Category: Reviews (Page 174 of 206)

EAST INDIA YOUTH Culture of Volume

27 April 2015 /

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.

‘Culture of Volume’ is released by XL Recordings on CD, vinyl and download

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)

http://eastindiayouth.co.uk/

Text by Paul Boddy
25th April 2015

MARTIN GORE MG

24 April 2015 /


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.

MG wires‘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

http://www.martingore.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MartinGore

http://mute.com/martin-l-gore/

Text by Monika Izabela Goss
24th April 2015

KARIN PARK Apocalypse Pop

13 April 2015 /


Let’s face it, 2012’s ‘Highwire Poetry’ was always going to be a pretty damn hard act to follow.

Arguably one of the best electronic pop albums from the last five years, it managed to maintain a balance of quirky, original songs, wrapped up in a production template that kept synth fans happy, but with also nods to contemporary sonics too.

Tracks such as ‘Thousand Loaded Guns’ and ‘Fryngies’ even brought KARIN PARK to the attention of Gary Numan who chose her as support on one of his UK tours. There must be an element of frustration in the Park camp that she hasn’t broken on a wider scale by now, on paper she has everything, astonishing model looks, a fantastic and charismatic live show (with her brother David accompanying her on drums) and with ‘Highwire Poetry’, an album that easily held its own against her contemporaries such as ROBYN, THE KNIFE and BJÖRK (comparisons which she’s probably getting tired of by now!).

This brings us to Park’s fifth album and second for Portsmouth-based label State of the Eye: ‘Apocalypse Pop’. The temptation would have probably been to stick with the format that worked so well on album four, but Park’s new set of songs has a distinctly different sound and vibe to them.

The overall tone and production on ‘Apocalypse Pop’ is much more edgy both from a sonic point of view (distortion and rock dynamics are more prevalent here) and with some of the lyrical content (more on that later). If anything, the overall sound of this album is more homogenized and cohesive than the last, but this is not necessarily a good thing, with many of the tracks taking several listens to hit home, the stylistic mish-mash of immediate songs which filled ‘Highwire Poetry’ is to a large degree missing here.

Opening track and single ‘Look What You’ve Done’ sets the tone, each sound has been overdriven including Park’s vocals and the track bounces along to the familiar 6/8 Schaffel beat which has been used by everybody from DEPECHE MODE to Rachel Stevens. Another previously released single ‘Shine’ follows next, its understated feel adding to the rollercoaster feel of the album (one moment you’re up, the next you’re down).

‘Stick To The Lie’ follows a more traditional electronic format with its driving sequencers and arpeggiators and is far better for it, lyrically it also connects far more successfully, with Park injecting its “truth… hurts like a sharp knife” hook with real emotion. ‘Daemons’ is the real Marmite track on the album, Park bearing her soul with the “I know I’ve been a c***” lyric, whereas musically and vocally, the chorus takes the track into decidedly unwelcome R’n’B territory. Final track ‘Hurricane’ lifts things tempo-wise and has a wonderful elastic / portamento bass sound and finishes proceedings in a more hypnotic/dance manner, Park sharing lead vocals with Thomas Knights from UK act PANDORA DRIVE.

The darker and more understated feel throughout has undoubtedly been informed by the illness of Park’s partner last year. This is not a bad album, but in places, it treads water rather than taking the standards previously set to a higher level. ‘Stick To The Lie’ is easily the most immediate track here and should act as the in point for fans of Park’s previous work. Meanwhile, the use of explicit language misfires badly, nobody really wants to hear the ‘C’ word in an electronic pop record and in many ways it seems to suggest that Park and her collaborators are trying a little too hard here to get themselves noticed.

For maybe a little too long now, Karin Park has been electronic pop’s best kept secret, and she certainly warrants a much larger demographic than what’s she’s achieved so far. Hopefully ‘Apocalypse Pop’ will help maintain the momentum she has generated and she will get a wider degree of success that she so richly deserves.

