagram.com/marsheaux/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
23rd August 2016, updated 16th February 2021

MESH Looking Skyward

22 August 2016 /


Bristol’s finest MESH, whose success with their last album ‘Automation Baby’ took even Rich Silverthorn and Mark Hockings by surprise, found it challenging to start working on the new material.

If the only way to match their previous successes was to explore different writing techniques, use new technology and re-employ the German master of electronica Olaf Wollschläger as the producer, then the duo certainly did their homework with the new opus ‘Looking Skyward’. Wollschläger, who has also produced BEBORN BETON, SEABOUND, YELLO and IN STRICT CONFIDENCE, is a dab hand at understanding what MESH try to achieve.

Rich Silverthorn states that “Olaf has a natural talent of tiding up our productions and spending a ridiculous amount of time perfecting them without changing the overall feel and mood”. The mutual admiration for each other’s work shines through the newest outing. The ideas have  been born out of old school sampling and make a tremendous difference to the flow of the finished long player.

Just like the vintage DEPECHE MODE albums, which were recorded with the use of unusual sampled noises to enhance the listening experience and bring that ‘one of the kind’ texture to the songs, MESH bought a couple of digital hand-held recorders and went off to capture everyday noises and atmospheres. “It’s the imperfections that make it interesting”, says Silverthorn, who would rather create a unique sound than use plugins. Indeed, presets aren’t what MESH would readily choose to employ. Wollschläger’s modular studio equipment, together with the newly purchased Maschine Studios hardware became a clear choice of sound manipulation for ‘Looking Skyward’.

The album is heralded by the powerful single ‘Kill Your Darlings’, which involves the customary catchy hooks and exquisite riffs, being MESH in a can. The strong lyrical content, together with the loudness, hardness and exuberance, sparkle from this “real smack in the face for a real comeback”. The opening ‘My Protector’ (not to be confused with FRAGMENTE’s ‘My Defender’, even though displaying the similar lyrical content) eases the listener in with gentle electronica laced with multiple layers and rawer sounding composition.

The anthemic qualities of neo-club tracks such as ‘The Last One Standing’ or the exceptionally masterful ‘Two +1’ hit hard. Meanwhile, ‘The Ride’ is off-beat and messy in an organised way; its unexpected shifts and turns make this album incredible, and yes, the sample of banging on metal parking barrier is included!

The fast notion is punctuated with the inclusion of several slower paced tracks like the ominous sounding instrumental ‘Iris’, ‘Before This World Ends’ (Silverthorn’s favourite with its palpable DM references) and ‘Tactile’ which acts as a full on, goose-bump inducing electronic ballad, exhibiting a musical canvas studded with quirky synth additions of a Virus TI.

‘The Traps We Made’ dabbles with dub step, a notion previously used on ‘Automation Baby’, while ‘There Must Be A Way’ floats the vocal manipulation on Cubase. Meanwhile ‘Runway’ expresses an optimistic outlook on life with a retrospective feel, in stark comparison with lyrically negative The Fixer’. The closing ‘Once Surrounded’ wraps the collection up with a heavier guitar sound and that recognisable MESH synth, unlaboured and heavy, but in no way simplistic.

Silverthorn advises the usage of headphones for “listening out of those hours of work manipulating samples into musical parts”. The intricacy of the production is, indeed, stunning. The multiple textures meander through the layers of the work, representing the intensity of feelings and the quality of Wollschläger’s mastering.

‘Looking Skyward’ is a magical journey into electronic soundscapes, taken to the next level. MESH never disappoint and the latest opus is a worthy addition to their vast back catalogue, and, unlike other weathered electronic acts, they only get better.

‘Looking Skyward’ is released on 26th August 2016 in a variety of formats by Dependent Records, available from http://en.dependent.de/mesh-looking-skyward.html

MESH’s 2016 ‘Touring Skyward’ dates with special guests AESTHETIC PERFECTION + EMPATHY TEST include:

Bristol Marble (16th September), Sheffield Corporation (17th September), Glasgow Audio (18th September), Cologne Essigfabrik (20th September), Zurich X-Tra Limmathaus (21st September), München Backstage (22nd September), Erfurt HSD Gewerkschaftshaus (23rd September), Frankfurt Das Bett (24th September), Nuremberg Hirsch (26th September), Berlin Postbahnhof (27th September), Hamburg Klubsen (28th September), Hannover Musikzentrum (29th September), Dresden Kleinvieh (30th September), Mannheim Alte Seilerei (1st October), London Garage (2nd October)

MESH also headline Electronic Winter at Gothenburg Musikens Haus on Saturday 28th January 2017

http://www.mesh.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/meshtheband/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
22nd August 2016

Heresy: A Tribute To RATIONAL YOUTH

20 August 2016 /


Montréal’s RATIONAL YOUTH were founded in 1980 by synth enthusiasts Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn.

