Category: Reviews (Page 165 of 200)

HANNAH PEEL Rebox 2

16 June 2015 /

Issued to coincide with her recent tour supporting EAST INDIA YOUTH, multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter HANNAH PEEL has released ‘Rebox 2’, a seven track mini-album comprising of four covers and three new instrumentals.

Peel first became known for her debut EP ‘Rebox’ which featured music box covers of synthpop classics such as ‘Electricity’, Tainted Love’ and ‘Blue Monday’. Her first album ‘The Broken Wave’ showcased her many talents within a traditional instrumentation setting.

But it was following her recruitment as a synth playing violinist with JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS that has led to an increasingly electronic element to her work. This new template was premiered on the song ‘Harbour’ from her ‘Nailhouse’ EP, while her best body of work to date ‘Fabricstate’ was a marvellous hybrid of the synthetic and the organic. With her seasonal single ‘Find Peace’, Peel went the full electronic hog with a dreamy cacophony of analogue electronics and percussive mantras akin to GAZELLE TWIN.

With HANNAH PEEL’s second full length album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ now in the can and due for release in 2016, ‘Rebox 2’ is an enticing stopgap, demonstrating more of the potential that this Craigavon born songstress ultimately possesses. Her music box has now become something of a trademark. She said in 2011: “I discovered the programmable music box when scoring some music for a theatre show in Liverpool”. With parallels to modern sequencing, she explained it used “a punch card type of system, resembling early computer techniques when having to give digital instructions”.

So having applied her technique to the songs of Synth Britannia, ‘Rebox 2’ brings HANNAH PEEL up to date by reinterpreting the work of her modern day contemporaries. A reworking of PERFUME GENIUS’ ‘Queen’ begins this seamless 23 minute collection as reverbed steps snap into unison with the music box and some droning sweeps. As Peel snarls while reciting this anti-homophobic protest song, it sets the tone for what follows.

‘Let The Laughter In’ novelly uses a sample of Peel’s own charming voice as a rhythmic backbone that comes over like psychedelic hiccups while synths and piano layer themselves in.

The music box continues its presence on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, one of the highlights from JOHN GRANT’s acclaimed 2013 long player of the same name. One interesting point is that the songs Peel has covered on ‘Rebox 2’ are all by male artists, thereby instantly adding a different perspective. The combination of music box, harp textures and haunting, multi-layered vocals on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ add to the tension already provided by the subtle synthetic elements and dramatic, militaristic heartbeat. Grant’s original was inspired by YELLO and CABARET VOLTAIRE, so it is fascinating to hear that pioneering seed manipulated into something else.

Drifting into the moodily ambient ‘Reverie’, the solemn piano and strings capture accurately the dictionary definition of “an instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy or musing state”. Meanwhile, the stark template of the original ‘Rebox’ lends itself wonderfully to ‘Palace’, originally performed by WILD BEASTS. With only her music box for company, with an innocent bedroom air and the realisation that home is where the heart is, Peel’s arrangement is simple and intimate, yet wholly accomplished. From the most traditional arrangements then comes the most futuristic with ‘Premonition’. A hypnotic sequencer pulses to oblivion while softly layered synth and voice samples augment the framework for a vibrant and enjoyable composition.

The best is saved until last with the marvellous synth / music box hybrid of ‘Heaven, How Long’. Already a classic song of the future by its originators EAST INDIA YOUTH, whereas William Doyle’s version eventually turns into a motorik sonic barrage of sound, Peel keeps ‘Heaven, How Long’ bravely unwavering and lonely. And when her solemn violin joins in, it pulls at the inherent resignation as outlined by the emotive lyric: “In spite of all the love inside me – There is a question I’ve been asking – Heaven how long?”.

The sonic amalgam that Peel and her producer Erland have provided on ‘Rebox 2’ creates a marvellous compendium that crosses centuries of musical heritage, yet looks forward to the future. No-one appears to be making music in the way HANNAH PEEL is at the moment, with the genre blend of the traditional world with the electronic… and with the brilliant uptempo electronic pop of ‘All That Matters’ set for inclusion on her new album, there will be even more wondrous offerings to come from the delightful Miss Peel.

