Some persist on their inflated self-assessment and demand recognition, despite their actual league standing. And these characters are the subject of ‘Johnny Delusional’, the lead single from the self-titled album by FFS, a new project comprising of Glasgow based art school quartet FRANZ FERDINAND and everyone’s favourite quirky pop siblings SPARKS.
While ‘Johnny Delusional’ starts like the intro of FRANZ FERDINAND’s ‘Walk Away’, it then launches into a stomping indie rocker with Russell Mael’s trademark falsetto and Ron Mael’s piano interplay augmented by stabs of octave bass synth. With the lyrical couplet of “I want you, I know I haven’t a chance”, ‘Johnny Delusional’ could be about a girl, fame or acknowledgement…
As a possible reply to ‘Johnny Delusional’, the ‘FFS’ album closer ‘P*ss Off’ has also been publically aired. With the vibrancy of ‘Kimono My House’ and ‘Propaganda’ era SPARKS, it is riddled with jaunty ivories and camp vocal theatrics in the vein of classics such as ‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and ‘BC’.
Each combo’s own eccentric pop sensibilities have been successfully merged and mutated, with no one act dominating the other. “I think each band unconsciously relinquished a little of who they were in order to enter new territory” said Ron Mael.
“Most collaborations stink!” said FRANZ FERDINAND’s Alex Kapranos and observers would have every reason to be cynical following SPARKS’ less than successful adventures with FAITH NO MORE, ERASURE and JIMMY SOMMERVILLE on the 1997 project ‘Plagiarism’.
But FFS is different… whereas ‘Plagiarism’ was a well-intentioned, if ultimately flawed, revisiting of the Mael brothers’ past glories, the union between SPARKS and FRANZ FERDINAND is centred around working as a six piece band on fresh new material. And this is reflected on ‘Collaborations Don’t Work’, a seven minute journey that takes in acoustic balladry, synthesized orchestrations, layered operatics and classical piano!
Like the sorcerer working with the apprentice to double the magical power, over a period of just over two weeks in late 2014, ‘FFS’ was recorded “all together, in a room” according to Kapranos, “So no hanging around or fannying about”. Based on the evidence of the three songs premiered in full so far, FFS are presenting some fine idiosyncratic but accessible pop.
‘FFS’ is released by Domino Records on 8th June 2015
FFS play the following UK dates: Glasgow Art School (16th June), London Troxy (26th June), Manchester Albert Hall (29th August)
HYPERBUBBLE’s award winning soundtrack to the independent Sci-Fi mini-movie ‘Dee Dee Rocks The Galaxy’ is now out as a CD. For anyone who has ever followed the quirky Texan duo’s work, it maintains the bionic bubblepunk standards of their previous albums and projects.
Under the influence of the great soundtrack innovators like John Carpenter, Wendy Carlos, Delia Derbyshire, Jerry Goldsmith and Suzanne Ciani, ‘Dee Dee Rocks The Galaxy’ is a wacky twenty five minute rocket ride where there is no time to take in the scenery!
With salvos of synths, stylophones, theremins, vocoders and electronic drums, there is even the unexpected appearance of guitars on the penultimate track ‘Showdown In Space’! HYPERBUBBLE told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK in Autumn 2014 that “guitars are retro”, but have blamed this particular invasion on Guitar Ninjas!
The film itself traces the story of Dee Dee and her adventures on the Planet Theremin, before a musical battle between our heroine and Emperor Korg’s Guitar Ninjas. A synth rock opera described by Jeff and Jess DeCuir of HYPERBUBBLE as “Flash Gordon meets The Wizard Of Oz”, there are songs, snatches of dialogue and incidental music.
The album begins proper with ‘Dee Dee’s Theme’ and can be best described as MÖTORHEAD’s ‘Ace Of Spades’ reimagined on Moog sequencers. The spacey bleep fest of ‘Galaxy A Go-Go’ reinforces the Sci-Fi vibe, while the frantic pace of the vocodered ‘Instruments of Doom’ only adds to the fun. ‘Moog Maneuvers’ is aural madness, with pulses and percussion appearing from all angles. ‘Runaway Love Slave’ takes it even further and comprises of programmed drums only.
