Category: Reviews (Page 177 of 200)

FEATHERS Only One

13 January 2014 /


One of the strongest albums of 2013 came from Texas based FEATHERS with ‘If All Now Here’.

Essentially the musical vehicle of Austin based singer / songwriter / programmer Anastasia Dimou, Softsynth described it as “about as good a debut as we’ve heard in a yonk’s age” while Popjustice simply said it as “very good” and listed it in their Top 33 Albums of 2013.

As Softsynth said in their review, to call FEATHERS the female DEPECHE MODE is apt but rather over simplifying it.

Combining modernism, dystopia and deserts with a husky, gothic allure with Middle Eastern overtones, FEATHERS’ moody dramatic torch songs such as ‘Land Of The Innocent’ and ‘Leaves Start Trembling’ combine well with their vibrant danceable synthpop such as ‘Dark Matter’, ‘Familiar So Strange’ and ‘Soft’.

Most importantly though, they have tunes and choruses. Speaking about FEATHERS’ album, Dimou remarked that ‘If All Now Here’ “may be too poppy for some, and too dark for others” but to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, they sound like the perfect pop group!

FEATHERS’ filmic impressionism and spacious dynamics have impressed all the right people. This has resulted in an invitation to support DEPECHE MODE on the January 2014 leg of their European tour.

Comparisons with Basildon’s finest are inevitable for the Sisters Of Night but whereas some acts literally try to reproduce the classic DM sound layer-by-layer, FEATHERS are different straight away by the virtue of Dimou’s vocals and its contrast with the predominantly electronic backing. This ultimately gives the girls their own, very promising identity. To coincide with their big break supporting Da Mode, FEATHERS have released their first new material since ‘If All Now Here’ on a maxi-collection entitled ‘Only One’.

The title track ‘The Only One’though is driven by a more obscure programmed rhythm construction. Dimou’s vocal does wow and flutter in a fashion that takes a bit of getting used to, but the result is delightfully unusual in the context of electropop. Plus there’s another of those dreamy harmonic chorus sections leading to a fabulous middle eight. It is stuff like this that makes FEATHERS so enticing. An alternate take on the 6/8 stomper ‘Believe’ is one of the bonuses.

Interestingly, it is slightly more electronic than the slide guitar laden version on ‘If All Now Here’ so now sounds a little less like DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Soothe My Soul’. At points coming over like GOLDFRAPP fronted by THE BANGLES, it begs the question as to what DM would sound like now if they actually used their synths again, instead of just having them to accessorise their ‘Delta Machine’ blues!

To finish, there’s the Vogel remix of ‘Familiar So Strange’. Stripped of its electro disco elements and paced down, with its mix of Dimou’s seductive allure and sttacato vocal treatments, it really could fit onto the soundtrack of ‘Drive’.

The two new songs from ‘Only One’ indicate that FEATHERS are still on track after their impressive start with ‘If All Now Here’. The doors opened by the DEPECHE MODE support tour could help lift them into the big time.

The ‘Only One’ EP is available as a download from http://feathers.bandcamp.com/album/only-one

The debut album ‘If All Now Here’ is still available for download via Bandcamp, Amazon or iTunes

FEATHERS open for DEPECHE MODE on the following European dates:

Barcelona Palau St Jordi (15th January), Madrid Palacio de Desportes (17th January), Madrid Palacio de Desportes (18th January), Montpelier Arena (21st January), Lyon Halle Tony Garnier (23rd January), Antwerp Sportpaleis (25th January), Birmingham LG Arena (27th January), Paris Bercy (29th January), Paris Bercy (31st January)

They also play their own headline show at Birthdays in Stoke Newington, London on Saturday 1st February 2014 http://www.ticketarena.co.uk/events/Feathers-1/

http://www.feathers.fm/

https://www.facebook.com/feathersmusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
13th January 2014

DIE KRUPPS Nazis Auf Speed

29 December 2013 /

Metall Maschinen Musik veterans DIE KRUPPS have just unveiled a controversial new video for ‘Nazis Auf Speed’, a track from their latest album ‘The Machinists Of Joy’.

Formed in 1980, original members Jürgen Engler and PROPAGANDA’s Ralf Dörper plus new recruit Marcel Zürcher have taken back some of what they have given to the Industrial scene over the last three decades with this Teutonic sub-RAMMSTEIN battle of the senses. The lyrics reflect on how The Third Reich aspired to victory at all costs and gave out drugs to their troops including speed in the form of Pervitin.