‘Rebox 2’ is released by My Own Pleasure, CD is available now from http://hannahpeel.tmstor.es/ while the download can be purchased via https://hannahpeelmusic.bandcamp.com/

http://www.hannahpeel.com

http://www.facebook.com/hanpeel

https://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th June 2015

GIORGIO MORODER Déjà Vu

14 June 2015 /

At 74 years of age, GIORGIO MORODER has nothing more to prove, he’s back because he wants to be.

Da Maestro’s 21st Century musical return was launched in 2013 when he was commissioned by Google Chrome for their online game ‘Racer’. It was like the history of electronic dance music compressed into 4 minutes. But as these ideas have been mostly borrowed from Moroder anyway, it was only right for him to grab it all back. it showed the pretenders once again how electronic dance music should be done, and without stooping down to Guetta level.

Then at the backend of 2014 came Moroder’s statement of intent, ‘74 Is The New 24’. “Dance music doesn’t care where you live. It doesn’t care who your friends are” he said, “It doesn’t care how much money you make. It doesn’t care if you’re 74 or if you are 24 because… 74 is the new 24!” – distinctly Giorgio, it featured hints of his own ‘Chase’ from ‘Midnight Express’ as well as his defining productions for DONNA SUMMER, JAPAN and SPARKS.

‘74 Is The New 24’ comes in halfway through ‘Déjà Vu’, GIORGIO MORODER’s first album bearing his name since his 1985 collaboration with Phil Oakey from THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Although a vocalist in his own right on his solo material like his first single ‘Stop’ in 1966 to his 1977 UK hit ‘From Here To Eternity’, the Italian’s best known work has generally been in collaboration and in particular, with female vocalists. Thus ‘Déjà Vu’ is heavily biased towards an impressive roll call of well-known pop princesses such as SIA, BRITNEY SPEARS, KYLIE MINOGUE, CHARLI XCX, FOXES and KELIS.

First things first… ‘Déjà Vu’ is not a cutting edge club record, it is very much a Pop album with a capital P. Beginning with the wordless ‘4 U With Love’, it’s archetypal, thrusting Moroder although it also recalls ROGER SANCHEZ’s TOTO sampling ‘Another Chance’. It acts as a sparkling introduction to say “I’m back” before the title track fronted by the enigmatic Antipodean singer SIA. With rhythm guitars chopping away in the manner of CHIC’s Nile Rodgers, it is a good tune that LADY GAGA would be proud of.

Following on, CHARLIE XCX has certainly come a long way since ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK first saw her in 2008 propping up third on the bill at a Popjustice showcase evening. Back then, she was a feisty Hertfordshire teenager with a Darth Vader obsession but now, she is rubbing shoulders with one of the most influential record producers of the last 50 years. Her appropriately titled ‘Diamonds’ is frantically paced, wobbling electro that comes over a bit like Marina on Quaaludes.

To tell the truth, the effervescent ‘Right Here, Right Now’ could be any one of KYLIE MINOGUE’s appealing electropoptastic numbers over the last two decades. But since ‘Light Years’ in 2000, the Australian pop pixie has been mining the Moroder treasure box, culminating in the Musicland meets Kling Klang amalgam of ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’… so in reality, everything has just come full circle.

Staying on the dancefloor, ‘Wildstar’ featuring the kooky Louisa Rose Allen aka FOXES enjoyably parties like its Studio 54. Along with a soaring chorus, there’s some throbbing synthbass and robot voices working in tandem for the middle eight. The stomping ‘Back & Forth’ sees KELIS processed to an almost masculine demeanour for an energetic slice of Europop, while Swedish chanteuse MARLENE adds a touch of Nordic soul to proceedings on the album’s most R’n’B leaning tune, ‘I Do This for You’.