Along with PSYCHE and MEN WITHOUT HATS, they were among the trailblazers for electronic music in Canada, a country that has more recently produced acclaimed acts such as GRIMES, PURITY RING, AUSTRA, TR/ST, ELECTRIC YOUTH and LOLA DUTRONIC. Vorn had a Roland System 100M while Howe used equations to programme sequencers. Later joined by Kevin Komoda, RATIONAL YOUTH quickly made an impression and supported OMD at Auditorium Le Plateau in March 1982.

Shortly after, the trio released ‘Cold War Night Life’, possibly the first ever Canadian synthpop album. A big seller in their home country despite being an independent release on YUL Records, it was later to be a cult favourite in Sweden where its influence was readily felt in their modern domestic electronic scene.

RATIONAL YOUTH

Photo by Kevin Komoda

Indeed, the 1997 RATIONAL YOUTH reunion concert with Howe and Vorn took place in Lund, Sweden. Now Cold War Night Life, the online magazine of electronic music and culture, has curated ‘Heresy: A Tribute To RATIONAL YOUTH’, a collection of the Canadian synth pioneers’ best-known songs, interpreted by artists from the UK, Sweden, Australia, Norway, Germany and Canada.

Going against the trend of Spotify and downloads, the package is gathered on two vinyl LPs and a 12 inch EP, all contained in a trifold sleeve, plus two accompanying CDs mirroring the vinyl, reflecting Cold War Night Life’s philosophy that “albums are to be touched, read and heard”.

The 12 inch EP features a brand new track ‘This Side Of The Border’ from RATIONAL YOUTH themselves. Now comprising of Tracy Howe and his wife Gaenor, it is classic RY featuring Howe’s characteristically direct, overwrought lyricism but with added midlife angst. The track itself premiered earlier in the year on the comeback six song mini-album ‘Future Past Tense’ released by Artoffact Records.

Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the highlights from ‘Heresy’ is PSYCHE’s take on ‘Ring The Bells’ from the ‘Cold War Night Life’ debut. The clattering 808 beat and elegantly haunting sweeps combined with Darrin Huss’ mournful vocal provide an atmospheric reworking that betters the original. It is also a recording that reflects the decades long kinship between RATIONAL YOUTH and PSYCHE.

Meanwhile on two further songs from ‘Cold War Night Life’, Sweden’s JOHAN BAECKSTRÖM acquits himself well with a blippy version of ‘Saturdays In Silesia’ in the vein of ERASURE while MACHINISTA don’t disappoint on a meaty ‘City of Night’, applying their enjoyable template of THE CURE gone synthpop with a rock ’n’ roll edge.

Speaking of rock, PROJECT GRUDGE do exactly as their moniker suggests on ‘Beware The Fly’, while ROSSETTI’S COMPASS expands on the JOY DIVISION doom pop of ‘Coboloid Race’ by adding a more prominent, metronomic beat in splendid ‘Isolation’.

KORD featuring the vocals of Annie Gylling provide some ADULT. entertainment while ‘Dancing On The Berlin Wall’, although the arrangement itself isn’t that radically different from RATIONAL YOUTH’s.

Although the collection is dominated by songs from ‘Cold War Night Life’, other tunes in RATIONAL YOUTH’s catalogue are represented. Swedish synth project DEN DÄR KILLEN offer a frantically paced ‘In Your Eyes’ from 1985’s ‘Heredity’, but the excellent arrangement is perhaps marred by some ambitious amateurism in the vocal department. TECHNOMANCER join forces with ANGST POP for ‘I’ve Got A Sister In The Navy’ which appropriately sounds very ‘Top Gun’, while PROCEDURE’s ‘Close To Nature (No TDM Mix)’ acts as a squelchy dystopian instrumental interlude.