However, despite its provocative title, DIE KRUPPS point out that they “condemn fascism and drug abuse!” The monochromatic film directed by Philipp Virus depicts the darker, vicious side of Mittel Europa and sees DIE KRUPPS in a heroic and ironic dogfight AGAINST fascism and drug abuse… as if to point out the irony, the trio board Spitfires!

While the stark imagery does play on the usual Second World War clichés, it is powerful stuff while on a purely shallow and aesthetic level, who cannot resist the allure of a beautiful woman in a military uniform, no matter whose side she is on!

Meanwhile, the parent album ‘The Machinists Of Joy’ reached No1 on the Deutsche Alternative Charts on its release in the Autumn. Previous singles ‘Schmutzfabrik’, ‘Risikofaktor’ and ‘Industrie-Mädchen’ showcased a much greater focus on electronic sounds rather than guitars as in DIE KRUPPS previous work, but the essential sweaty body core still prevails in this 21st Century incarnation of the band.

‘The Machinists Of Joy’ is released as a CD, limited edition 2CD and download via Synthetic Symphony

DIE KRUPPS 2014 tour dates include:

Dresden Eventwerk (14th February), Prag Meet Factory (15th February), Budapest Duerer Kert (16th February), Wien Szene (18th February), München Backstage Werk (19th February), Nürnberg Rockfabrik (20th February), Pratteln Z7 (21st February), Oberhausen Turbinehall (22nd February), Hamburg Markthalle (23rd February), Berlin C-Club (25th February) , Frankfurt AM Batschkapp (26th February), Hannover Musikzentrum (27th February), Moskau Plan B (1st March), St Petersburg Zal Ojidanija (2nd March), Amphi Festival (27th July), M’era Luna Festival (10th August)

http://www.diekrupps.de/

https://www.facebook.com/diekruppsofficial

Text by Chi Ming Lai
29th December 2013

CAMOUFLAGE The Box 1983-2013

28 December 2013 /

Photo by Heike Hilgendorff

German synthpop veterans CAMOUFLAGE are to release a 10CD boxed set containing all seven of their albums plus archive and rare material tracing their output from 1983 to the present day.

When ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK first heard one of their best known songs ‘The Great Commandment’ in a Hong Kong night club during the summer of 1989, it was mistaken for being a DEPECHE MODE B-side.

After a period of frantically buying DM singles to find this mystery track without any success, it was only several years later while visiting Braunschweig in Germany that ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK learnt that it was actually by this talented trio from Bietigheim-Bissingen. Heiko Maile, Marcus Meyn and Oliver Kreyssig met through a shared interest in KRAFTWERK, ULTRAVOX, YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA and DEPECHE MODE; it was natural they would start making electronic music together.

Naming themselves after a YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA song and taking their template from DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Some Great Reward’, CAMOUFLAGE developed on the industrial flavoured synthpop of ‘Master & Servant’ and ‘People Are People’ which the Basildon boys had all but abandoned from ‘Black Celebration’ onwards.

In today’s world, DEPECHE MODE influenced acts are common place but in 1987, this was highly unusual. But despite first impressions, CAMOUFLAGE had their own style, taking in more traditional melodies in the vein of KRAFTWERK which in turn were rooted to European folk and classical music. Vocally, Marcus Meyn was more like an accented Martin Gore. Preferring to sing in English, their naïve second language charm, both phonetically and lyrically, gave them a cautiously optimistic demeanour compared to the pessimistic realism of DEPECHE MODE.

CAMOUFLAGE’s debut album ‘Voices & Images’ on Metronome Records was an impressive first salvo. As well as ‘The Great Commandment’ (probably the best single DM never recorded), there was the rousingly anthemic ‘Strangers Thoughts’, the epically building ‘That Smiling Face’ and the beautifully fragile ‘Where Has The Childhood Gone’.

One aspect of CAMOUFLAGE that made them quite distinct from DEPECHE MODE was their use of detuned pentatonics as heard on ‘Winner Takes Nothing’. An obvious throwback from their love of YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA, this was to manifest itself into CAMOUFLAGE’s later first phase work as they became less Modal.

With ‘The Great Commandment’ being a hit in Europe and the US (although not in the UK which by now had grown out of synthpop and was in the throws of the acid house revolution), the pressure was on for a follow-up hit. This came in the shape of the more Eurocentric ‘Love Is A Shield’. An even bigger hit in Europe than ‘The Great Commandment’, this co-write with Peter Godwin sounded more BRONSKI BEAT than DEPECHE MODE and further established CAMOUFLAGE’s reputation.

