Category: Reviews (Page 182 of 200)

NOBLESSE OBLIGE Affair Of The Heart

23 May 2013 /


NOBLESSE OBLIGE are French theatrical performer Valerie Renay and German producer Sebastian Lee Philipp, who released their debut album ‘Privilege Entails Responsibility’ in 2006.

Their name is French for “nobility obliges” and basing themselves in Berlin from 2008, the duo issued two further albums ‘In Exile’ and ‘Malady’. MARK REEDER loved their track ‘Duel’ from the former and included his Shot At the Crack of Dawn Remix on the 2011 ‘Five Point One’ collection alongside his reworks of highly regarded luminaries such as DEPECHE MODE and JOHN FOXX.

Around this time, NOBLESSE OBLIGE came to the attention of Chris Corner who invited them to support IAMX on the European leg of the ‘Volatile Times’ tour. Their abstract Weimer cabaret combined with a dose of electro Chanson impressed and this month sees the release of their fourth album ‘Affair Of The Heart’ recorded at Corner’s countryside studio near Berlin. Renay and Philipp have said the long player is “a romantic journey in the classic sense of the term. Our study of human passion from its most uplifting to its gloomiest…”

It all harks back to a time when EURYTHMICS actually meant “European rhythms” and not “sell out to the ‘States”. The lead single from the album ‘Runaway’ is a superb electronic ditty complimented by Renay and Philipp harmonising over Eurodisco arpeggios and danceable beats recalling ‘Some Great Reward’ era DEPECHE MODE. And to contuine the IAMX connection further, its accompanying video has been directed by Chris Corner…

‘Affair Of The Heart’ features several other highlights which combine the artful romantic sensibilites of HURTS and VISAGE with the sinister ambiguous sexual overtones of SOFT CELL.

New single ‘Mata Hari’ captures this tension marvellously by telling the story of the Dutch exotic dancer and femme fatale who was accused of spying for Germany during the First World War and subsequently executed by the French.

Meanwhile, ‘Burn’ with its pulsing synths and uptempo clattering percussion sees Renay vocalise in a higher register to provide a eurphoric lift to a track that will undoubtely go down well at Gothic discos.

‘Break Your Heart’ is a close relative to ‘Runaway’ but while not quite hitting the same heights, is just as enjoyable. ‘Vagabonde’ is more minimal and squelchy though but full of Gallic charm as Renay sexily oozes in her mother tongue.

It’s not all dancefloor material though as ‘Chasing Shadows’ explores more organic textures in more esoteric surroundings. And if that wasn’t enough, there is NOBLESSE OBLIGE’s funereal deadpan cover of THE EAGLES’ ‘Hotel California’ in which the chilling subtext of the lyrics is now fully enhanced to its murderous conclusion!

With this latest opus, NOBLESSE OBLIGE “hope that this energy and emotion are felt by the outsiders, and will entice them into our world”. Despite a second half lull, ‘Affair Of The Heart’ certainly is as accessible and accomplished as any of the impressive electronic based albums that have appeared in 2013.

‘Affair Of The Heart’ is released by Repo Records on 24th May 2013 as a CD and download

http://www.noblesseoblige.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/noblesseobligeofficial/

https://twitter.com/noblesseoblige1

Text by Chi Ming Lai
23rd May 2013

BEF Music Of Quality & Distinction Vol3 – Dark

21 May 2013 /

The third volume in BRITISH ELECTRIC FOUNDATION’s ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction’ series has been long awaited.

Subtitled ‘Dark’, it was first announced back in 2007 and the majority of it was premiered at a special BEF weekend showcase at The Roundhouse in 2011. ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Vol1’ was issued in 1982 to great fanfare, a sophisticated K-Tel album recorded under the musical directorship of Martyn Ware, then recently departed from THE HUMAN LEAGUE and soon to find fame as part of HEAVEN 17.

Featuring vocalists such as Tina Turner, Sandie Shaw, Paul Jones and Billy Mackenzie, it was a critical if not a commercial success but effectively revived the career of the Soul Siren born Anna Mae Bullock as well as kickstarting Ware’s impressive production portfolio which later encompassed ASSOCIATES and ERASURE.

