Despite having released six EPs since 2008, Malmö synth duo KITE have tended to be overlooked internationally.
Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg’s 2013 EP ‘V’ offered layers of exuberant sounds and Stenemo’s passionately rugged vocals on mournful but anthemic electropop like ‘The Rhythm’ and ‘Dance Again’. There were also the sub-Wilder production treatments on ‘Wishful Summer Night’ and ‘I Can’t Stand’ which brought some enticingly devotional tension into proceedings. Full of brooding sadness but attached to a glimmer of hope, KITE’s most recent release ‘VI’ came out in April.
Undoubtedly their best body of work yet, opening it was the magnificent progressive synth epic ‘Up For Life’. A sublime contender for song of the year, the two-part nine minute masterpiece has just been accorded the live video treatment with footage recorded at Stockholm’s Debaser Medis. Lasers and flashing lights ahoy…
The parent ‘VI’ EP is a majestic collection of dark but melodic synthpop. The frantic energy of ‘It’s Ours’ with its killer synth bassline and barrage of Simmons drums is another choice track from the EP and shows how modern electronic pop should be done.
With the cinematic atmospheres of ‘True Colours’, the metallically mighty ‘Count The Days’ and the spacey Sci-Fi vibes of ‘Nocturne’ also figuring on ‘VI’, KITE are further proof as to what’s so special about Sweden. At the current rate of trajectory, the ‘VII’ EP should be out of this world.
‘Up For Life’ is from the ‘VI’ EP released by Progress Productions. It is available as a CD or download via the usual online outlets
Andy Bell would sound divine performing a telephone directory or reading out the train schedule. The voice, second to none, has dominated UK synth and pop scene for years, thanks to his 30 year involvement with Vince Clarke under the ERASURE umbrella.
Having released solo projects before, starting with the exquisite 2005 ‘Electric Blue’, followed by ‘Non Stop’ and ‘iPop’, Bell came back in 2014 with über controversial ‘Torsten The Bareback Saint’. The release of Bell’s solo project nearly coincided with ERASURE’s own release of their most recent, highly critically acclaimed ‘The Violet Flame’ in September 2014.
For Bell, ‘Torsten The Bareback Saint’ has been “the biggest challenge of (his) career so far”. After all, it is not just a straightforward album with catchy, poppy songs a-la his previous endeavours. All the songs were written for Bell by Barney Ashton (lyrics) and Christopher Frost / Simon Bayliss (music).
The whole concept was a soundtrack to a theatre show of the same name, where Bell was playing an age-defying polysexual. The show headlined at The Assembly during the 2014 Edinburgh International Fringe Festival for two weeks and proved extremely popular with the audiences. The production and its soundtrack is a highly dramaturgic song-cycle of memories from a life of hedonistic individual, whose semi-immortal being is filled with experiences of passing time.
The opening verse on the album can easily cause moral concern, of the so-called religious conmen. For the rest of us, it rings the tone of the production as being honest, open and not scared to shock. The album flows with amazing ERASURE-esque rhythms and cinematic productions, seeing Bell sing through Torsten’s history from his school years, through wanting to be a star while working at the local bingo, seeking his sexuality, trying out new things and being robbed, with his bike stolen by his female lover in ‘Fountain Of Youth’.
Next, he’s having his heart broken by a random gay partner “from a sauna” in ‘The Boy From The Sauna’ and experiencing romantic love on a weekend away in ‘Weston-Super-Mare’. There’s also witnessing the perverse behaviour of his alcoholic father and withdrawn, abused mother, being lovers with a boy from Brazil, contemplating the “gay thing” in ‘This Gay Thing Isn’t Working’, to considering suicide in ‘As I Prepare To Take My Life’, upon realisation that dreams cannot be achieved.