Employing Dan Lacksman of Belgian synth pioneers TELEX as primary producer, the parent long player ‘Methods Of Silence’ included an expanded instrumental palette featuring strings, woodwinds and more real instruments, but was less satisfying overall than ‘Voices & Images’. It also probably suffered from eventual comparison at the time with ‘Violator’, still regarded as one of DEPECHE MODE’s most accomplished albums.

Although the album yielded a further European hit with the oriental sounding ‘One Fine Day’ and the band completed a sold-out tour of Europe, their success proved to be too much for Oliver Kreyssig who left the band for personal reasons.

Photo by Walter Cymbal

The void left the remaining duo of Meyn and Maile to ponder their future direction. Working with DURAN DURAN and HUMAN LEAGUE producer Colin Thurston, they recorded the more conventional ‘Meanwhile’. Featuring live percussion and more guitars, the album was not embraced by CAMOUFLAGE’s fans.

The pair refound their synth roots with the 1992 AREU AREU covers side-project featuring versions of songs by FAD GADGET, HEAVEN 17, DEPECHE MODE and THE CURE. The busman’s holiday led to the return to form of ‘Bodega Bohemia’ in 1993. More focussed and electronic than its predecessor, this was CAMOUFLAGE’s strongest work since ‘Voices & Images’. As well as the marvellously trancey opener ‘Pedestrian’s Adventures’, there was the ‘Violator’-lite of ‘Suspicious Love’ and the epic 9 minute Sylvian-esque drama of ‘In Your Ivory Tower’.

Despite this artistic success, there were tensions with Metronome Records who had concentrated their resources on ACE OF BASE and failed to licence releases for ‘Bodega Bohemia’ outside of Germany.

As a result, the duo signed to BMG via its RCA imprint but 1995’s ‘Spice Crackers’ was unable to revive fortunes due to its esoteric nature, having been sourced from two shelved art based projects. However, the track ‘Kraft’ was one of its more memorable experiments while from the same period, the frantic electro rock ‘n’ roll cover of Moon Martin’s ‘Bad News’ was another highlight.

The duo took a hiatus but in 1999, CAMOUFLAGE announced their comeback with Oliver Kreyssig returning to the fold; they released a new single ‘Thief’. The resultant album ‘Sensor’ was held back until 2003 by assorted delays at parent label Polydor but was well worth the wait.

The lead single ‘Me & You’ with its blistering sub-Numan synth line sounded like what post-‘Violator’ DEPECHE MODE might have sounded like had the band stayed in Berlin and not ventured off to find The Blues! Meanwhile, the catchy ‘Perfect’ was looser but still electronic while ‘I Can’t Feel You’ could only have been a homage to Da Mode and was effectively an uptempo makeover of ‘The Things You Said’ from ‘Music For The Masses’.

Their seventh album ‘Relocated’ was released on SPV Records in 2006 and contained a number of great tracks including ‘We Are Lovers’, ‘Dreaming’ and ‘The Pleasure Remains’ to prove that CAMOUFLAGE were back for good. Since then, CAMOUFLAGE have been touring regularly and the forthcoming ‘Greyscale’ album is soon to be released.

Photo by Klaus Mellenthin

‘The Box 1983-2013’ is a fitting way to draw attention to the back catalogue of CAMOUFLAGE which over 30 years has seen some of the best electronic pop produced from Germany outside of KRAFTWERK. Indeed, their B-side ‘Kling Klang’ and live cover of ‘Computerliebe’ are fine indicators of that lineage.

Within in the box set, there is also the inclusion of the AREU AREU EP plus a version of TALK TALK’s ‘Today’ recorded in 1989 on the ‘Archive#2 Live Recordings’ disc. This wealth of rare archive and concert material will satisfy their loyal following the world over.

Photo by Mathias Bothor

Recommended listening to those new to CAMOUFLAGE:

The Great Commandment
That Smiling Face
Neighbours
Winner Takes Nothing
Strangers Thoughts
Where Has The Childhood Gone
Music For Ballerinas
Love Is A Shield
Kling Klang
Pedestrian’s Adventures
Suspicious Love
In Your Ivory Tower
Bad News
Kraft
Me & You
Perfect
I Can’t Feel You
We Are Lovers
The Pleasure Remains
Dreaming

‘The Box 1983-2013’ is released by Bureau B and Tapete Records on 8th February 2014, limited to 1000 signed and numbered copies

CAMOUFLAGE’s albums such as ‘Voices & Images’, ‘Methods Of Silence’, ‘Bodega Bohemia’, ‘Sensor’ and ‘Relocated’ are available separately via the usual online outlets

For the more cautious purchaser, there is the compilation ‘Rewind :The Best of 95-87’

http://www.camouflage-music.com/en/News

https://www.facebook.com/camouflagemusic

https://twitter.com/CamouflageNews

https://www.instagram.com/camouflagemusic/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YTbBGa3Tf2rRPhiJxWoUN

Text by Chi Ming Lai
28th December 2013

FOTONOVELA A Ton Of Love

10 December 2013 /

Guest vocalist albums are a strange beast; often too varied to give a coherent directional focus but too samey to work as a compilation, reactions to them are mixed.