1991 saw the release of ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol2’ which had much more of a mainstream soul vibe; Tina Turner and Billy Mackenzie returned while other notable vocalists included Chaka Khan, Billy Preston, Green Gartside and Terence Trent D’Arby whose massive selling debut ‘Introducing The Hardline…’ was produced by Ware.

The concept of ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ though is dark interpretations of perceivably upbeat songs. The chilling, stark electronics and eerie soundtrack arrangements on several tracks have led to Ware producing some of his most distinctly industrialised work since his days with THE HUMAN LEAGUE. The tremendous opener ‘Every Time I See You I Go Wild’ is a case in point.

Using just a Roland System 100, instrumentally it could have come from ‘The Dignity Of Labour’ or ‘Reproduction’while Kim Wilde’s spirited vocal adds a human twist to what sounds like THE HUMAN LEAGUE meets DEPECHE MODE. There’s even a tongue-in-cheek reference to ‘Don’t You Want Me’ thrown into the metallic mix for good measure!

Another great fusion of soul mechanics is ‘Don’t Wanna Know’, a John Martyn cover voiced by former COMMUNARDS co-vocalist Sarah Jane Morris. Still sounding like a lower register Jimmy Sommerville, Morris’ bluesy tones contrast well with the synthesized backing. In a variation to the theme, Green Gartside adds his distinctive raspy touch on The Delfonics’ ‘Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time’ which absorbs the senses with its silky sonics and complimentary guitar textures.

Andy Bell provides one of the album’s standouts with his rendition of Kate Bush’s ‘Breathing’. A song that was never that upbeat in the first place, its narrative on the nuclear holocaust is given an even more disturbing counterpoint when Bell audibly recites scientific data on the effects of an attack.

While Bell’s distinctive timbre remains intact, on the orchestrated rock of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’, Boy George takes on a turn of deadpan and aggression that makes him almost unrecognisable! One of the stars of the BEF showcase at The Roundhouse, his onstage tale about going with Martyn Ware to see Gary Glitter in concert and getting the convicted felon’s autograph was priceless; “I don’t think it’s worth much money now” he quipped! That alone deserves a second track and appropriately enough, it is a near faithful ‘Make Up’ from Lou Reed’s ‘Transformer’. “We’re coming out…out of our closets” indeed!

Another thematic pairing comes with the return of the barefoot Queen of Pop, Sandie Shaw. After tackling ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ on ‘Vol1’, she gives it some Northern Soul welly on ‘Just Walk In My Shoes’, a tune written by one-time Motown signings The Lewis Sisters.

Meanwhile the Bacharach and David cover duties on ‘Dark’ go to the kooky Polly Scattergood who delivers a lovely ‘Felt Mountain’ era Goldfrapp styled performance of ‘The Look of Love’. Trivia fact: ‘The Look Of Love’ (which featured in the original film version of ‘Casino Royale’) was beaten to the 1968 Oscar for Best Original Song by ‘Talk To The Animals’ from ‘Doctor Dolittle’!

‘Dark’ is a large collection of work, 16 songs in all and they appear to fall into three categories. As well as dark electronics, there are more contemporary dance assisted numbers and filmic ballads. Of the dancier numbers; melodramatic Sheffield newcomer David J Roch doing Bill Withers’ ‘Same Love’ is one of the big surprises with an emotive neo-acappella intro segueing into a meaty pulsing bassline, spacey whistles and haunting invader games.

HEAVEN 17 backing vocalist Billie Godfrey features on a similar but extended treatment of Bronski Beat’s ‘Smalltown Boy’ while Maxim aka Max Pokrovsky of the Moscow-based rock band Nogu Svelo! goes all campy Europop on an enjoyably over-the-top reading of ABBA’s ‘The Day Before You Came’; a virtual unknown before ‘Dark’… not anymore! The clarinet solo just sums up how gloriously loopy this rendition is!

