Category: Reviews (Page 19 of 200)

KID MOXIE & NINA Lust EP

22 March 2023 /

When artists are mutually fans of each other, it can lead to a happy union, collaborative possibilities and even ‘Lust’.

For the LA-based Elena Charbila whose most recent solo album ‘Better Than Electric’ under her nom de théâtre KID MOXIE was released in 2022, she fell in love with NINA’s ‘Synthian’, the title track from the Berliner’s second album. Meanwhile, the German adored the Athens-born songstress’ cover of ‘Big In Japan’, the 1984 international breakthrough of fellow Germans ALPHAVILLE. Despite being thousands of miles apart, KID MOXIE & NINA bonded online over ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Drive’.

Then crucially, the pair met for real in Berlin, Athens and Los Angeles, using the limited time together on each occasion to fuel their creative urgency. The end result is a 5 track EP entitled ‘Lust’ that captures a seductive film-noir tension with a fantasy world that provokes a cool air of mystery.

Released on Italians Do It Better, the first track to be premiered was a cover of ‘Waiting For Tonight’ on the label’s ‘After Dark 4’ collection in 2022; originally recorded by 3RD PARTY, an American girl trio fronted by the song’s co-writer Maria Christensen but made famous by Jennifer Lopez with added Latino dance vibes, this downtempo cover of a cover exudes a sensual anticipation of consummation with accentuation of the main melody.

The ‘Lust’ title song takes things further in a lengthy retrowave excursion into excess and passion, a cyclical feel to point to an affair that lingers unfinished but continues purely on chemistry regardless on consequences. As our heroines conclude that “lust is a crime”, ‘Crime’ provided some saxy drive from Skylar Funk as the ‘Blade Runner: The Erotic Cut’ approach adds arousing spoken word for an inviting “one night with you” to make your dreams come true to a backdrop of warped bass notes, cut-up voices and lush six string from Oliver Blair aka RADIO WOLF.

The paciest track on the EP, ‘Electric Kiss’ makes further use of Blair’s guitars for a dreamy carefree drive into the sunset. Counterpointing that mood, ‘Devotion’ is much more sinister with bendy synth sounds and Theremin swoops acting as aural metaphors into a forbidden relationship while mixing more spoken word mixing with sensual vocals to heighten anticipation.

A perfect match, ‘Lust’ is a sexy and sultry concoction that explores themes of erotica with a dark yet playful demeanour that provides a wondrous escape. Embrace this seductive partnership as you see fit, but the perusal is all part of the excitement.

“We’re creating a fantasy world cinematically, sexually speaking” said Charbila to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, “People can think whatever they want about ‘this’. Are we singing this to each other? Are we singing it to your man, my woman? It’s up for your interpretation; we’re not going to feed it to you. It’s just going to be a warm dish, you can eat it however you want.”

‘Lust’ is released as a digital EP via Italians Do It Better on 24th March 2023, pre-save at https://idib.ffm.to/lustep

http://www.facebook.com/kidmoxie

https://twitter.com/KIDMOXIEMUSIC

https://www.instagram.com/kid.moxie/

https://www.iloveninamusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/iloveninamusic

https://twitter.com/iloveninamusic

https://www.instagram.com/ninasounduk/

https://italiansdoitbetter.com/

https://open.spotify.com/album/5COlcln5e8yUqKKPInZ5Rp

 

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by George Tripodakis
22nd March 2023, updated 24th March 2023

DEPECHE MODE Memento Mori

21 March 2023 /

The DEPECHE MODE album that many thought would never be made following the sudden passing of co-founder member Andy Fletcher is here. Entitled ‘Memento Mori’, a Latin phrase meaning “Remember That You Must Die!”, the 12 songs on this latest opus are naturally not cheerful affairs and that internal grief expectedly looms.

Fletch was considered by Devotees to be the glue that kept DEPECHE MODE together, the peacemaker between the diametrically opposed Martin Gore and Dave Gahan. Today, the remaining two have had to mix their own epoxy, but who is the resin and who is the hardener is debatable.

Gore of course is the shy songwriting talent who didn’t enjoy spending time crafting and embellishing his compositions in the studio despite a vast collection of synths, preferring to leave that role to others, be it Alan Wilder, Daniel Miller or Tim Simenon. Meanwhile Gahan is the one-time juvenile delinquent who got lucky but was never grateful of his good fortune, possessed of no real musical talent of his own and with a penchant for rock ‘n’ roll antics.

DEPECHE MODE’s albums since 2001 have been largely underwhelming, rather like their arena shows plonked into stadiums. ‘Exciter’ was anything but while ‘Playing The Angel’ in 2005 got a free pass for its “pain and suffering in various tempos”. ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ from 2009 was unbelievably drab with ‘Peace’ more likely to harm diplomatic relations. 2013’s ‘Delta Machine’ offered some spark in more immediate material such as ‘Soothe My Soul’ and ‘Broken’, although that could have been because of their similarities to respective past glories ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘A Question Of Time’.