‘The Kill Zone Kid’ revisits the synth MÖTORHEAD concept of ‘Dee Dee’s Theme’ before the film’s cast members join in on the marvellous ‘Showdown In Space’. The futuristic synth lead line even has echoes ROCKWELL’s ‘Somebody’s Watching Me’, which incidentally aped THOMAS DOLBY vocally!
Ending with the jaunty ‘Queen Of The Universe’, if you enjoyed QUEEN’s soundtrack experiments like ‘Football Fight’ from ‘Flash Gordon’, then ‘Dee Dee Rocks The Galaxy’ is an album for you. And like that film, it is all futuristic escapist fun, a quality that HYPERBUBBLE have been happily able to maintain after seven releases.
‘Dee Dee Rocks The Galaxy’ is released by Pure Pop For Now People Records as a download via the usual digital outlets. The autographed CD edition is available from http://hyperbubble.net/shop.html
A free EP sampler featuring ‘Queen Of The Universe, ‘Kill Zone Kid’ and a Synthetik FM Remix of ‘Queen Of The Universe’ can be downloaded at http://fellowshipwreck.com/audio#f061
Having produced, engineered and worked with the likes of FAD GADGET, YAZOO, COCTEAU TWINS, NINE INCH NAILS, and of course, DEPECHE MODE, the renowned John Fryer is back with another exciting project SILVER GHOST SHIMMER.
John Fryer was previously involved with THIS MORTAL COIL and DARKDRIVECLINIC, and this time he embarks on another musical journey, accompanied by Pinky Turzo, an American executive producer and co-owner of Noiselab Music.
Pinky lends her vocals on this eclectic collection with a perfect dose of filmic glamour and class.
Fryer, who recently appeared at ‘A Secret Wish’, hosted by Cold War Night Life in London, is rather proud of his latest production “inspired by the vocal groups of the 60s”. The ten tracks on ‘Soft Landing’ form a rather eccentric album, which is bound to find popularity in various musical circles, as well as Fryer’s electronica background.
The title track, which opens the album, is a homage to the 1962 hit by JAY & THE AMERICANS ‘She Cried’. The sound resembles a mixture between Dave Gahan’s solo projects and GOLDFRAPP’s ‘Head First’, with added excellent synthesis and irregular beat patterns. It is glam electronica gathered in one sexy tune and an excellent opening to this fantastic album.
‘Suffocated’ follows with the continuation of the GOLDFRAPP sounding vocals, reminiscent of the classic 1960s tunes, when a song was an actual work of art. A gentle melody, emotional weightlessness and sorrowful tonality round the track perfectly. ‘Inside My Loneliness’ continues with similar qualities, but introduces metallic sounds and trembling synth over the ethereal and cinematic vocal.
‘Happy In Your Tears’ in its singing style resembles GWEN STEFANI or early MADONNA, the dainty synth line is interspersed with a heavier sounding guitar, the production is superior and reminiscent of Alan Wilder’s.
The song is so unique, it could easily appeal to the grunge fans of SONIC YOUTH, HOLE or BABES IN TOYLAND. The feeling of unlikeness continues with ‘Not Even Fire’, with its engaging modulation and captivating resonance. Elements of vintage DEPECHE MODE can be established in the excellent sounds of this gem, prompting the question whether this album may just be the most splendid concoction of tunes we will hear this year.
‘Scattered Pearls’ musically resembles an amalgamation of poignant synthpop and classic song orchestrations, while ‘Questions That Cry’ sounds fresher and contemporary at first, just for it to emerge into a guitar dominated track which SHAKESPEARS SISTER wouldn’t be ashamed of. The vocals soft and calming are almost SHERYL CROW-like.
‘She Keeps Me Hoping’ opens with a catchy guitar riff over a super synth line and brazen lyrical content. Glistening with a shine of thousand diamonds, this glamorous track shimmers in the glitzy sparkle of those enchanting vocals by Pinky. The glamour beats of ‘Glittering Eyes & Apple Rays’ are astounding. The lustrous voices and sophisticated melody unite to form this intensive track are as original, as they are resonant of the glitzy tunes crafted by DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, SANDIE SHAW and the like.
The album closes with ‘This Mortal Shimmer’, and its title clearly with reference to John Fryer’s THIS MORTAL COIL. Floating water sounds add to the buoyant texture of this track at the onset, which swiftly continues into a heavier, elaborately “shimmer”-coated extravaganza of synth.
