Category: Reviews (Page 171 of 206)

MARSHEAUX Monument

5 July 2015 /

MARSHEAUX first revealed they were covering the entire of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘A Broken Frame’ in an interview with ELECTRICTYCLUB.CO.UK in January 2014.

They had previously covered ‘New Life’ for the ‘Around The World & Back: A Greek Tribute To Depeche Mode’ album released on Undo Records and met through the local Hysterika DM fan club, so the project was not entirely a surprise. Very much a transitional record, ‘A Broken Frame’ contained a number of songs that were to become fan favourites such as ‘My Secret Garden’, ‘The Sun & The Rainfall’, and ‘Shouldn’t Have Done That’.

The album’s opening gambit ‘Leave In Silence’ even made a return to the DEPECHE MODE live set during 2006’s ‘Touring The Angel’, albeit in stripped down piano form with Martin Gore on lead vocals. A worthy re-assessment of ‘A Broken Frame’ has been long overdue and as the DM album closest to the MARSHEAUX aesthetic, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou have certainly given its songs some interesting arrangements. ‘See You’ in particular has had a radical rhythmical overhaul yet still retains its teenage innocence, while a beefed up ‘Nothing To Fear’ comes over as an optimistic Hellectro statement.

The reworking’s pivotal track ‘Monument’ takes on a starker twist though, with a bassline borrowed from latter day DEPECHE MODE B-side ‘Painkiller’. It adds a sombre sonic undercurrent that compliments the girls’ wispily resigned vocals. Even the lyrics have now taken on a new resonance and could be viewed as a passing commentary on the economic situation in Greece. A new cinematic visual accompaniment for ‘Monument’ has just been unveiled. Filmed on the outskirts of Athens, the video enigmatically conveys the emotional tension of the new arrangement.

The original 1982 long player was the first recorded by DEPECHE MODE without their then main songwriter Vince Clarke, who had left to form YAZOO with Alison Moyet. Martin Gore took over writing duties but while several of the songs such as ‘Meaning Of Love’ and ‘A Photograph Of You’ were naïve, a dark realism started to permeate in the music. MARSHEAUX’s respectful and intuitive approach towards reimagining DEPECHE MODE’s most under rated album has been well received among electronic music fans and Devotees alike.

MARSHEAUX 2015 by George Katsanakis

Writing for ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, Monika Izabela Goss said: “Expressive, innovative and full of character, they denote exactly what this cover album is”. Meanwhile, Numan friendly blog I Die: You Die said: “…if even a doubter like myself can get excited by the new life Marsheaux breathe into these tunes, then the devout for whom all things DM are sacred should find even more to love”.

‘A Broken Frame’ is now available as a double CD set with bonus B-sides ‘Oberkorn’ and ‘Now This Is Fun’ featuring MIRRORS’ James New, plus a special extended version of ‘A Broken Frame’.

The various formats of ‘A Broken Frame’ and the ‘Monument’ CD single can be ordered from the Undo Records online shop at http://undorecords.bigcartel.com/products

MARSHEAUX play Electronic Summer in Gothenburg on Saturday 29th August 2015, more details at http://www.electronicsummer.se/

http://marsheaux.com/

https://www.facebook.com/marsheaux

http://www.undorecords.com

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by George Katsanakis
5th July 2015

MURICIDAE Tears Are Stronger Than Waves

1 July 2015 /

It truly is amazing when one producer can cut his teeth into so many projects at the same time and turn out superb gems at the highest level.

John Fryer has gone and done just that.

If it wasn’t enough that earlier this year we were treated to his first EP under the MURICIDAE umbrella with LA based Louise Fraser, floatingly titled ‘Tales From A Silent Ocean’, which has been highly critically acclaimed upon its release in April; Fryer comes back and provides the hungry listener with a production easily knocking anything else back from the pedestal.

Having treated his audiences to the ‘Soft Landing’ LP with Pinky Turzo as SILVER GHOST SHIMMER not that long ago and which has easily topped any recent release, the genius plates up ‘Tears Are Stronger Than Waves’ only three months after its predecessor.

Well known for having worked with the likes of COCTEAU TWINS, FAD GADGET, DEPECHE MODE and NINE INCH NAILS, Fryer isn’t a stranger to great sounding tunes, his own projects however, are as proficient as they get. His production techniques are right up with the Alan Wilders of this world, and paired with a competent vocalist, he brings the listener measured gifts of “oceanic auralgasms” in abundance.

Track one, ‘Strange’ opens with scarce synth elements providing the perfect canvas for the most angelic voice of Fraser, evolving into a glass-like shimmering sunshine reflection on the ocean waves. With Fryer’s production mirroring RECOIL’s ‘Drifting’, it gives the impression of an unknown threat and mystery, something Wilder used to excel in on DEPECHE MODE creations.

The mood is sharply changed with the harsh guitar riffs announcing the introduction of ‘Morphine’, like pure grunge meets glam electro. Sweet, yet menacing and in your face, drugging up the receiver into begging for a shot of some more! Oh how soothing the addiction is!

‘Home’ brings back the soft, synth droplets of perfection. With OMD inspired elements eloquently performed with JULEE CRUISE-like vocals, it is the kind of tune which Badalamenti would beg for. With a further dose of uncertain melody, it is chillingly calming and fearfully relaxing. Fryer is a self-confessed ‘Twin Peaks’ fan and that fact truly shows in this magnificent tune.

muricidae3The familiar notes of ‘Should I Stay’ form the fourth number. Having appeared in a slightly different format on the first EP, this superb production shows off the sweetly haunting vocal intertwined within the remarkable concoction of orchestral sounds skilfully assembled by Fryer. ‘Going Under’ concludes the production with its unusually irregular structure. An admirably gentle start with scarce strings and gentle vocal elements, bursting into an immense case of serious guitar, synth and drum mixture, twinkling over the waves of the ocean, which is “calling to me”.

John Fryer has to stop this… the overload of the good stuff is surely not healthy, or is it just what the doctor ordered? Another slinky, über elegant, yet atomic piece, bursting out at the seams of greatness, a must have for all top drawer music lovers, irrespective of the genre. John, a well-deserved holiday for you perhaps?

‘Tears Are Stronger Than Waves’ is available now as a download EP

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

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

http://www.louisefraser.com/

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
1st July 2015

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 portrait commissions 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 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, the stature of this album will only be enhanced over time.

‘Autumn In The Neighbourhood’ is available in CD and vinyl LP formats from https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/collections/china-crisis/products/china-crisis-autumn-in-the-neighbourhood-10th-anniversary

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

https://twitter.com/ChinaCrisisUK

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

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th June 2015, updated 29th May 2025

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