The surprise of the collection is ‘Tom’s Diner’ featuring BRITNEY SPEARS. The original by SUZANNE VEGA was given a club treatment by DNA back in 1990 but here, not only does Moroder work some pulsing magic for the former teenage pop siren, he even adds a new bridge section featuring his deadpan vocodered phrasing alongside Miss Spears’ autotuned larynx.

However, the album’s two token male vocalists MIKKY EKKO and MATTHEW KOMA don’t fare so well, both sounding like generic boy band fodder on ‘Don’t Let Go’ and ‘Tempted’ respectively, with the former being the least irritating of the pair.

‘La Disco’ bookends ‘Déjà Vu’ with another instrumental in that classic Moroder-esque vein and when it finishes, it’s as if Da Maestro has never been away… the album does have a degree of familiarity to it and that’s because he more or less invented today’s format of modern dance friendly pop.

As the album title suggests, there are references to Moroder’s past glories… so listen out for those ‘Flashdance’ derived synth sounds! But overall, the various guest vocalists he has directly or indirectly influenced are the dominant players. Even in his absence, his sound has been around the ether. It’s a shadow that can’t be escaped now, so why fight it? ‘Déjà Vu’ is the sound of GIORGIO MORODER enjoying himself.

‘Déjà Vu’ is released via Giorgio Moroder Music LCC under exclusive license to RCA in CD, deluxe 2CD, vinyl LP and download formats

https://www.giorgiomoroder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GiorgioMoroderOfficial

https://twitter.com/giorgiomoroder

https://soundcloud.com/giorgiomoroder

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos from Giorgio Moroder’s Facebook page
14th June 2015

CHINA CRISIS Autumn In The Neighbourhood

11 June 2015 /

After a recorded absence of over 20 years, Liverpudlian duo CHINA CRISIS release ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’, their first album since 1994’s ‘Warped By Success’ which was issued on their own Stardumb imprint.

Although Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon have maintained a continued live presence since that time, other than a cover of Michael Halliday’s ‘Starry Eyed’ for the ‘Liverpool Number Ones’ charity album in 2007 which also featured OMD, new material has been notable by its absence.

But ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ sees the return of the melodically inventive pair who have seen elements of their sound re-emerge in acts such as MIRRORS and SIN COS TAN. From the synth friendly leanings of ‘Christian’, ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Black Man Ray’ and ‘Arizona Sky’ to the more organic, STEELY DAN inclined ‘You Did Cut Me’, ‘Sweet Charity In Adoration’ and ‘Everyday The Same’, CHINA CRISIS possess a fabulous if underrated catalogue of work with their Virgin era albums ‘Working With Fire & Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume 2’ and ‘Flaunt The Imperfection’ both being key career highlights. With their humourous, down-to-earth nature, CHINA CRISIS are well placed to reach their cult audience in today’s virtual world.

So it has been no surprise that ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ has been released via Pledge Music with special offers to visit Anfield with Eddie Lundon or commission portraits painted by Gary Daly among the extras available. But while there have been all these exclusive experiences, what of the music? The campaign was launched with ‘Everyone You Know’ as a free download to all Pledgers. Pleasingly, it was classic CHINA CRISIS; a little bit synthy and a little bit guitary, but with lots of melody and a subtle rhythmic backbone.

With Daly’s distinctive afflicted lead vocal supported by Lundon’s harmonies, they are a distinctive dual characteristic in the same way that DEPECHE MODE’s Dave Gahan and Martin Gore or HEAVEN 17’s Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware are to their combos. Certainly, technology has also played its part in this album, but while as Daly’s trusty Jupiter 8 has been recommissioned, this is still very much a traditional songwriter’s work, with sophisticated arrangements of woodwinds, brass and live percussion very much in the mix.