The songs flow beautifully and singularly would make no sense, with the exception of the opulent, magnificent ‘I Don’t Like’, which is showing off Bell’s massive vocal talent and stands out as a single material by itself. Twenty two sequential tracks fill the production which paints a beautiful, yet sad story of an individual desperate to be loved, one way or another, by whoever, no matter of what sex or background.
The ‘Variance’ remix album contains five versions of ‘Weston-Super-Mare’, re-fashioned purely for fun. Some vocals have been re-recorded with lyrics changed and the whole production has more of an ERASURE feel to it, which will appeal to the die-hard synth-pop fans of the duo. The last remix of the song, ‘Industrial Soundscape Mix’, appears to have elements of CABARET VOLTAIRE and EINSTURZENDE NEUBATEN built into it.
There’s also a poppy take on ‘Bingo Hall Baby’, a stunning Radio Remix of ‘I Don’t Like’ and ‘Fountain Of Youth’, as well as a promotional medley of ‘Torsten The Bareback Saint’, giving the listener a taster of what the production is all about.
Love or hate ANDY BELL, it has to be admitted that the brave artist has an endless talent and has been, for years, the shining icon of the gay brotherhood for a reason. Outspoken, in your face and daring, Bell has taken on a challenge, which he has clearly excelled in. Haters will hate, but it has to be admitted that the artist has outdone himself once again.
‘Variance – The Torsten The Bareback Saint Remixes’ is released by Cherry Red on 4th September 2015 as a CD and download.
“So, what’s so special about Sweden then?” one clueless onlooker once asked ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK… just use your ears mate!
That Svenske sense of melody and melancholy is second to none, running from ABBA right through to the present day with ROBYN, IAMAMIWHOAMI and KITE.
And those qualities come in abundance with DAYBEHAVIOR, a veteran trio who released their first album ‘:Adored’ back in 1996. A second long player ‘Have You Ever Touched A Dream?’ was issued in 2003, but the band went into hiatus until their return in 2012 with ‘Follow That Car!’, an album with quality songs such as ‘City Lights’, ‘Silent Dawn’ and ‘It’s A Game’.
And now with the shortest gap between albums in their history, Paulinda Crescentini, Carl Hammar and Tommy Arell have been preparing their fourth opus ‘Based on a true story’. As a precursor to the album, the happy synthpop of ‘Change’ was unleashed as single in May. But the single’s B-side ‘Cambiare’ has now been presented as a lyric video. Linguaphone was never this much fun 😉
An authentic Italian language version of ‘Change’ thanks to the heritage of Paulinda Crescentini, ‘Cambiare’ oozes with a special, seductive allure while attached to a more danceable electronic backbone. The elegiac yet joyous quality of a female fronted PET SHOP BOYS permeates throughout this wonderful slice of continental disco.
Describing their upcoming album, DAYBEHAVIOR say they “will keep all the thrills, all the chills and the beauty and the sorrow and happiness from the last album. Still keeping eyes on the sound of today, with one or two nods to the past”
The single ‘Change’ b/w ‘Cambiare’ is released as a download by Graplur, available via the usual digital outlets
The Swedes seem to rule the roost these days, as far as turning out the best electronic gems is concerned, with the most decent tunes coming out of this cold, Nordic land.
The starting point of the Swedish Invasion may as well have been with the birth of ASHBURY HEIGHTS in Sundsvall, Sweden in 2005. The rather talented songwriter Anders Hagström, who also produces, programmes and sings, joined forces with Yasmine Uhlin on vocals, releasing a few demos prior to turning out an album, which rocked the electronic genre in 2007.
‘Three Cheers For The Newlydeads’ was hailed as the best thing since sliced bread (or DEPECHE MODE) and the band enjoyed a brief period of popularity all over Europe, gigging at festivals and such like, until Yasmine decided to depart the AH camp. Hagström replaced Yasmine with opera singer Kari Berg, who recorded ‘Take Cair Paramour’, the duo’s second album, in 2010.
