Category: Reviews (Page 166 of 200)

ZEUS B HELD Logic of Coincidence

6 June 2015 /

German producer Zeus B Held may be not as well known as some of his contemporaries like Giorgio Moroder, Martin Rushent and Colin Thurston, but he has been a key presence in the development of electronic pop music with his edgy, danceable sound. In 2005, Uncut Magazine referred to him as “an artier Giorgio Moroder”.

His credits have included FASHION, DEAD OR ALIVE and DIE KRUPPS alongside John Foxx, Gary Numan and Nina Hagen, while he was also instrumental in the synthetic sheen for wanabee punksters TRANSVISION VAMP. But he first became more widely known as one half of GINA X PERFORMANCE whose 1979 cult classic ‘No GDM’ was a regular staple at The Blitz. Recorded in Japan, Germany and the UK, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is Held’s first solo record since 1981’s ‘Attack Time’.

An intelligent and adventurous album, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is worthy of investigation on its concept alone as Held explained: “I have always been fascinated by the mathematical and philosophical aspects of coincidence. For me, ‘The Dice Man’ by Luke Rhinehart is an all-time favourite book. It tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice, and I was lucky enough to find a recording of Rhinehart himself reading from it”.

Photo by Andreas Lindlar

Indeed, this spoken narrative makes its presence felt on two tracks, ‘The Glass Bead Dice Man’ and ‘Surrender Your Soul’, the former of which sets the scene for this cinematic, almost ambient imaginary film soundtrack. “There’s nothing you HAVE to be…” announces Rhinehart, “be anyone you want to be… surrender your soul, let the dice roll”

The beautiful ‘Being & Time In Todtnauberg’ plays with Alpine Volksmusik, crossing it with a reversing shuffle beat; it could be ‘Ohm Sweet Ohm’ for the 21st Century. A bizarre rhythm section comprising of mouth pops holds the jazzier ‘Sho Pen How Air’ together with vocoder flourishes while ‘Who’s Happy Here?’ is a sumptuous piece in a modern style. Imagine Johan Strauss reimagined by a WILLIAM ORBIT versus TOMITA collaboration with added dubdrops for good measure. What is striking about the first third of ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is that it is experimental yet highly melodic.

‘Stay Epicure’ is more futuristic, recalling JOHN FOXX when the distorted vocaloid kicks in. Meanwhile ‘Wittgenstein’s Balaclava’ and ‘Kepos Garden’ keep the albums conceptual ambience maintained but the more progressive ‘Seven Answers By Robert M. Pirsig’ takes things a little too far and loses itself in self-indulgence.

Another jazz odyssey shapes ‘Five Beats On Tyche’ but with ‘Chaos In Sisyphus’, the tension builds to layers of gentle synthesized squelches. While the album is perhaps not wholly representative of Held’s past pop exploits, his artier Moroder template notably appears on ‘Kant Can’t Dance’. Its disco friendly outlook sounds strangely out of place on ‘Logic Of Coincidence’ though, but it is a fabulous track all the same.

“These are soundtracks for imaginary, usually abstract scenes – film, theatre or performance – all of which involve philosophers, thinkers and writers who dealt with issues of chance and coincidence” says Held. And ‘Descartes’ Dream of Lully’ certainly provides a fitting close with neo-classical interludes and abstract explorations that get more frantic towards the track’s conclusion.

At nearly 70 minutes including a bonus remix version of ‘Kant Can’t Dance’ by DREAM CONTROL and a hidden percussive sound sculpture, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is a bit on the long side, but it is a well-crafted musical journey from Held, with a good number of enjoyable and accessible highlights.

‘Logic of Coincidence’ is released by Les Disques Du Crépuscule, CD available from http://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/logic_of_coincidence_twi1166cd.html

http://zeusbheld.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zeus-B-Held/162448230492382

Text by Chi Ming Lai
6th June 2015

TRAIN TO SPAIN What It’s All About

22 May 2015 /

Following their appearance at ‘An Evening With The Swedish Synth’ last March, Gothenburg synthpop duo TRAIN TO SPAIN have finally released their debut album ‘What It’s All About’.

Named after a lyric from THE HUMAN LEAGUE song ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’, the duo’s first long player is an enjoyably flirtatious affair centred around a crashing metronomic heartbeat akin to the 1985 ‘Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder’ album combined with Jonas Rasmusson and Helena Wigeborg’s love of LADYTRON and DEPECHE MODE.