‘Apocalypse Pop’ is released by State Of The Eye Recordings on CD, download and vinyl.

http://www.karinpark.com/

http://www.facebook.com/karinpark

Text by Paul Boddy
13th April 2015

SAY LOU LOU Lucid Dreaming

7 April 2015 /

After first getting international acclaim in 2012 for their second single ‘Julian’, highly photogenic Scandipodean twins SAY LOU LOU have finally released their debut album ‘Lucid Dreaming’.

Elektra and Miranda Kilbey were shortlisted in the BBC Sound of 2014, but the album has undergone all sorts of delays.

The question is after all that time and with contributions from noted pop scribes Richard X, Hannah Robinson and Liam Howe, have SAY LOU LOU been able to deliver on their brand of shimmering  escapism?

‘Lucid Dreaming’ is largely a brooding midtempo affair. That may not appeal to all, but with modern pop being either full-on EDM blow-outs or tedious wailing piano ballads these days, this approach could be seen as refreshing. SAY LOU LOU have been labelled a female HURTS having supported them during their 2013 European tour. But like HURTS, their music could do with a kick occasionally but with numbers such as the opener ‘Everything We Touch’, they are driven by a togetherness that can only come from two siblings.

The wonderful ‘Glitter’ ups the ante a little with a great synth melody and disco rhythms not unlike THE GOLDEN FILTER. But ‘Games For Girls’, the twin’s collaboration with dance producer LINDSTRØM sticks out like a sore thumb, as fun as it is, with Elektra and Miranda hitting some very high notes. The rousing single not included on the album ‘Better In The Dark’ may have been a more suitable alternative.

‘Julian’ though is possibly still the most outstanding song in their armoury at present. Untouched from the original 2012 version, SAY LOU LOU’s darkness and light duality showcases itself here. “I’ll get us through the checkpoint; I know we’ll be alright!” It is full of tension and intrigue like a Nordic Noir mini-series, compressed into a three minute pop song.

‘Angels (Above Me)’ takes the tempo down while the string laden ‘Peppermint’ takes things down further. Co-written with Hannah Robinson and Liam Howe, ‘Beloved’ is a striking ballad full of warmth with its pretty Yé-Yé girl styled vocals.

The percussive ‘Hard For A Man’ with its rich vocal intonation adds further colours to the palette but one can’t help wanting the template to alter slightly, even if it is only a slight increase in tempo as on ‘Glitter’. Now much had been made in the long build up to this album about Richard X’s involvement, but alas, his presence is only heard on ‘Wilder Than The Wind’, another ballad. Considering the impressive work he did on ERASURE’s ‘The Violet Flame’, this number is disappointing.

Midtempo or not, ‘Nothing But A Heartbeat’ is up there with ‘Julian’ as an album highlight. Dreamy and dynamic, it’s like those semi-sprightly cinematic numbers that HURTS used to do before they turned into SIMPLE MINDS.

The epic closer ‘Skylights’ is basically how MARSHEAUX would sound if Marianthi and Sophie attempted an AOR ballad with weeping keyboards and strings filling the void instead of guitars. The vocals from the Kilbey sisters are top notch, as they are throughout the collection.

Overall, ‘Lucid Dreaming’ does come over like a LANA DEL REY album, but without the swearing. SAY LOU LOU’s moody Nordic Noir Pop will not be for everyone, but there are enough great songs to make this album worthy of investigation

‘Lucid Dreaming’ is released by A Deux / Columbia Records

http://www.sayloulou.com/

http://www.facebook.com/SayLouLoumusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
7th April 2014

PAUL HARTNOLL 8:58

6 April 2015 /

8:58 is the newly christened name for the side project of ORBITAL’s Paul Hartnoll.

There are definitive threads running through this album which inevitably hark back to ORBITAL, the chronological theme of the title track and ‘The Clock’ recall the ‘Planet of Shapes’ from ‘The Brown Album’ which featured the “Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day” sample from ‘Withnail and I’.

The album opener and title track features ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and ‘Peaky Blinders’ star Cillian Murphy intoning about how throughout our lives, we are slaves to the unstoppable ticking of time and the clock.

