Category: Reviews (Page 170 of 200)

WOLFGANG FLÜR + iEUROPEAN Activity Of Sound

27 December 2014 /

Wolfgang Flür has announced a special London show at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on Saturday 24th January 2015.

Entitled ‘Musik Soldat’, the former KRAFTWERK percussionist said the show was a presentation of music and storytelling that was like “The Brothers Grimm with synthesizers”. But his latest musical venture has been a marvellous electronic number entitled ‘Activity Of Sound’, recorded in collaboration with iEUROPEAN.

The project of Dublin based artist Sean Barron who was formally a member of the band EMPIRE STATE HUMAN, the additional female monologue for ‘Activity Of Sound’ incidentally is provided by Barron’s wife, Izabella.

The track sees Herr Flür quoting an archive interview with the late avant garde composer John Cage. It was Cage who famously conceived the piece 4’33” which consisted of four minutes and thirty three seconds of silence. ‘Activity Of Sound’ on the other hand consists of four minutes and thirty three seconds of synthetic bliss.

Wolfgang Flür was one of the first musicians to be widely seen playing a self-built electronic percussion set on German TV Station ZDF when he joined KRAFTWERK in 1973. After contributing to six albums from ‘Autobahn’ to ‘Electric Café’, he left in 1986. Herr Flür’s last full length album ‘Time Pie’ was issued in 1997 under the moniker of YAMO. His memoirs of his time at Kling Klang were collected together in his revealing autobiography ‘I Was A Robot’, published in 2000.

‘Activity Of Sound’ by iEUROPEAN featuring Wolfgang Flür is released on Subculture Records as a download from http://subculturerecords.bandcamp.com/album/activity-of-sound

http://www.musiksoldat.de

https://www.facebook.com/musiksoldat

https://www.facebook.com/pages/iEuropean/149564838461817

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th December 2014

SUSANNE SUNDFØR Fade Away

3 December 2014 /

The Nordic vocalist of the moment has to be Susanne Sundfør.

First coming to wider attention following her appearance on M83′s ‘Oblivion’, she has since collaborated with fellow Norwegians RÖYKSOPP and Swedish producer KLEERUP. Her cover version of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Ice Machine’ with the former showcased her emotive vocal style.

Meanwhile her contributions ‘Running To The Sea’ and ‘Save Me’ to ‘The Inevitable End’ are two of the highlights on an album that has been touted as RÖYKSOPP’s last ever. Meanwhile on ‘Let Me In’ with KLEERUP, she is in a livelier if still melancholic mood, sounding like Karin Park fronting latter day ROXY MUSIC.

With the announcement that Susanne Sundfør’s fifth studio album ‘Ten Love Songs’ is to be released on 16th February 2015, comes the video for its brilliant first single ‘Fade Away’. Propelled by a pulsing electronic backbone, it sees Sundfør in rousing form with a tune that at times sounds almost like Scandinavian gospel. Meanwhile, a fabulous synth solo is a joy to behold before the final bridge and chorus. The enigmatic video itself is a foggy Nordic Noir drama that suitably compliments the song.

Susanne Sundfør’s last album ‘The Silicone Veil’ was her UK debut and featured the moody single ‘White Foxes’. However, the ‘Ten Love Songs’ album sees her move closer to pop territory. Indeed, she has cited Taylor Swift as an influence on this new direction although the music is continually subverted as her experimental inclinations blur the pop picture.

“To me, love isn’t always what it seems. When I first started to work on the album, I wanted to make an album about violence, and then, as I was writing the songs, there were violent aspects, but they were usually about love or relationships, how you connect with other people. And in the end, that turned out to be 10 love songs” says Sundfør. The album should be an intriguing listen.

‘Ten Love Songs’ is released on 16th February 2015 by Sonnet Sound / Kobalt

Susanne Sundfør plays The Scala in London’s Kings Cross on Tuesday 3rd March 2015

http://susannesundfor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/susannesundfor

Text by Chi Ming Lai
3rd December 2014

HANNAH PEEL Find Peace

2 December 2014 /

HANNAH PEEL Find PeaceFollowing her synth assisted ‘Fabricstate’ EP earlier this year, multi-instrumentalist singer / songwriter HANNAH PEEL has recorded her most overtly electronic song yet and it’s a seasonal offering too.