Indeed, titles such as ‘Work Harder’ and ‘Martin, David & Fletch’ indicate that this passion has permeated lyrically too. The immediate opener ‘Blip Bop’ has slightly banal lyrics but is good fun, with Wigeborg coming over like LANA DEL REY fronting YAZOO.

Following through, the album’s first single ‘Keep On Running’ is a wonderfully melodic ditty driven by thumping synth drums and a solid octave shift bassline that allows Wigeborg’s raspy voice to run free like she was fronting a reboot of BRONSKI BEAT.

In variations to the sprightly theme, the enticingly uplifting ‘All About’ and the more frantic sub-Italo ‘Screw It Up’ both maintain the energetic disco synthpop pace. Utilising many classic synthesizer sounds in the vein of Vince Clarke, musically at least, darkness is not on the agenda.

Things get slightly more serious through with a decreasing tempo on ‘Adam’, possibly a steadfast tribute to The Dandy Highwayman but more likely, an enigmatic character in a fictional love story. A descending sequence introduces ‘Pressure’ which takes the pace down further with its looser beat, but it would appear Wigeborg’s voice is perhaps less suited to slower numbers.

TRAIN TO SPAIN could be perceived as being a bit pop and fluffy, but ‘Grab and Touch’ deals with the rather serious subject of harassment. “You can’t get this girl over a drink” Wigeborg tells a sex pest who tries to excuse his bravado with drunkenness and society’s macho expectations. The album returns to its synth disco template with TRAIN TO SPAIN’s best known number ‘Passion’. The demo version was part of the free ‘Swedish Electro Vol 2’ compilation download package and Wigeborg’s lovely vocals remain enticingly vulnerable over a newly beefed up backing track from Rasmusson.

The perky electronic disco of ‘Work Harder’ with its cooing ad-libs is another welcome addition but the best is saved for the marvellous Euro stance of ‘Remind Myself’.

A very classic pop number, it derives from the crashing metronomic flavour of the album’s earlier songs.

With hints of faux lesbian duo TATU but without the helium, these are Wigeborg’s strongest vocals of the set and the whole vibe locks together brilliantly with Rasmusson’s fast and furious electronics.

The final song ‘Martin, David and Fletch’, while affectionate, is perhaps a bit throwaway, although a few fan references are thrown in to give it credibility. The melody is more CAMOUFLAGE than DEPECHE MODE and almost trance-like, Wigeborg’s spoken monologue will be seen as either alluring or nonchalant on this polarising track.

Overall, ‘What It’s All About’ is a promising debut from TRAIN TO SPAIN that wears its disco synthpop influences on its sleeve. Jonas Rasmusson must be relieved to have finally released a body of work after more than ten years recording with various line-ups as TRAIN TO SPAIN .

Whether others will embrace it will depend on their views of female fronted synthpop… some like it, others refuse to embrace it on some strange chauvinistic principle that music always needs to have balls.

But ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK happens to love female fronted synthpop and has no interest whatsoever in balls 😉

‘What It’s All About’ is released by Sub Culture Records and available from
http://subculturerecords.bandcamp.com/album/what-its-all-about

http://www.traintospain.se/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Train-To-Spain/252355014792419

Text by Chi Ming Lai
20th May 2015

KITE VI

13 May 2015 /

If the Swedish carry on like they are, producing countless amounts of adept electronic bands, they may take Germany’s crown away in that very field.

Sweden, holding a respectable amount of synth festivals and abundantly promoting the scene, is constantly providing old and new fans of electronica with a great dose of synthy pleasures, KITE have been a perfect example of that since 2008. Formed in Malmö and currently working in Stockholm, Christian Berg on synths and Nicklas Stenemo on vocals, have released six EPs so far, simply called ‘Kite’, ‘II’, ‘III’, ‘IV’, ‘V’ and now ‘VI’.

One could write poems about Stenemo’s distinctive voice; it is remarkably rare, unprecedented and phenomenal, making the band recognisable from far and wide. The vocals, however, aren’t the only exceptional marker of KITE. Their work has been considered equal to the likes of legendary KRAFTWERK, OMD, ERASURE and VANGELIS while their live shows have been loaded with energy, exceptional intensity and zest. ‘VI’ differs from the previous releases on an aesthetic level, being considerably darker and more melancholic; it is deeper somehow.