A baby-like voice hovers over the production with unique mixture of shyness and powerfulness alike. Tropical forest noises and church choirs may be the strangest mixture known to be used in one track, but Fryer closes the production with exactly those, which add to the eclectic nature of this record and prove his production abilities are second to none.
Could this be the album of 2015? It may possibly be. The vocals by Pinky Turzo, resembling many acclaimed songstresses, are sublime; full of soul and evoke an array of emotions. As for John Fryer himself, there is a palpable feeling that himself and the Alan Wilders of this world, are magic-makers, when it comes to the production and finishing of an album. The eloquent use of synths adds to the project, making it very desirable to any fan of electronica, yet a gem like that will have a much wider appeal. Any pop, glamour rock or even soft grunge fanatic will positively respond to this album. Hardly surprising, when we are dealing with the genius that produced such an array of artists, including ASHBURY HEIGHTS, LUSH, CLAN OF XYMOX, HE SAID or WIRE.
If you missed John Fryer at his London DJ set in April, owning this album is a must, satisfaction is fully guaranteed with this one.
‘Soft Landing’ is self-released and available now via the usual digital outlets
Before you even approach the music inside, the title of EAST INDIA YOUTH’s second album is significant in that it succinctly sums up what commercial music has steadily become over the last few years.
Advances in audio mastering techniques and listening tastes have meant that record labels now demand that their new releases sound LOUD, in the false hope that it will allow their artists to be noticed above others.
Ironically, because major radio station deploy compression and limiting at the end of their broadcast signal chain, all tracks end up sounding the same volume, so it’s a pretty futile enterprise which often results in the compromising of sound quality (DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Playing the Angel’ is a much cited example of this).
‘Culture of Volume’ is the second album by EAST INDIA YOUTH, the moniker of solo musician William Doyle. It follows ‘Total Strife Forever’ which was nominated in 2014 for the Mercury Music Prize. The album itself showcases a diverse range of influences from PET SHOP BOYS, YAZOO through to OMD and even more progressive sources like PINK FLOYD, VANGELIS and TANGERINE DREAM.
The overture to the album ‘The Juddering’, opens like a long lost VANGELIS out-take from ‘Blade Runner’, heavily flanged and staccato panned synths eventually joined by rising polyphonic portamento chords. The track, which is also heavily indebted to DAVID BOWIE’s ‘Station to Station’, then ends on a plaintive string synth melody as the gated chords fade out leading into the first vocal track ‘End Result’.
An early of the highlight of the album, ‘End Result’ is initially striking because of the complex vocal melody, it introduces Doyle’s voice perfectly, hitting a near falsetto range which glides beautifully above the musical elements which feature subtle ‘You and Me Both’ Fairlight-style tuned percussion textures.
The near Eastern inflection on the main vocal hook recalls MADONNA’s classic William Orbit produced ‘Frozen’ and helps give the track a detached Arctic melancholic feel before a progressive ending featuring overdriven live drums and a soaring, gliding synth lead.
The epic outro explores similar territories to TANGERINE DREAM’s 1978 album ‘Cyclone’ which not entirely successfully, tried to mix live drums with synths, sequencers and vocals. Hannah Peel additionally features on this track and is credited on strings throughout the album too.
The intro of ‘Beaming White’ is unashamedly poppy and saccharine (maybe a little too much so) but with its “conversation stretched to fill the night” lyric, gives the track a more darker feel in places. The underpinning Latin percussion (often underused in current electronic pop) and the sheer melody of the piece could easily have you imagining Neil Tennant providing vocals for the track instead of Doyle.
‘Turn Away’ starts with a wobbling LFO-based synth and almost jazz-inflected ride cymbals and syncopated drums – the track quickly shifts up a gear with rich ascending synths which track Doyle’s vocal constantly throughout. The song’s money shot and “YES!” moment is at 2’16” where a massive synth lead and drum break and shifting time signature completely restores faith that there are still a few current electronic producers out there that aren’t afraid to write soaring melodies and use dynamics in their compositions. After a break for the chorus, ‘Turn Away’ ends after a final flourish with a slightly odd, but effective combination of resonant Moog bass notes and what sounds like sleigh bells.
Mid-album instrumental ‘Entirety’ is very much a homage to UNDERWORLD and stops ‘Culture of Volume’ from becoming too introspective, its aggressive bass and mix of 4/4 electronic drums climaxing in a simple synth melody which again leads back into the track’s main motif.