The late Billy Mackenzie left this earth in 1997 and after his presence on the first two volumes, ‘Dark’ would not be complete without his legacy being represented. This comes in the shape of a sparse, slowed down waltz rendition of ‘Party Fears Two’ by Glenn Gregory which first appeared on HEAVEN 17’s 08 versions compilation ‘Naked As Advertised’. An unexpected inclusion, this is an important centrepiece that sits well with the other songs in the compendium.

And Gregory almost steals the show with Frank Sinatra’s ‘It Was a Very Good Year’. Held together by a sampled drum loop and dressed with Ware’s bubbling synths, Gregory makes a perfect crooner in the tradition of Scott Walker, with echoes of his ‘Always Coming Back To You’ in the delivery. The 60 year old song itself takes on a magnificent dimension that will please any early HEAVEN 17 fan.

However, ‘God Only Knows’ and ‘Picture This’ performed respectively by Shingai Shinowa from The Noisettes and Kate Jackson from The Long Blondes are, while sweetly performed, possibly the two least essential items to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s ears on this album. But, such are the strengths of Ware’s curation and production that they are highly likely to be appeal to others. And this is one of the important selling points of ‘Dark’… there really is something for everyone.

Ending with new HEAVEN 17 backing vocalist Kelly Barnes on Teena Marie’s ‘Co-pilot To Pilot’, this is maybe the most incongruous item on the set with the backing track having been originally recorded for ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol2’. Its Trans-Atlantic soul vintage is quite apparent, especially when belted out in that classic manner by the Macclesfield youngster.

Overall, ‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ is a worthy adventure and Martyn Ware can pat himself on the back for realising his most challenging project to date. Whereas the first two volumes had record label support, ‘Dark’ has been self-funded, hence the time span of the work; Ware’s dedication, musical ear and co-ordinating abilities deserve recognition and reward.

‘Music Of Quality & Distinction Volume 3 – Dark’ is released by Wall Of Sound on 27th May 2013 as a single CD, deluxe 2CD with bonus instrumental disc and download

http://britishelectricfoundation.com/

http://www.facebook.com/BritishElectricFoundation/

http://www.heaven17.com/bef/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Richard Price and Chi Ming Lai
21st May 2013

Rhapsody and Exponentialism… The Art of JOHN FOXX Reinterpreted

14 May 2013 /

John Foxx has been highly prolific of late and this month sees the release of two tasteful artefacts which has the electronic pioneer revisiting his past while continuing to look forward simultaneously.

Both also showcase the platform he has given in particular to rising female musicians within a synth scene so notoriously noted in the past for its boys with their toys stance. But now, the girls are allowed to play with those toys too!

The first of these is ‘Rhapsody’, 10 tracks recorded live at London’s MemeTune Studios in late 2011 shortly after the JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS ‘Interplay’ tour. This series of shows was noted in particular for the addition of Hannah Peel’s screeching electric violin on material from Foxx’s ‘Metamatic’ and early ULTRAVOX! phases.

Featuring also Serafina Steer on bass and synths plus Foxx’s Mathematical sidekick Benge on electronic percussion and synths, the wide scope of the material is given a thematic core by this highly competent quartet, each bringing in their individual skills for a sum greater than its parts.

Foxx’s collaborations with Louis Gordon may have revitalised his musical aspirations, but what the Benge partnership did was provide a depth of humanity which perhaps had not shown itself in Foxx’s work since his ULTRAVOX! days. The addition of younger players such as Peel and Steer plus vital, energetic new material such as ‘Catwalk’ contributed to what was possibly Foxx’s best ever live show, not a bad achievement considering the former Dennis Leigh is now in his fourth decade in the music industry.

Like Foxx’s recording of ‘The Omnidelic Exotour’ from 1997, ‘Rhapsody’ is a closed set live recording with no audience. The beautiful instrumental take of ‘The Good Shadow’ with its pulsing sequences and eerie violin will have some recalling the intro of Gary Numan’s ‘Cry The Clock Said’.