Due to ongoing disputes with the band’s label Out Of Line, ASHBURY HEIGHTS disbanded the same year, until a settlement in 2011. The work on the third album did not start however until 2013, when Kari was replaced by alternative model Tea Thimé.
Tea, having a degree in English Literature, co-wrote the lyrical content of ‘The Looking Glass Society’, the name of which was taken from the works of the pair’s beloved Lewis Carroll’s ‘Through The Looking-Glass And What Alice Found There’.
The attraction with the weird, unusual and twisted seems to continue throughout the album, with elements of the bizarre re-surfacing from time to time, punctuating the record periodically.
The opening ‘Masque’ is essential ASHBURY HEIGHTS in a tin, Hagström’s recognisable vocals over interesting synth rhythms resemble both previous releases, promising a decent listening sensation. This feeling continues with the über compelling ‘Heart Of Darkness’, stimulating a combination of sounds, textured beats and striking concoction of vibrations.
The superb drum and bass laced ‘Glow’ sits over clever synth combos and is spelt out with Hagström’s evocative vocal techniques in a perfect manner, while ‘Hollow’ opens with ‘Alice In Wonderland’-type weirdness, progressing into a magnificent electronic extravaganza of excellence, with the pair’s voices interwoven within catchy sounds, just to be wrapped up with more oddness of Carroll-like utopia.
‘Phantasmagoria’ and its perfect strings is what it says on the tin; describing life as “phantasmagoria”, imagining ever-changing, moving, full of illusion, shifting of the scenes in some extraordinary fashion. ‘Piano’ is characterised by the loud pop production, it’s larger than life, while ‘Leave Off At Seven’ shows off the vocal skills of Tea, who had never performed as a singer before, yet here shows off as a fast learner from her partner-in-crime. The predictable production accents the track, similarly with ‘The Number 22’, which strikes as a desperate shot to hit the charts, while still being a formidable tune. Hagström’s vocals at times resemble DE/VISION’s Steffen Keth.
‘Gravitational Man’ features Melodine enhanced vocals from both Hagström and Thimé rushed by speedy, heavy synth that comes over like a Goth paradise. ‘Ghost Spirit Mother’ comes in with a Eurovision worthy sequence, marked with, yet again, rather predictable production, somehow unimaginable, while ‘Starlight’ improves with excellently marked musicality. ‘November Corrosion’ closes the record providing a heavy dose of the “good stuff”, the type of which one grew to expect from ASHBURY HEIGHTS. LADY GAGA’s style vocals, as utilised on her 2013 ‘Artpop’ can be distinguished and seem to suit Tea marvellously. With the additional weight from Hagström, this is a perfect track to close the production.
It’s fair to say that any self-respecting synth pop, industrial and new wave music fan will appreciate this latest offering by the Swedish duo.
Tea brings certain freshness into the mix and all the previous elements of greatness are preserved. The songs are well written and certainly top anything else ASHBURY HEIGHTS have turned out to date.
The production however, comes across as rather foreseeable and given; clearly wanting to appeal to wider audiences and aimed at chart success. One wonders what the album would sound like, if it had been produced more imaginatively and less predictably. The songs amalgamate into one, continuous, indistinguishable mass, which surely could have been avoided.
The charm of ‘Three Cheers For The Newlydeads’ might not be repeated. However, ‘The Looking Glass Society’ provides an ample amount of fantastic songs. They easily pass the club test due to their danceability factor, and have enough electronica to satisfy synth lovers too.
Sweden does it once again!
‘The Looking Glass Society’ is released by Out of Line Music on CD and download
The beginning of 2014 saw a new American duo emerge onto the synthpop scene from Utah’s capital Salt Lake City.
Singer, songwriter and producer Tom Cella joined forces with David Burdick, a producer and tune maker. In July that same year, the curiously named first single ‘Nothing Matters’ was released. The track enjoyed airplay in the United States, Australia and the UK, and was followed that September by ‘This Broken Resolution’.