The album’s centerpiece is ‘Carousel’, other reviews have compared this to early SCOTT WALKER, but the opening half of OMD’s ‘Stanlow’ looms large over this song. It takes an element of bravery to strip a track back this much and eschew any percussion over nearly six and a half minutes, but Doyle manages this with an exposed dramatic vocal performance that is full of melancholy, generating an almost religious atmosphere at points.
‘Don’t Look Backwards’ evokes PET SHOP BOYS again without ever becoming a straight rip-off, whilst ‘Hearts That Never’ comes across as a ‘Dark Side of the Moon’-era PINK FLOYD writing an electronic dance track with imperial phase UNDERWORLD.
‘Culture of Volume’ is an album that throws a hell of a lot of influences into one big melting pot, yet somehow manages via some superb songwriting to emerge the other end as a satisfying and cohesive body of work.
The only negative point (especially considering the title of the album) is that ‘Culture of Volume’ is really heavily mastered in places…
Maybe this is a bit of an in-joke, but it does detract in places during some of the more dynamic sections.
At this rate and with the slew of glowing reviews that it’s gaining, there’s every chance that ‘Culture of Volume’ will secure another Mercury nomination – Doyle is not afraid to sidestep most of the current fads in current electronic music production, and as a result creates something which will be less transient and have far more longevity. You will be hard pushed to hear a better song-based electronic album this year.
EAST INDIA YOUTH with special guest HANNAH PEEL play the following UK dates:
Manchester Deaf Institute (27th May), Glasgow King Tuts (28th May), Sheffield Plug (30th May), Norwich Arts Centre (31st May), Bristol Exchange (2nd June), Brighton The Haunt (3rd June), London Village Underground (4th June), Ramsgate Music Hall (5th June)
A job to either review DEPECHE MODE themselves, Dave Gahan’s solo projects, or, indeed Martin Gore’s, is a rare challenge.
“Is simplicity best, or simply the easiest?” Martin would ask hypothetically on ‘Judas’ from ‘Songs Of Faith And Devotion’. Well, the Simplicity Man himself strikes again on his own, after the acclaimed ‘Counterfeit’ EP and album respectively and collaboration with the early DM Daddy, ERASURE’s Vince Clarke as VCMG.
This time, the solo project is straightforwardly named ‘MG’, and conceived upon Martin coming back from the ‘Delta Machine’ tour with his band mates, is as elementary as it gets. The wonderfully soft and warming vocals of the genius are absent but the pure musical talent is laid bare before us. Many will scream “what, no vocals?”. The point may be a valid one; however, Gore is not just the deeply soulful vibrato of DEPECHE MODE, he’s heavens more.
Gore doesn’t rest on his laurels, even after the strenuous, 10 month tour with the Kings Of Electronica, his wedding and honeymoon. He gets back to the studio and works. A few of the tracks from ‘MG’ were born while writing the material for ‘Delta Machine’ and they were the leftovers DM could not use due to the lack of space on the album.
Every hardcore Depeche fan had noticed the striking lack of instrumentals, which they all had learnt to love and cherish. The absence of such on ‘Delta Machine’ surprised immensely. But the desperation can now be alleviated with the knowledge that songs like ‘Elk’, ‘Brink’ and ‘Featherlight’ were written during the latest DM album sessions, and could have been DM tunes.
Gore claims that music on its own is far more powerful than music and voice together, as it is rawer and of primary origins. He’s fascinated by the complexity of emotions and how “images get stronger” with music in its principal form. That perfectly explains the absence of vocals and creates a cinematic atmosphere, worthy of any self-respecting movie. Writing film scores is indeed something that the artist would be interested in (of course in between touring and four year breaks from Mode, as they tend to fall these days).
Gore set out to write a completely electronic album, guitars are missing and the entire production is heavily based on his new Eurorack Modular system, which gave birth to majority of the sounds used on ‘MG’. Some polyphonic synths and other vintage instruments were also incorporated to achieve more of a sci-fi atmosphere.