Photo by Madeleine Berg

‘Up For Life’ stands as a perfect opener for the musical journey the listener embarks upon. An impressively striking synth sequence canvasses the majestic vocal. It leads in some DEPECHE MODE-styled elements that blossom into a completely different, filmic tune that is sci-fi inspired and yet totally suiting the tone.

It perfectly resembles numbers from self-titled album by ERASURE, where songs like ‘Rock Me Gently’ drift off towards an unknown direction, but which oddly fit within the concept. ‘It’s Ours’ with its sumptuous drum patterns, pleasantly mirrors the likes of Howard Jones, while ‘Count The Days’is programmed in an exemplary manner. Metallic sounds are abundant throughout, adding texture to this sterling production.

When ‘True Colours’ enters, it is rich in atmospheric and cinematic elements. It bears strong elements of the best years of synthpop revival, packaged into a significantly modern and the gift of a fresh approach.

‘Nocturne’ closes the offering, with its vocoder enhanced vocals, at times resembling EIFFEL 65 but with a depth and proficiency of a weathered synth producer, however. The ballad rotates into a sci-fi continuum, which would suitably make a soundtrack to a “we landed on Neptune” kind of movie, with strong ERASURE-esque elements that Vince Clarke wouldn’t be ashamed of.

After the five songs, one cannot help but feel that more is wanted, needed and urgently required. The type of impression is only achieved by fully developed, competent and experienced productions. KITE prove once more that they’re much more than your standard, run of the mill, happy-go-lucky synth band, by delivering a gem of many meanings, loaded with sublime textures and profound characteristics, begging for continuation in the form of ‘VII’… hopefully that will happen soon.

‘VI’ is available as a download EP from https://kitehq.bandcamp.com/album/vi

https://www.facebook.com/KiteHQ

http://www.progress-productions.com/artist.php?id=8

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
13th May 2015

MURICIDAE Away

11 May 2015 /

muricidae3“Oceanic auralgasms” is how ethereal dream pop duo MURICIDAE describe their sound.

Yet another project from studio legend John Fryer, best known for his work with COCTEAU TWINS, NINE INCH NAILS, DEPECHE MODE and most recently SILVER GHOST SHIMMER, the musical template of MURICIDAE perhaps harks back to his work with THIS MOTRAL COIL, the 4AD art collective which at various times included DEAD CAN DANCE’s Lisa Gerrard and COCTEAU TWINS’ Elizabeth Fraser on vocals.

MURICIDAE though features the exquisite, angelic vocals of LA based song siren Louise Fraser, who incidentally is no relation to Elizabeth. She and Fryer apparently “met on the beach searching for mermaids”… the sea is very much the visual theme for their music, with Fryer cultivating “sonic sculptures to musically embody the exquisite Muricidae Shell itself”.

The pair released their first EP ‘Tales From A Silent Ocean’ in April and a video for the five track collection’s gorgeous lead track ‘Away’ has just been completed. The film features actress Sandy Akins as well as Louise Fraser and was filmed by Martin Curland and Kevin Bosl with John Fryer himself as editor and executive Director. It captures the tranquil piano laden soundscape with double vision oceanic imagery complimenting the echoes of Fraser’s plaintive lament. As floating synths drift in, the images become more cerebral as her various memories intertwine.

With the other tracks from ‘Tales From A Silent Ocean’, ‘Real Slow’ is the spikiest and where “the jukebox is grinding”. At times, it even sounds like JULEE CRUISE fronting ‘Delta Machine’ era DEPECHE MODE with its bluesy overtones and rugged guitar. ‘Should I Stay’ is gently driven by a scratchy electronic rhythm with Fraser’s vocals beautifully layered on top. When the rhythm takes a breather for the middle eight, Fraser is left accompanied by some haunting ivories that further reveal an angelic fragility in her voice.

With synth strings, rolling percussion and halfway through, subtle arpeggios and deep squelches, ‘Falling’ is an epic cinematic number with Fraser sitting nicely within the orchestrated backing.

Together with John Fryer, they conspire to form an aesthetic that is greater than its sum of parts to produce a wonderful brooding cacophony of sound.

The EP is bookended by an ‘S Version’ of ‘Away’. The ‘S’ probably means the lush strings which adorn this alternate version and it acts as a worthy, aurally pleasing companion to the sparser original.

If you have ever imagined how THIS MORTAL COIL might have handled curating the soundtrack to ‘Twin Peaks’, then look no further than MURICIDAE and this elegant body of work.