Recorded with synth collector extraordinaire and Chief Mathematician Benge at the renowned MemeTune Studio in Hoxton, ‘Find Peace’ is a Christmas song longing for the cold but merry winters of yesteryear under the modern day spectre of global warming, armed conflict and political tension. It is certainly a suitably poignant message for the festive season.

Following her previous collaborations with OMD and JOHN FOXX, the delightful Miss Peel has been steadily turning her hand to more synthesized instrumentation, inspired by the likes of female electronic pioneers like Delia Derbyshire and Suzanne Ciani. With hints of fellow MemeTune resident and musician GAZELLE TWIN, the off-kilter analogue buzzing and almost random sequences make for a striking listen as a frantic percussive death rattle and an emotive synth drone take hold to provide an appropriate backdrop for Miss Peel’s eerie but beautiful voice.

HANNAH PEEL first became known to the synth world via her debut EP ‘Rebox’ in 2010 which featured musicbox covers of ‘Tainted Love’ made famous by SOFT CELL, NEW ORDER’s ‘Blue Monday’, OMD’s ‘Electricity’ and COCTEAU TWINS’ ‘Sugar Hiccup’. She continues this tradition on the flipside of ‘Find Peace’ with a cover of GREG LAKE’s 1975 hit, ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’.

Certainly after the recent madness of Black Friday 2014, the song’s lyrical protest, that the traditional values of Christmas as a time of family warmth, love and a feeling of acceptance have been lost in the midst of commercialism, is suitably apt again.

With thanks to Marietta Longley at Outpost Media

‘Find Peace’ b/w ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’ is released by Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club on snow white 7” vinyl single as a limited edition of 500 and available from from http://snowflakes.bigcartel.com/

The single is also available as a download from iTunes, Amazon and other digital outlets

http://www.hannahpeel.com

http://www.facebook.com/hanpeel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd December 2014

KID MOXIE 1888

1 December 2014 /

Since her first releases ‘Human Stereo’ in 2007 and ‘Selector’ in 2009, KID MOXIE has developed her self-confessed “gutter pop” into something altogether more sophisticated and cinematic.

The musical moniker of Elena Charbila, KID MOXIE has progressed on a transient journey through her guest spots with fellow Greeks FOTONOVELA to her most striking work yet with her second full length album ‘1888’.

Preceded in 2013 by her best song to date ‘The Bailor’, one person listening was film director David Lynch. He commissioned a remix of ‘The Bailor’ in aid of his charitable Foundation, helping underprivileged populations across the world by raising awareness towards using Transcendental Meditation to heal traumatic stress. And it is with a relaxed state of mind that ‘1888’ is best approached. The album has two distinct modes, one being widescreen synthpop for want of a better description while the other is more naturalistic sonic sandwich heavily influenced by classic and arthouse film soundtracks.

‘1888’ begins with the pulsating ‘Lacuna’ and sees some of Elena Charbila’s je nais se quoi being applied to a dreamy electro-continental soundscape with an almost understated sexiness. Unafraid to experiment with arrangements, Gregorian chants are even thrown in while as the synths fade, the song isolates to just tinkling ivories and vibes.

Then second, in a similar manner to American TV shows, comes the ‘1888’ title track, an abstract cacophony featuring backward vocals, layered sitar and echoing accordion all smothered together for a surreal theme tune. But it returns to comparative convention on ‘Jacqueline The Ripper’, possibly the most overtly synthpop number in the ‘1888’ collection. Slightly reminiscent of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, it sees KID MOXIE take on a girly snarl alongside her breathy cooing while the closing breakdown gives a chance for her to indulge in a solo on her beloved bass guitar.

The wonderful wash of ‘The Bailor’ continues the rich glaze of the album but then appears a beautiful collaboration with renowned film composer Angelo Badalamenti via a new version of ‘Mysteries Of Love’. With lyrics by David Lynch, the song was originally recorded with JULEE CRUISE and featured in the film ‘Blue Velvet’. This dreamy cover bridges the two approaches on ‘1888’ and suits Charbila’s wispy vocal style down to the ground as it chills alongside the melancholic orchestrations.