Disappointingly, the production will not be toured, as Gore doesn’t perceive the project as life worthy, mainly due to the lack of tempo. In the interviews promoting the release of ‘MG’, he states “it’s not the sort of thing that would be very interesting or visual”, but reckons he can be talked into doing a few DJ sets instead, likely to feature none of the tracks from the new album however. Filmic music doesn’t lend itself well to most types of live set-ups, so the decision seems understandable, if not slightly saddening.
The album consists of 16 tracks, each as unique as they are original, with Gore’s uncomplicated clarity underlining each one. ‘Pinking’ opens the gem with a fabulous and rather familiar DM synth extravaganza, following with organic and crude ‘Swanning’.
‘Exalt’ is an odd sounding, a rapid in-your-face tune. The complicated layering of vibrating sounds has almost a factory quality, to the point where you want it over. And when it’s over, ‘Elk’ enters. The fabric feel of this song draws one in, its nature cinematic, and its texture elusive. It is almost not long enough before ‘Brink’ introduces itself in a minimal techno fashion. Machinery images spring to mind in a mundane beat, bearing gentle resemblance of Martin’s DJ sets, loved and enjoyed before Depeche come on stage.
The single track ‘Europa Hymn’ enters and it immediately transports the listener into the realm of uncertain emotion and feeling of weightlessness, juxtaposed with elements of drama and fright. It is filmic and simplistic, a perfectly rounded number.
‘Creeper’ is inspired, the Sci-Fi and futurism wrapped into this tune are second to none. ‘Spiral’ reverberates and pulsates in and out, while ‘Stealth’ has a game quality sound to it, merging various beats into one inconspicuous melody. ‘Hum’ is inconsequential and airy, its repeated pattern buoyant.
‘Islet’ resembles idyllic DM instrumentals, but is not a memorable piece however, unlike ‘Crowly’, which is powerful and poignant. Stronger, hypnotic in a sense, substantial and elementary at the same time, it is a piece like that would perfectly lend itself to a big cinematic production, it is immense. So is ‘Trysting’, expanding into levels unknown and unfamiliar textures, it is effervescent, yet crumbly in feel.
‘Southerly’ amazes with the melody, evocative of the emotion only Gore can elicit from a piece of music. It is ever changing, full of hesitant moments, fading unclear notions, and a great dose of uncertainty.
This would-be-a-classic-DM-instrumental. Meanwhile, ‘Featherlight’ enters with considerable tonality, which would have lent itself well to ‘Delta Machine’ from which it spawned
The album ends with ‘Blade’, an extraordinary piece, with Martin L Gore’s signature all over it. If an electronic instrumental could be beautiful, then this truly is.
Tear jerking and bearing, strong yet delicate, simple yet sophisticated. Superabundant in emotion, it is a perfect way to close this atmospheric record.
Undeniably not for everyone, this is not an obvious type of production. The type of creation that ‘MG’ is, Martin Gore said to ‘The Quietus’ that “the images almost felt stronger” . The atmosphere of uncertainty, melancholy but clear purity, surfaces, just like with the older Depeche instrumental tracks, such as ‘Agent Orange’, ‘Oberkorn (It’s A Small Town) or ‘Christmas Island’.
All-music-no-voice productions on Gore’s level almost require no vocals to make them masterpieces, he paints pictures with a brush of melody, rather than lyrical content. This is highly unusual, since he is classed as a top lyricist as well as a writer of extraordinary music. Love or hate DEPECHE MODE, it has to be admitted that Martin Gore is a genius. Unassuming, slightly shy still, and clearly undisturbed with the fact that neither himself, nor his band mates, have never received the recognition they fairly deserve from the media and critics, the brain behind DM continues to shine, “somebody has to shine for me, it’s difficult not to shine for me”.
Even though it is different, ‘MG’ simply has to find its way to everyone’s music collection; its appeal, not only to the die-hard fans of synthpop, electronica, but also to the grown-up cinema music lovers is undeniable. Gore’s unfiltered immaculateness prevails, whether it is with his work for DEPECHE MODE, his covers on both ‘Counterfeit’ productions, his minimal techno with VCMG, or now on this untainted gem.
Relaxing with a glass of white, watching the clouds go by and pondering upon Martin’s ideas incorporated in his emotionally charged hymns of instability, uncertainty, unpredictability and disillusion must be a true electronica fan’s dream… is it yours?
‘MG’ is released in CD, vinyl and downloadformats by Mute Artists
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
is released by XL Recordings on CD, vinyl and download
Follow Us!