Also involved are previous CHINA CRISIS sidemen Brian McNeil, Gazza Johnson and Kevin Wilkinson who sadly passed away in 1999, indicating that some of these songs may have been conceived quite a while ago. Incidentally, all but three of the songs on ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ have been solely penned by Gary Daly. So as the genre classification in iTunes says, ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ is eleven brand new smoothly produced slices of “adult contemporary soulful art pop…”

Opener ‘Smile’ begins with a light chamber recital before a fuzzy bass synth interjects. “What kind of love is this?” asks Daly in his inimitable tones to announce the recorded return of CHINA CRISIS.

Following on, the beautiful melodic melancholy of ‘Down Here On Earth’ with its subtle synthesized chorals is a classic Trans-Atlantic pop standard punctuated by horns, oboe and colourful drums for that sunny FM radio feel. The album’s title track drifts in with a steadier groove, the swimmy string machine and subtle vibes placing the listener suitably “up here in the clouds”.

Meanwhile, the steel guitars on the piano driven ‘Because My Heart’ showcase the Americana direction that Gary Daly has been exploring over the past few years with his occasional solo excursions like ‘The Visionary Mindset Experience’.

The less frantic tempos continue with the laid back ‘Bernard’ featuring their long time friend and colleague Howard Jones on piano and the gently shuffling mood of ‘Joy & The Spark’. But just as the album’s demeanour might be getting a bit too understated, as if by magic, the joyous pretty pop of ‘Being In Love’ appears, conveying a lovely “head over heels” feeling that is both bright and breezy.

Providing an additional uptempo kick is ‘Fool’, probably the song that harks closest to the glory days of the Walter Becker produced ‘Flaunt The Imperfection’ LP and in particular, ‘You Did Cut Me’. As a solo composition by Eddie Lundon, it features his traditional album lead vocal and of course, it was he who voiced ‘Wishful Thinking’. The blend of detuned synths and woodwinds, along with the STEELY DAN infused backing, makes this the most immediate song on offer.

Brushed percussion and accordion shape the thoughtful, folk inspired ‘My Sweet Delight’ before the album heads into the home straight. The concluding two numbers have a gentle ‘Nashville’ vibe with the xylophone laden near instrumental ‘Tell Tale’ and the very acoustic ‘Wonderful New World’, both featuring the pedal steel twang of occasional CHINA CRISIS collaborator Stuart Nisbet.

Those expecting ‘Flaunt The Imperfection 2’ might be a bit disappointed, as ‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ is more akin to the mature listening experiences of 1989’s ‘Diary Of A Hollow Horse’. But this is a welcome return for Messrs Daly and Lundon. With their upcoming live appearances, this stature of this album will only be enhanced over time.

‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ is available in CD and vinyl LP formats from Music Glue at https://www.musicglue.com/chinacrisis/

https://www.facebook.com/chinacrisisofficial/

https://twitter.com/ChinaCrisisUK

https://www.instagram.com/chinacrisismusic/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th June 2015

FRANZ FERDINAND & SPARKS FFS

9 June 2015 /

Kollaborationen funktionieren nicht…

The debut long player by FFS could easily be titled ‘Art School Musical’. A union of FRANZ FERDINAND and SPARKS, unlike many collaborations which are often distant and detached, this visceral project has centred around working as a six piece band together in a room. The partnership appears to have invigorated both acts too. SPARKS’ career has generally been very up and down commercially, but Russell and Ron Mael have never been deterred by public or media ambivalence and the siblings have always returned like a phoenix from the flames when people least expected it.

Following their initial success between 1974-75 with brilliant singles such as ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us’, ‘Amateur Hour’ ‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’, they fell out of public favour for a time until Giorgio Moroder attached their eccentric sound to disco friendly electronics for the 1979 hits ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’ and ‘Beat The Clock’. The Mael brothers would not trouble the UK and European charts again until 1994 with ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’, but it fittingly led to acknowledgment from the Britpop scene with members of SUEDE, PULP and BLUR all publically displaying signs of approval.