Meanwhile the reworking of ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ retains the serene quality of the original with elements such as the sax are replaced by synth and Benge compliments percussively with Simmons thuds. The highlights though inevitably are ‘The Shadow Of His Former Self’, ‘Just For A Moment’ and ‘He’s A Liquid’ where the violin of Hannah Peel wails to an enjoyable pitch bent frenzy!

Of course, a lot ‘Metamatic’ era material actually featured bass guitar so Steer’s fluid four string, while not quite putting the funk into proceedings, gives a closer representation of the period’s mechanised groove on songs like ‘Burning Car’. Peel and Steer’s elements combined with Benge’s synthetic drums interestingly beg the thought of how ULTRAVOX might have sounded had Messrs Foxx, Currie, Cross, Cann and Simon stayed together to record ‘Metamatic’? ‘Rhapsody’ is a great souvenir of the ‘Interplay’ tour although it could have done with being slightly longer; ‘Plaza’ and ‘Watching A Bulding On Fire’ would have been worthy inclusions but it’s probably best to have the audience wanting more.

Meanwhile, on the ‘Exponentialism’ EP, two songstresses, who have supported JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS’ live shows and contributed to latest album ‘Evidence’, are given an opportunity to glow in the darkness as I SPEAK MACHINE and GAZELLE TWIN premiere their vivid interpretations of Foxx’s back catalogue. Both hit soprano ranges in their vocal capability and that automatically allows them to put their own stamp on some iconic work. GAZELLE TWIN told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK in 2012: “I prefer covering songs written or sung by men. Perhaps because it instantly allows me to create a new perspective on it.”

So with I SPEAK MACHINE, the new electronic vehicle for American musician Tara Busch, she assumes the role of predatory female and her aggressive take on ‘My Sex’ is the complete opposite to Foxx’s original detached tone of resignation. Unsettling and eerie, the new arrangement is tremendous. Meanwhile, ‘I Want To Be Machine’ is virtually rewritten by Busch with the Ballardian lyrics now accompanied by abstract synthetics and robotics that are well away from the early Bowie-esque folkisms of the ‘Ultravox!’ album’s longest track. It’s as if the roles in ‘Demon Seed’ have been reversed!

Hauntingly sedate, GAZELLE TWIN, the alias of Brighton based Elizabeth Walling, gives a stripped down rendition of ‘Never Let Me Go’ with a neo-acappella intro before it oozes into a collage of choral beauty reminiscent of Foxx’ own ‘Cathedral Oceans’ trilogy. Appropriately sounding like she’s drowning, GAZELLE TWIN’s choice of ‘He’s A Liquid’ as her second cover reflects the metaphysical fascinations of her own compositions like ‘I Am Shell I Am Bone’ and ‘I Turn My Arm’. Sung from the female perspective, it highlights an ambiguous sexual angle to one of the highlights from ‘Metamatic’.

There was once an ‘In The City’ fanzine special about the Foxx-led ULTRAVOX! entitled ‘Past, Present and Future’. Both ‘Rhapsody’ and ‘Exponentialism’ show that more than 30 years after that publication, JOHN FOXX still very much represents the past, present and future of independently minded electronic music.

‘Rhapsody’ and ‘Exponentialism’ are released by Metamatic Records and both available as CDs or downloads from http://johnfoxx.tmstor.es/

JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS play a headline show at Brighton’s Concorde 2 on 7th June 2013 with support from VILE ELECTRODES

http://www.johnfoxxandthemaths.com/

http://www.metamatic.com/

http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.hannahpeel.com/

http://www.serafinasteer.com/

http://analogsuicide.com/

http://www.gazelletwin.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
14th May 2013

VISAGE Hearts and Knives

13 May 2013 /

With the well received returns of ULTRAVOX and DURAN DURAN in the last few years, it was inevitable VISAGE would resurrect themselves.

Originally a synthesized collective comprising of Midge Ure, Rusty Egan, Billy Currie, Dave Formula and the late John McGeoch, it was fronted by the face of the New Romantic scene, Steve Strange. But on this new album, only Strange remains although Formula co-writes ‘Diaries Of A Madman’, the only track to emerge from an aborted attempt to revive the brand as VISAGE II back in 2007.