However ‘Heresy: A Tribute To RATIONAL YOUTH’ does suffer from track duplication, with TOUCHING THE VOID doing ‘Ring The Bells’, CANDIDE also performing ‘City of Night’ and INDEPENDENT STATE attempting ‘Beware The Fly’; all are subsequently overshadowed by PYSCHE, MACHINISTA and PROJECT GRUDGE respectively and although RATIONAL YOUTH have a small catalogue, this repeating of songs is unnecessary in hindsight.

That aside, what this tribute album successfully does is reacquaint electronic music enthusiasts to the catalogue of RATIONAL YOUTH. Time has been kind to their work and it certainly deserves reappraisal. So, anyone fancy a ‘Holiday In Bangkok’?

‘Heresy: A Tribute To RATIONAL YOUTH’ is released by Cold War Night Life as a triple vinyl + double CD set, available from http://www.stormingthebase.com/various-heresy-a-tribute-to-rational-youth-3lp-vinyl-2cd/

http://www.coldwarnightlife.com

https://rational-youth.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
20th August 2016

HOLOGRAM TEEN Marsangst EP

19 August 2016 /

HOLOGRAM TEEN Marsangst EPHOLOGRAM TEEN is the solo project for Morgane Lhote, probably best known as the long-term keyboard player in respected indie act STEREOLAB; she featured on their seminal ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ album and latterly went on to work with members of SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO.

Los Angeles-based Lhote describes her music as “electronic, motorik disco” and it’s the Kosmische / Krautrock elements in these tracks that help set them aside and stand out from the typical instrumental synth pack.

Opening track ‘Marsangst’ is a quirky mix of choppy DEADMAU5-style synths, blippy sequencers and lo-fi modular electronic percussion. A third of the way through the piece goes on a trippy percussion-based detour with echoed vocals and the sort of pitch-descending Moog sound that TOMITA favoured on his seminal ‘Snowflakes Are Dancing’ album. Cramming a bucketful of ideas into its six minute running time helps the track retain its momentum throughout and the mainly major chord vibe makes the track very hard to dislike.

‘Hex These Rules’ starts off with a ‘Blue Monday’ influenced kick drum pattern and resonant synth bass before evolving into a cheeky Balearic-influenced disco piece, all hand claps, “oohs” and funky octave bass. Evoking the sound of the influential Spanish Suara record label, the coolest features here are the lo-fi piano and early clipped Kosmische sounds which when set to a disco beat, conjure up images of a young Ralf Hütter drinking Sangria and shaking his stuff in a Barcelona nightclub.

‘Scratches en Series’ revolves around an analogue step sequencer part and 808 snare, rimshot and cowbell percussion. Although it was Lhote’s intention with the track to pay homage to acts such as THE SUGARHILL GANG, the piece actually ends up recalling the work of UK duo ULTRAMARINE and their album ‘Every Man & Woman is a Star’. Some light-hearted scratching and vocal sampling keep the playful nature of the track going and again the abundance of ideas mean that ‘Scratches en Series’ never outstays its welcome.

The wonderfully-titled ‘Franmaster Glash’ closes the EP with an electro-influenced drum pattern, filtered hi-pass octave PWM bass and a discordant synth line. Clocking in at just over four minutes, the track effortlessly flies by and the mix of early synthpop and ‘Street Sounds’ electro is a wonderful combo.

In terms of an overall contemporary comparison, the work of Nordic producer Todd Terje would be a good starting point here.

The mix of early German keyboard work, analogue sequencers and scattershot percussion mean that there is plenty to love and repeated listens reveal new elements each time. In an age when it is far too easy to produce soul-less and lazy, overly repetitive synth-based music, this HOLOGRAM TEEN EP bucks that trend. It also brings a welcome element of light-heartedness which is a real breath of fresh air and quite possibly ushers in a brand new genre… electro-Krautrock.

‘Marsangst’ is released as an extended four track digital EP by Happy Robots Records

https://www.facebook.com/hologramteen/

https://soundcloud.com/hologramteen

http://www.happyrobots.co.uk/

Text by Paul Boddy
Photos by Shanna Fisher
19th August 2016

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