With further wispiness, ‘Ghost Town’ could be a Françoise Hardy song for the 21st Century mashed-up with a Spaghetti Western soundtrack as synths and a muted six string provide the bed for some haunting whistling a la GOLDFRAPP’s ‘Felt Mountain’.

Of course, the king of such soundtracks is Ennio Morricone and with the spectre of Da Maestro looming in a collaboration with THE GASLAMP KILLER, a sombre string and horn combo dominates proceedings on ‘Museum Motel’ while military drums propel the aural drama up to a climax. ‘1888’ then goes all electro again with the pretty ‘Shadow Heart’. Recalling DUBSTAR with guitars, bass, synths and piano all combining with Charbila’s breathy continental vocals, it is a heavenly slice of exquisite pop. To finish, ‘Blackberry Fields’ sees Our Kid duetting with a scratchy field recording… the song is a real oddity, but fascinating.

KID MOXIE has undoubtedly grown up and the nine tracks on ‘1888’ show an inventive maturity on both electronic and organic sides of the musical coin. This promise has been a few years coming and the girl who first appeared in 2007 has blossomed. Those who may have been disappointed with ‘Human Stereo’ or ‘Selector’ will be pleasantly surprised by the leap forward on ‘1888’.

‘1888’ is released as a deluxe 2CD set with additional remixes by Amour Records, available from https://kidmoxie.bandcamp.com/album/1888

http://www.facebook.com/kidmoxie

https://twitter.com/KIDMOXIEMUSIC

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Andre Govia
1st December 2014

I AM SNOW ANGEL Crocodile

24 November 2014 /

Hot on the heels of IAMAMWHOAMI’s album ‘Blue’ comes the debut long player from I AM SNOW ANGEL.

The project of Brooklyn based singer / songwriter Julie Kathryn, ‘Crocodile’ is a lush sounding affair and could easily be mistaken as a product of Scandinavia and her sisters were it not for her distinctly Trans-Atlantic drawl. Originally from the Adirondack Mountains in Lake Placid which hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics, it is therefore not surprising that I AM SNOW ANGEL’s music evokes images of icy landscapes and crystalline hydro basins, but with a North American twist.

Her debut ‘I Am Snow Angel EP’ contained enticingly understated numbers like ‘Grey White December’ and ‘Let Me Go’ which showcased her dreamy, whispery world but these are absent from the ‘Crocodile’ album. Instead, there are nine new recordings where Kathryn attempts to “zero into the deep-rooted struggle between our animal instincts and human reasoning”. It all begins wonderfully with the title track, a beautifully layered synthetic piece given a twist via an almost countrified vocal, drawing on Julie Kathryn’s roots within Americana Noir.

The Americana Noir link is enhanced further on ‘Falling In Love’, a pretty duet with John Carlson. The 6/8 sway of ‘Night Time’ is positively anthemic with a good blend of synthetic and organic textures that inevitably points towards the soundtracks of Angelo Badalamenti for David Lynch. The swirly influence of William Orbit makes its Modern Style presence felt on the pretty waltz of ‘Come With Me’. At times, it veers close to being a Nordic styled reimagining of THE CARPENTERS and this only highlights the strength of Julie Kathryn’s rich vocals.

The artist I AM SNOW ANGEL can perhaps be most compared to is Imogen Heap, in that traditional song elements are set to varying tempos and expansive textures sourced from whatever technology can offer to achieve the desired result.

This approach is evident in songs such as the gentle vibey shuffle of ‘Fallen Angel’ and the more overtly percussive electro / Country + Western hybrid of ‘Turquoise Blue’. Then there is the more frantic surprise of ‘Walking On Wires’ which recalls THE POSTAL SERVICE and the building drum driven ‘Fantasy Fiction’. But just when you think there can be no more surprises, out pops a drum ‘n’ bass take of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ to finish!

I AM SNOW ANGEL’s template is quite distinct from most electronic based music and her sophisticated self-produced work is ideal listening as the world’s evenings get darker and the air gets that little bit cooler. Quietly subversive, it certainly delivers the unexpected.

‘Crocodile’ is available via Amazon, iTunes and the usual digital outlets

http://iamsnowangel.com/

https://www.facebook.com/iamsnowangel

https://soundcloud.com/iamsnowangel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
24th November 2014

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