Rusty Egan was involved in the early stages of ‘Hearts & Knives’, but departed due to creative differences while despite an announcement by Strange on German TV that he was working with Ure again, the diminutive Glaswegian has distanced himself from the project although it is known he had submitted a song on condition that it involved Egan.

The absence of the key musical driving forces that gave the world ‘Fade To Grey’, ‘Mind Of A Toy’ and ‘The Damned Don’t Cry’ really exposes itself on ‘Hearts & Knives’. Even an attempt to lob the iconic Compurhythm intro of ‘Fade To Grey’ onto ‘She’s Electric’ to reference past glories cannot detract from the poor quality of this album.

The first two VISAGE albums were notable for their arrangements, counterpoints and musicality while layers of Midge Ure’s backing vocals propped up Strange’s lead monotone.  But like the disastrous third album ‘Beat Boy’ which saw Strange and Egan try to keep the VISAGE name alive after the departure of the ULTRAVOX and MAGAZINE crew, Strange’s voice is laid bare and simply not strong enough for a collection of songs to be based around.

Bare is a description that could be used for the music too. The production is almost demo-like; the rhythmical base is particularly thin and while it is great to hear ex-ULTRAVOX guitarist Robin Simon again, the squawky nature of his interplay becomes irritating from being pushed too far up in the mix. And despite claims that exclusively analogue synths are used, they’re hardly noticeable with the assorted technicians seemingly unaware of VISAGE’s history.

It’s not all bad; ‘Shameless Fashion’ is unsurprisingly the single and could have come off ‘Beat Boy’ while ‘Dreamer I Know’ has unleashed melodic potential. But compared with ULTRAVOX’s ‘Brilliant’ or DURAN DURAN’s ‘All You Need Is Now’ though, ‘Hearts & Knives’ just doesn’t cut it!

With thanks to Vicky Berry at Quite Great PR

‘Hearts & Knives’ is released on 20th May 2013 by Blitz Club Records as a CD and download

Please visit http://www.visage.cc/ to obtain a free download of ‘Shameless Fashion’

The new line-up of VISAGE play Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen in London on 5th June 2013

http://www.facebook.com/therealvisage

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Artwork Photo by Peter Ashworth, Portrait Photo by David Levine
13th May 2013

ADULT. The Way Things Fall

8 May 2013 /

ADULT. – the sonic outlet for musician/film maker Adam Lee Miller and vocalist / photographer / artist Nicola Kuperus – formed in 1998 in Detroit.

Long after the first flush of Detroit techno, and slightly before the electroclash boom, Kuperus and Miller were following a decidedly different trajectory.

A cyborgian Siouxsie Sioux meets Lene Lovich set to the sound of malfunctioning hospital machinery, the duo’s sonic and lyrical vistas have been, from the very beginning, heavy with foreboding and paranoia.

They flavour their electro with a clinical disorientation and a tendency towards misanthropy: brought up in an environment in which financial crisis followed cold war and added surveillance to state violence. ADULT. channel this mistrust and isolation, adding an Argento-like theatricality to produce a sound that is uniquely and excitingly their own although no-one could deny there are flashes of influence, particularly KRAFTWERK and Metamatic period JOHN FOXX. In a 2003 interview Miller confirmed: “We think of what we are doing as social commentary. It’s about anxiety and social disorder. I know that John Foxx and Tubeway Army are the first records that I bought that put me on this path that I am still on sixteen years later.”

No matter how many new acts emerge from the fertile soil laid in the Electroclash years, ADULT.’s musical output – all 15 years of it so far – mine a particular seam few other artists attempt. Alienation and tension are far less likely to get a band commercial reward, and for ADULT. this has meant never attaining the recognition that artists like LADYTRON and MISS KITTIN have enjoyed – yet, it has kept their output focussed, potent and allowed ADULT to remain uncompromised in their ideas. Their interest in French existentialism, horror films and Ballard-like storytelling in photography perhaps count towards this ability to create an unsettlingly original sound – or perhaps it is really down to Kuperus’ utterly distinctive tones.