But among the best in recent years though has been 2009’s debut album by KLEERUP featuring Robyn, Lykke Li, Marit Bergman and Titiyo. And now comes the second album from Greek production duo FOTONOVELA. Although their own catalogue has been small, their fingers have been in many pies. Primarily known for their work with MARSHEAUX, they have also remixed PET SHOP BOYS, GROOVE ARMADA and THE HUMAN LEAGUE.

Named after the cult Italo standard, FOTONOVELA’s sophomore LP is called ‘A Ton Of Love’; it kind of sums up the concept and is appropriately, an anagram of George Geranios and Nick Bitzenis’ professional moniker. The album is a far more song based collection than its groove laden predecessor, ‘Mistakes Are Good’.

The concept of ‘A Ton Of Love’ was to produce a supreme electronic record featuring vocalists from all stages of classic synthpop as a homage to the genre. As a sign of their ambition, the first person they approached was OMD’s Andy McCluskey and the sessions went well… so well in fact that the resultant number ‘Helen Of Troy’ ended up on OMD’s ‘English Electric’ opus! Great for FOTONOVELA’s standing but back to square one for the album. Next up was a collaboration with new Wall Of Sound signings EKKOES… that went well too with ‘Fight The Feeling’> pencilled in as their debut single!

One could be forgiven for thinking with FOTONOVELA’s tracks being coveted by their collaborators for their own albums, the tracks remaining on ‘A Ton Of Love’ might not be of the same standard. But with a cast that features DUBSTAR, SECTION 25, MIRRORS, CLAPS, KID MOXIE and of course MARSHEAUX, the quality is maintained and in a few cases, exceeded.

Exceeding all expectations is one of the numbers with James New from MIRRORS. Capturing the essence of classic OMD with a spirited, majestic vocal, ‘Our Sorrow’ is a fine tribute to Humphreys/McCluskey but also highlights how much the wonderful MIRRORS are missed. One cannot failed to be moved by the middle eight where New emotively exclaims “your love is poison to my veins”! And if that wasn’t enough, there’s another James New vocal in the fizzy uptempo synthpop of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ which takes on a slightly lighter shade than the usual pop noir of MIRRORS.

Meanwhile the wonderful Sarah Blackwood warms up for the recorded return of DUBSTAR in 2014 with great pair of wonderfully feisty numbers ‘Justice‘ and ‘Beautiful’. Continuing FOTONOVELA’s hitchhike through the North West of England, SECTION 25’s Bethany Cassidy gives it a pensive ‘Clean Slate’.

A FOTONOVELA album would not be complete without the voices of MARSHEAUX at some point; their ‘So Strange’ was the highlight of ‘Mistakes Are Good’. Unsurprisingly given that the two parties are joined at the hip, ‘Big Black Hole’ doesn’t veer too far from the usual MARSHEAUX formula although more prominent pulsing synthetics add a distinct high energy vibe. However, ‘Close To Me’ delivers some enigmatic pop in a surprisingly higher register than MARSHEAUX have reached before, recalling SANDRA’s ‘Maria Magdelena’.

Remaining near the Aegean Sea, ‘Freeze Frame’ voiced by Elena Charbila aka KID MOXIE is dreamily melancholic with an air of fragile vulnerability. It proves again that the Hellenic beauty has finally found her voice with that gorgeously breathy continental style following her guest spots on Nick Bitzenis’ NIKONN project.

Daryl Smith from cult duo THEY GO BOOM! is brought out of semi-retirement to add his voice to ‘Heartful Of Nothing’ and the result sounds like THE STONE ROSES fronting ERASURE! Unfortunately, ‘Love Without Fear’ with CLAPS vocalist Patrick Donohoe sounds a little too frantic and forced.

Highly rated duo EKKOES finally make their appearance on ‘Arrows’, but there’s something not quite there too… their remixes of KATE BUSH and DRAGONETTE have been superb and on paper, they should be loved. But their Achilles Heel seems to be singer Jon Beck’s voice; it’s pleasant enough but lacks impact. Or maybe it’s the song; ‘Fight The Feeling’ was much better.