‘Light in the Dark’ has been described in the press release as “a blend of synthpop, trance and futurepop” and the band are aiming to restore the power of electronic music with a new perspective. Both guys could easily pass as lookalikes of Tom Shear from Seattle’s celebrated and rather superb ASSEMBLAGE 23; their music however, couldn’t be further in direction from the masters of the likes of ‘Compass’ or ‘Defiance’.
The album and track eight’s title cunningly resembles the latest achievement by new German band SYNTHDECADE, ‘Lighten Up The Darkness’. Quoting the likes of Erasure, M83 and ABOVE & BEYOND as their influences, here are ten songs rounded up in a lattice of melodic and pleasant dance friendly tunes, with perhaps a scarse dose of melancholy.
Opening song ‘Say Something’ certainly opens with a catchy, semi-trancey dance sequence and the first thing that comes to mind, as a rather burning reference, is German / Greek duo FROZEN PLASMA. Vasi Vallis and Felix Marc have been creating similar sounding tunes on Infacted Recordings, starting with the marvellous ‘Artificial’ all through to their latest release ‘Dekadenz’, in March 2015. However, Tom Cella’s vocals are not comparable; soft and almost female in feel, they add a certain airy aspect to the song, which in itself is an accomplished dance tune.
‘Perception’ follows with gentle piano and an interesting synth pattern, creating a canvas for a heavily reverbed voice, somehow resembling the sound of PRIEST. A pleasant, yet non-descript production, it is suitable for an easy listening pleasure. ‘Oxygen’ continues with the gentle feel of the Germany’s MINERVE, while ‘Nothing Matters’ carries on a simple love message lyrically, over a combination of engaging and satisfying electronic combos.
‘Metaphysical’ opens with sampled wind effects over some gentle and quite enchanting synth; calmer in texture, but it still resembles FROZEN PLASMA. This feel very much continues with ‘This Broken Resolution’ which is so similar, it could nearly be the same tune. The tempo picks up, yet the quality of the tune is maintained. ‘A Million Words’ pretty much carries on from the previous couple, while ‘Light In The Dark’ and ‘High Above’ are quintessential FROZEN PLASMA, with the only differentiating element being the vocals.
What the duo have produced is pretty much what they wanted to achieve; catchy, synthpop tunes, heavily influenced by trance and melodious enough for a good, old boogie. Are the songs hook driven? Yes, they are. Have they got the emotional notes of synthpop? Yes, they have. Are they varying “from euphoria to broken hearted sorrow”? Perhaps they are.
What one cannot escape from, though, is that the original claim for the “need of fresh perspective” is as far from reality as the claims of the likes of German trio SYNTHDECADE who promise a new direction in electronic music, but then follow with songs sounding like CAMOUFLAGE.
Of course, this sort of music may be fresh and original for the audiences over the pond; but the European crowd will undoubtedly hear FROZEN PLASMA in this production, a long standing electronic German band, with dozen of tunes sounding exactly like RARE FACTURE minus the gentler, more feminine quality of voice.
As delightful and pleasing as the songs on this album are, there is no escape from the fact that one has heard this sort of thing before, and nothing can beat the good old ‘Tanz Die Revolution’. All this said, ‘Light In The Dark’ is a satisfying album, which no doubt will find many a listener on both sides of the Atlantic.
‘Light in the Dark’ is available as a CD or download via RARE FACTURE website
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.
Due to ongoing disputes with the band’s label Out Of Line, ASHBURY HEIGHTS disbanded the same year, until a settlement in 2011. The work on the third album did not start however until 2013, when Kari was replaced by alternative model Tea Thimé.
It’s fair to say that any self-respecting synth pop, industrial and new wave music fan will appreciate this latest offering by the Swedish duo.
Opening song ‘Say Something’ certainly opens with a catchy, semi-trancey dance sequence and the first thing that comes to mind, as a rather burning reference, is German / Greek duo 
Follow Us!