‘The Way Things Fall’ is their first in 5 years, following – ironically – their 2007 album ‘Why Bother?’. We are, of course, glad they did bother to return to music after spending the interstitial years making film. The album is undeniably ADULT. : the subject matter as nihilistic and clever as one could expect, a dreamscape of surgical precision, the entropy of a Peter Greenaway film and the sonic palette composed almost entirely of synthetics which SOUND synthetic.

There’s no hearkening to warmth or organic oscillations here, and it is all the more effective for it. On this album, however, melodic influences creep into ADULT’s detuned, minimalist arrangements, with some great arpeggiated glimmering, luring us in.

The first track, ‘Heartbreak’ opens the album with a classic ADULT. topic and feel – love, futility, disappointment. It sets the scene with an edgy, tense atmosphere, and Kuperus exercising her full Siouxsie/Lovich dramatic range. You can hear the echoes of punk’s angry young women (and post-punks, for that matter) in her vocal delivery.

It’s followed by ‘Idle (Second Thoughts)’, which continues the Siouxsie theme tangentially by sounding just a little like ‘Hong Kong Garden’ or perhaps a lost YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA track. It’s crystalline and diamond-bright, and if you get no further into this album, listening to ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Idle’ will tell you much of the must-knows about ADULT: minimalism meets post-punk with a new-found flirtation with bright melodies, all the while retaining a sense of the sinister, the uneasy.

Fourth track ‘New Frustration’ seems the obvious dancefloor winner of this album, with deeper grooves pushing the song forward whilst Kuperus questions low and insistently: catchy and hypnotic. ‘Love Lies’ sees ADULT. returning to the surgical suite, with a slower insistent heart-beat bleep and tense detuned synth to create a clinical despondence, whilst Kuperus drawls in an emotionless monotone “Love lies… it’s no surprise”. ‘Tonight, We Fall’ and ‘At The End Of It All’ are again typical, vintage ADULT. – sinister, dramatic, and claustrophobic, insistent, frantic and full of sci-fi synth-drama.

Patience has its rewards – as does pressing shuffle – as towards the end of the album there are two gems awaiting appreciation. After the storm comes the calm, eerie quiet.

‘A Day Like Forever’ shows our ADULT.s in a different mood; a strangely slow, spacious, funereal drama – uneasy and effective. Kuperus’ voice is affected and unsettling, seeming to treat the staccato and the lengthy similarly, slightly, deliberately, out of tune and hollow.

The album’s unofficial closer is ‘We Will Rest’, followed only by a short almost Depeche-worthy instrumental in ‘Rise & Fall’.

‘We Will Rest’ sees Kuperus’s lyrical insistence giving way to the sonic landscape, which includes a luxuriant rising arpeggio and textural noise. It would have been nice to see this track a little further up the list, as it contrasts effectively with the rest of the album. Kuperus speaks the lyrics, smothered by heavy reverb and delay. Here she doesn’t cut icily through the sonic texture, but is part of it, increasing effectively the atmosphere of melancholy and disorientation. A particular favourite, and a horror soundtrack awaiting its filmic partner. ‘Rise & Fall’ is short, metallic and thoughtful – perhaps channelling an industrialised Martin Gore instrumental.

‘The Way Things Fall’ could be the best entry point a new ADULT. fan could have although listening to their most famous track ‘Hand To Phone’ is essential, too. This reviewer loves ‘The Way Things Fall’ and hopes you can dig deep to your inner Sartre, Ballard and Lovich to love it too.

‘The Way Things Fall’ is released on 13th May by Ghostly International in the UK and Europe as a CD and download. It can be heard on an audio stream at The Fader

ADULT. live dates include: London XOYO (15th May), Berlin Festsaal Kreuzberg (16th May), Brussels Magasin 4 (18th May), Amsterdam Indiestat Paradiso (20th May)

http://www.adultperiod.com/

http://www.ghostly.com

Text by Nix Lowrey
8th May 2013

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