‘Away’ is from the ‘Tales From A Silent Ocean’ EP available now from the usual digital outlets including iTunes and Amazon

https://www.facebook.com/muricidaemusic/

https://www.facebook.com/John.Fryer.Official

http://www.louisefraser.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th May 2015

GHOST HARMONIC Codex

9 May 2015 /

It’s interesting that the GHOST HARMONIC release ‘Codex’ is not the first instrumental album recorded by JOHN FOXX either as a solo or collective effort.

Yet still it had divided opinion amongst fans, many of whom are disappointed that the (almost) tandem releases of ‘Codex’ and ‘London Overgrown’ are not traditional song based albums.

These now seem to be the preserve of THE MATHS project and for many, this will be a useful differentiator. It’s interesting too in that a large percentage of his body of work is not only instrumental but also borders on the ambient / experimental in its tone.

Given that Foxx is an artist, both in the musical and wider sense as a painter, photographer and film maker, it makes sense he covers a number of musical bases. Using THE MATHS as a mechanism to release songs means listeners can, if they wish, avoid the more challenging work in the Foxx canon, but with ‘Codex’ this is their loss.

GHOST HARMONIC consists of Foxx and long term collaborator Benge alongside violinist Diana Yukawa. Recorded at Benge’s MemeTune studios in London’s Shoreditch, the album evolved over the space of a couple of years. As Foxx says himself: “the underlying intention was we all wanted to see what might happen when a classically trained musician engaged with some of the possibilities a modern recording studio can offer…” What happened is a record that delivers a startling dynamic between Yukawa’s heavily treated violin and the electronics usually associated with her two recording partners.

Presented as one continuous piece in five parts, ‘Codex’ explores not only musical forms but the space between the notes which are in places, enhanced due to the use of looping and heavy reverb. It was these spaces that inspired the collective’s name. As Benge states: “The spaces in between the musical notes are often overlooked…It was these ideas we wanted to capture on this record. The ‘ghosts’ in the studio that we were listening to for inspiration. The name came out of that”.

Foxx continues “I noticed an interesting effect when multi-tracking into long or complex reverbs – certain harmonics would be suppressed or enhanced and previously unheard ones would emerge from the miasma. This can be really beautiful and it’s now what I most listen for – I know a piece is going somewhere new when this sort of thing begins to occur”.

The pieces themselves are in turn dark and beautiful, and in places, dream like. Opener ‘A Green Thought In A Green Place’ evokes the feeling of sunlight through trees on a warm summer’s day and asks the listener to drift along with the long tailed reverbs on the violin before the electronics come in.

‘The Pleasure of Ruins continues the cycle with layered violin and bass drones carrying the listener through an empty city on a 13 minute plus journey. Across the album, Yukawa was encouraged to improvise and this is most apparent on the other long form piece ‘When We Came To This Shore’. The treatments used in places give her playing an almost vocal quality as layers and loops rise and fall in the mix. This was an aspect that Foxx was keen to explore: “Bach wouldn’t take any student who couldn’t improvise over a given theme but things seem to have gone in reverse since then. Diana was a welcome revelation after all that. She picked up themes immediately and took them off in all directions. Very exhilarating”.

Sandwiched between these two parts, ‘Dispersed Memory’ is the most atmospheric track on the album again with some quite beautifully fragile motifs rising through the mix especially in the last half. Closing track ‘Codex’ evokes some of the soundtrack work of Hans Zimmer around the release of ‘Gladiator’ in its tone and points the way to how the project may develop. It leaves the listener satisfied with the musical trip taken and wanting more. This may just happen, as Foxx says: “… there’s still lots of territory to explore”.

Many musicians look at releasing an instrumental album to in some way affirm their musical credentials when the results tend to sound like unformed demos of them just mucking about in the studio… yes Mr. Gore, pointing the finger at you!

In comparison, GHOST HARMONIC is a project on which you can hear the amount of work that has gone into crafting the end results into a whole.

John Foxx should be applauded for daring to make music like this in an increasingly challenging market and his fans should embrace the fact that after some almost 40 years in the business, he is still pushing himself and them.

GHOST HARMONIC ‘Codex’ is released on 25th May 2015 by Metamatic Records as a limited edition CD + hardback book package with artwork by Jonathan Barnbrook. It can be pre-ordered at http://johnfoxx.tmstor.es/cart/product.php?id=24689

http://www.ghostharmonic.com/

http://www.dianayukawa.co.uk/

http://www.metamatic.com/

http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co.uk/

Text by Ian Ferguson
9th May 2015

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