Meanwhile within the Glasgow art school scene in 2002, FRANZ FERDINAND formed and the song they attempted at their first ever band rehearsal was ‘Achoo’ by SPARKS. The quartet would go on to make an impact with their tempo changing guitar driven dance rock on singles like the catchy ‘Take Me Out’ and a send-up of their art school roots ‘Do You Want To’. It was around this time that a collaboration with SPARKS was first mooted, but it wasn’t until 2014 that the idea began to have realistic momentum.

So with the singer of THE KAISER CHIEFS now acting as a talent show judge and THE KILLERS more or less turning into the next U2, it is down to FRANZ FERDINAND to snatch back the intellectual artistic high ground in association with their spiritual godfathers.

FFS could well also put the Mael Brothers back in the mainstream for the fourth time in a very long career of over 45 years. A great example of how this relationship has gelled is reflected on the ironically titled ‘Collaborations Don’t Work’.

A seven minute journey that is a glorious cut ’n’ paste of both bands, there’s a terrific moment when it sounds like QUEEN with Russell Mael and Alex Kapranos exchanging operatic rants of “I don’t need your patronising! – I don’t need your agonising!”. But then, it turns into Jimmy Webb’s ‘The Highwayman’, as well as mutating into buzzy synthpop, spacey jazz, a showtune and a classical mini-symphony along the way! It is bonkers and brilliant!

The album starts however with ‘Johnny Delusional’, a stomping indie rocker with Russell Mael’s trademark falsetto and Ron Mael’s piano interludes augmented by stabs of octave bass synth. The lyrical couplet of “I want you, I know I haven’t a chance – Johnny Delusional here” accurately conveys the resigned inadequacy and awkwardness of the narrative.

‘Call Girl’ is very synth laden with a Minimoog Voyager making its presence felt. While it revisits SPARKS past adventures in Europop, the FRANZ FERDINAND element provides the Mael brothers with a thumping powertrain from Bob Hardy and Paul Thomson that probably wouldn’t have manifested itself had Russell and Ron been working alone in LA.

Beginning a little like the Midge Ure B-side ‘Piano’, ‘Dictator’s Son’ takes a choppy art rock backbone and fills it with drama. It’s an amusingly ironic title considering the controversy over Ron Mael’s look when SPARKS first famously appeared on ‘Top Of The Pops’ in 1974. Meanwhile, the sparse ballad ‘Little Guy From The Suburbs’ has hints of Ennio Morrricone. With the line “There are no heroes in this life”, it is perhaps the most serious piece on the FFS collection.

Alongside some outre synth movements on ‘Police Encounters’, Russell’s breakneck speed wordplay is electronically treated as he keeps up with this bouncy slice of phased percussive madness. ‘Save Me From Myself’ features those classic SPARKS staccato ivories and with a soaring chorus and a wonderful multi-tracked vocal passage for the middle eight, it is the closest to their Mack produced tracks like ‘Angst In My Pants’.

The most electronic track on ‘FFS’ comes with ‘So Desu Ne’, a marvellously squelchy number that conceptually harks back to SPARKS’ breakthrough album ‘Kimono My House’. With drum machine, vibrato synth stabs and surreal references to Japanese culture like “a Hello Kitty Uzi” and “a Kenzo kimono”, it is rhythmically angular with a great use of samples sourced from Alex and Russell’s voices towards the close.

After all the quirky art school banter, ‘FFS’ becomes more straightforward with ‘The Man Without A Tan’ and ‘Things I Won’t Get’. Scratchy guitars and driving electric bass with bizarre orchestral sections dominate the former which comes over more as archetypical FRANZ FERDINAND, while the latter sees Franz’s Nick McCarthy take on lead vocals to deadpan an unattainable shopping list that includes Hugo Boss and Air Jordan. However, it’s a number that doesn’t become that interesting until Russell harmonises with his trademark falsetto.

It all gets quirky again on ‘The Power Couple’ where a tumbling rhythm provides a domino effect, like a circus clown march. Russell takes on an unusually low register as Alex adopts a midtone snarl in a neo-gothic piece that comes over like a Brechtian set piece adapted by MUSE. “We must make a good impression” they chant.