These two are the least essential items on the collection; and it’s a shame that for contractual reasons, the lovely enigmatic ballad ‘Scarecrow’ by Swedish jazz singer Jay Jay Johansson isn’t on the album and won’t see light of day until Record Store Day 2014 as a separately sanctioned release. But with three of the original songs intended for ‘A Ton Of Love’ going elsewhere, the final tracklisting was bound to be a little compromised.

Overall, ‘A Ton Of Love’ is great album but has sort of been a victim of FOTONVELA’s own success. The sessions have spawned some the best songs of 2013 and luckily, a number of them are on this album. This is a rather fine showcase for one of best production teams in Europe; ‘A Ton Of Love’ does what it says rather well.

‘A Ton Of Love’ is released as a CD by Undo Records on 11th December 2013 and available from http://www.undorecords.bigcartel.com/product/cdun46-fotonovela-a-ton-of-love-cd

http://www.facebook.com/undofotonovela

https://www.facebook.com/undorecords

Text by Chi Ming Lai
10th December 2013

ELEVEN:ELEVEN Through The Veil

19 November 2013 /

After almost a year’s delay, Texan duo ELEVEN:ELEVEN have finally released their debut album ‘Through The Veil’.

Combining elements of Italo Disco, Hi-NRG and Electroclash with the feisty template of Terri Nunn’s BERLIN and the Mittel Europa romanticism of VISAGE, ELEVEN:ELEVEN deliver a melodic but edgy style of electronic dance music which doesn’t cause death by four-to-the-floor!

Fronted by the feline demure of Sicca and powered by the crisp electronic backing of Jake Childs, ELEVEN:ELEVEN have been described as the musical love child of GIORGIO MORODER and ADULT. The duo’s debut EP ‘Infection’, with exquisite songs like ‘Infection’, showcased the subtle dynamics of their futuristic disco friendly sound influenced by the likes of producers such as Bobby Orlando as well as the man named Giorgio.

The original promotional concept of ‘Through The Veil’ had been to the release a track one-at-a-time before culminating in a finished ten track album but after six were premiered, things went quiet while the duo were signed to Canadian label Cliché Musique, part of Universal Music.

It comes as a big surprise though after all the delays that the whole album has been given away as a free download… but what a freebie! The songs are uncluttered, and allowed space to breathe rather than just having the kitchen sink thrown in. Punching forth at the start is ‘Escape’ which combines atmosphere, danceability and emotion for a superb opener.

Taking on a more Eurocentric countenance with a hint of A-HA’s ‘Take On Me’ is ‘Essence’ although Sicca doesn’t try to attempt falsetto. With a moodier percussive outlook, creepier synths hook-in at a steadier pace on ‘Mesmerize’ with Sicca all haunted and exclaiming “You’re toxic, mesmerise me… I waste away”; it all gives ‘Through The Veil’ a kind of sexy gothic allure.

‘The Play’ explores bondage chic, a theme often referenced in ELEVEN:ELEVEN’s artwork. Feeling the need for speed, it is more frantic than the other numbers running through the core of ‘Through The Veil’. There’s plenty of highs and lows in its two minutes. The exploration continues on ‘The Chains’ and at four plus minutes, is the longest song on the album. Strangely, it does sound a little too long…

The synthetic seediness of ‘No Words’ is reminiscent of MISS KITTIN & THE HACKER but whereas Ms Herve would just speak, Sicca coos with a sultry allure… it actually makes a change to hear a singer on an electronic backing track like this rather than the expected deadpan monologue. Driven by an arpeggiated bassline and analogue drum machine clatter, ‘Little White Lies’ is rather divine with Sicca sounding quite seductively resigned over some great syncopation, club friendly without being overbearing.

‘Isolate’ and ‘Justified’ maintain the quality of the album and don’t veer too much away from the ‘Through The Veil’ template. But the best number comes last with the brilliantly sparkling title track which put quite simply, is just great angelic synthpop.

An impressive debut, the main noticeable trait of ‘Through The Veil’ other than its quality dance stance is that the songs are all short and sweet. There’s no unnecessary 20 inch dance mixes needed as the point can be made in less than three minutes… so DJs and dance acts, PLEASE LEARN!

At thirty-two minutes, ‘Through The Veil’ does not outstay its welcome and with its enjoyable ten variations of a theme, it showcases how there is subtle, crafted thinking within EDM from this promising electronic duo.

‘Through The Veil’ is available via the usual digital platforms

http://www.facebook.com/the.eleveneleven

https://twitter.com/weare1211

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th November 2013

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2017 ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK | Email: [email protected]
Privacy Policy

Up ↑