Murphy linked up with Hartnoll when the latter was commissioned to create the soundtrack for the BBC Gangland-based TV series along with PJ Harvey and the legendary Flood (who handles mixing duties here too). Murphy also appears in the accompanying promo video which features a ‘Mr. Benn’ shopkeeper-style cameo from Paul Hartnoll himself.

‘8:58’ itself starts off in pretty slow-burning and down-tempo fashion with vocal and bell textured synths, before the track ramps up significantly towards the end with bitcrushed drums bringing the piece to a more dramatic and heightened conclusion.

Up next is ‘Please’ which features more guests in the form of Robert Smith from THE CURE and Lianne Hall – in case you are getting a sense of de ja vu here, then you would be right, as the track originally appeared on Paul Hartnoll’s solo offering ‘The Ideal Condition’.

This time around though, the original version’s ‘Satellite Of Love’ chord progression has been given a supercharged dance-oriented / square wave bass production, featuring a stabbed synth break and portamento lead riff which couldn’t be more ORBITAL-esque if they tried… interestingly, the original 2007 mix of this song is conspicuously absent from YouTube, but a few remixes exist should you wish to make a comparison, or head over to Spotify to have a listen!

‘The Past Now’ is a far more original sounding proposition, guest folk vocalist Lisa Knapp’s heavily reverbed vocals sounding gorgeous against an initially ambient wash before the track builds over a FAD GADGET style rhythm track. The song builds dynamically throughout with more contemporary sounding eight beat stabbed chords – the lush sound of this track is a definite highlight here, the vocal textures recalling the wonderful Liz Fraser in places.

unthanksHartnoll is a self-confessed folk fanatic and again dips into vocalists from this genre by featuring THE UNTHANKS on a version of THE CURE’s classic ‘A Forest’. But he resists the temptation to up its tempo, going for a more funereal and understated feel instead.

The familiar intro and outro guitars are re-imagined on synths and the whole approach even outdoes the original atmosphere of the track to take it to a far darker place altogether.

The left and right panning on Rachel and Becky Unthanks’ vocals help to give the interpretation of the song a more claustrophobic / intimate feel throughout, yet complementing the electronic sheen of the production.

Purely instrumental tracks ‘Broken Up’ and ‘Nearly There’ help bring the album towards a close, the latter being the most up tempo and 4/4 oriented track on the album, a frenetic almost early psy-trance feel to the sequencing.

Final track on ‘8:58’ is the haunting ‘Cemetery’, again another vocal-led piece with lyrics from the 18 year old Holly AKA ‘Fable’. Vocal cut-ups and a mix of 4/4 and breakbeat drums recall ORBITAL again without being an out-and-out pastiche. Staccato percussive KRAFTWERK synths echo around the stereo field and another heavily reverbed vocal leads into a melancholic but euphoric chord progression as the track rounds off the album perfectly. The main vocal hook on the song is “We are made of symmetry”, but a play on words gives the song its conclusive final title.

Overall, the clean synthetic production and sound of ‘8:58’ is superb with Flood being the perfect choice to handle the mixdown.

The album certainly holds its own against the last ORBITAL product ‘Wonky’, but with the cancellation of the recently scheduled 8:58 tour, there surely must have been have been a few regrets that this didn’t become a full-on collaboration with brother Phil – this certainly would have guaranteed a higher profile and potentially higher tickets sales.

On the flipside, Paul Hartnoll should still be given credit for putting his all into this work, one which shares a perfect sonic space and parallels with the recent SUSANNE SUNDFØR release, which in places has a similar sound. Will the eventual outcome of this album lead to another ORBITAL reformation? Only time will tell…

‘8:58’ is released by ACP Recordings and available now in CD, 2CD, download, deluxe download and double vinyl formats via the usual retailers

http://www.eightfiftyeight.com/

https://www.facebook.com/eightfiftyeightmusic

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/eightfiftyeight

Text by Paul Boddy
6th April 2015

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