‘P*ss Off’ is possibly the album’s most outstanding number and one of the songs of the year. As Ron Mael’s first offering to FFS when it was first mooted in 2004, it makes a highly fitting closer. With the vibrancy of ‘Kimono My House’ and ‘Propaganda’ era SPARKS, there are jaunty ivories and camp vocal theatrics in the vein of classics like ‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and ‘BC’. “It’s inexplicable” they all growl as the multi-track phrase of “HARMONIES” kicks in! A total joy, ‘P*ss Off’ is the ultimate two fingered anthem and is sure to become a future live favourite for SPARKS and FRANZ FERDINAND when they inevitably go their separate ways.

Like the sorcerer working with the apprentice to double the magical power, over period of just over two weeks, FFS have recorded an entertaining compendium of anecdotes that will appeal to armchair enthusiasts of SPARKS and FRANZ FERDINAND. ‘FFS’ is the most accessible work that either act has produced for several years. Full of wit and repartee, this is the sound of six individuals having a lot of fun but additionally, making something artistically spiky and satisfying.

‘FFS’ is released by Domino Records in CD, deluxe CD with bonus tracks, red vinyl double LP and download variants

FFS play the following UK dates: Glasgow Art School (16th June), London Troxy (26th June), Manchester Albert Hall (29th August)

http://www.ffsmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FFSMUSICOFFICIAL

http://www.franzferdinand.com/

http://allsparks.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th June 2015

VILE ELECTRODES Captive In Symmetry

6 June 2015 /


The UK’s top independent synth duo VILE ELECTRODES have unveiled a mesmerising new number entitled ‘Captive In Symmetry’ as their brand new single.

The beautiful song hints at the direction of their new, as-yet-untitled second album. Last summer Martin Swan had told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “We’ve just written a lovely new song called ‘Captive In Symmetry’, which we’re very pleased with… That is definitely going to feature on the album. The new album has a kind of theme running through it, and we’ve got some very strong ideas for how it’s going to sound. It’s very filmic”.

“Filmic” is indeed a very apt description of ‘Captive In Symmetry’ and the booming synth bass motif has echoes of the ‘Twin Peaks’ theme tune ‘Falling’. As beautiful sequences, eerie choral samples and Anais Neon’s hauntingly alluring vocals take hold, it all comes over like a dreamboat collaboration between JULEE CRUISE and OMD that could easily be considered for use in the proposed revamp of the surreal North American drama.

‘Captive In Symmetry’ also shares some cinematic common ground with the under rated ‘Little Death Capsule’ from ‘The Last Time’ EP.  The video features details of Anais’ face merged in with clips from the 1947 film noir ‘Lady From Shanghai’, which was directed by Orson Welles.

On the follow-up to the acclaimed debut long player ‘The future through a lens’, which was voted Best International Album at the 2014 Schallwalle Awards, The Swan added: “I think it’s fair to say that we’ve developed quite a bit as a band and as individuals since we wrote some of the songs for the first album. The follow up will sound, if not very different, then certainly much fresher…”

The ‘Captive In Symmetry’ release will additionally include the long established live favourite ‘Real 2 Reel Love’ and the hauntingly minimal ‘Dead Feed’. ‘Captive In Symmetry’ is expected to be part of VILE ELECTRODES’ live set with other new numbers ‘Drive’, ‘Last Of The Lovers’, ‘Evidence’ and ‘Stark White’.

‘Captive In Symmetry’ is available as a CD EP in a hand-screen printed card slipcase direct from http://vileelectrodes.bigcartel.com/product/captive-in-symmetry-ep-released-13th-april

The three track download EP can be obtained from
https://vileelectrodes.bandcamp.com/album/captive-in-symmetry-ep

http://www.vileelectrodes.com/

http://www.facebook.com/vileelectrodes

http://vileelectrodes.blogspot.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
15th April 2015, updated 6th June 2015

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