The undoubted runt of the litter was 2017’s politically charged and lamentable ‘Spirit’. Devotees got excited about ‘So Much Love’ but that was because it was fast and hid the fact that as a song, it wasn’t much cop. The conclusion was that Side D on the double vinyl edition was the best part of the release.

On the subsequent ‘Global Spirit’ tour, Gahan and Gore really made it obvious that they couldn’t be bothered, from just running up and down the catwalk instead of performing on it, to not putting on a spectacle at the vast locations that the Devotees had gathered, the events being more fan rallies rather than concerts. RAMMSTEIN they were not and certainly in recent interviews, Gahan has expressed his disillusionment and usual ungratefulness during that period.

Returning after working on ‘Spirit’ to helm ‘Memento Mori’ is James Ford, the former member of SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO best known for producing posh boy farm folkies and Gahan faves MUMFORD & SONS, while engineer Marta Salogni (whose credits include Björk) acts co-producer and provides the final mix.

So, what of the music? To tell the truth, ‘Ghosts Again’ was a better opening salvo than many were expecting and is a standout. Scrutiny of its background though reveals that it was co-written by Gore with Richard Butler of THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS, thus highlighting what many had suspected for years… that an external kick up the backside was needed as his own solo composing methods had gone stale. ‘Ghosts Again’ though sounded all so familiar and when a mash-up with NEW ORDER’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ appeared on YouTube, it became wholly clear why…

Traditionally over the past few tours, the opening song on a new DEPECHE MODE album is also the opening song of the show; ‘My Cosmos Is Mine’ certainly continues the tradition of dreary openers such as ‘Going Backwards’ and ‘In Chains’… and these numbers are meant to set the scene for what is supposed to be a live concert…

Since ‘Oh Well’, the superb bonus song from ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, there have been calls for Gore and Gahan to co-write again. Nevertheless, the funereal ‘Wagging Tongue’ is nowhere near of that standard despite the Kling Kling inspired patterns with the quality of vocal delivery questionable from both parties.

With a swung arthouse chill that wouldn’t be out of place on an IAMX record, ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ isn’t bad and is tellingly another Richard Butler co-write while on ‘Soul With Me’, Gore gets to articulate that four letter word again while doing swaying finger pincer movements.

Although there are less bluesy excursions on ‘Memento Mori’ than recent records and more attempts to bring metallic and electronic elements into the spectrum, the sound is not easy on the ears and muddied in many places. Of the better realised attempts, ‘People Are Good’ plays at being KRAFTWERK yet the chorus lets it down, along with the unwarranted distortion.

Despite borrowing a bassline from BLANCMANGE, ‘Caroline’s Monkey’ doesn’t really go anywhere although the Gahan co-write ‘Before We Drown’ fares slightly better. On the home stretch, ‘Never Let Me Go’ attempts to ape ‘John The Revelator’ while co-written with the two producers and The Drumhead, ‘Speak To Me’ is dreary as hell but it is an apt closer which the Devotees will love as a climax to their collective misery.

‘Memento Mori’ is business as usual for DEPECHE MODE, with “business” being the operative word… better than ‘Spirit’, this will be considered a return to form by many Devotees. However for those who have already departed the camp, it is too little too late and not enticing enough to prompt a return, especially when there are other acts in the electronic world who are so much more worthy of attention now.

‘Memento Mori’ is released by Sony Music on 24th March 2023 in assorted formats

DEPECHE MODE play London Twickenham Stadium on 17th June 2023

‘Walking In Their Shoes: A DEPECHE MODE Fan’s Unofficial Guide To London’ by Simon Helm is available as an e-book from https://walkingintheirshoes.info/

http://www.depechemode.com

https://www.facebook.com/depechemode

https://twitter.com/depechemode

https://www.instagram.com/depechemode/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Anton Corbijn
21st March 2023

LAURA DRE Akari LD-01

19 March 2023 /

Having released her debut song-based album ‘Moving Spaces’ in Summer 2021, German Filipino musician and producer Laura Dre swiftly followed it up by the end of the year with an ambitious radio play presentation entitled ‘Kyoto Dreams’ which comprised of Citypop instrumentals and spoken word.

Fast forward to 2022 and Laura Dre is back with another album and yet another direction; ‘Akari LD-01’ showcases her love of retro-futuristic cyberpunk and sci-fi, combining the music of ‘Blade Runner’ with trance and techno in collaboration with concept artist and illustrator Tida Kietsungden.

Soundtracking an imaginary Sci-Fi movie, this synth instrumental collection presents an immersive cyberpunk universe in the 23rd century. Standing for “Art Defines Zero One”, the story imagines life in a futureworld on a planet named Hellcore IV. There, the tech is so advanced that humans can’t distinguish between humans, augmented humans and androids made by the Xetashell Corporation who are run an evil lady named Ms Dre who despite being human, possesses special cybernetic augmentations…

Setting the scene, ‘Eternal’ comes with ominous sweeps, electronic percussion and strident themes, although ‘Hellcore IV’ is even more imposing yet hook laden. Beating with a heavy triplet that maintains a powerful presence, ‘Chimera’ conjures a desolate vision but ‘Akari’ ups the tempo and plays with pitched up voices and sequenced koto textures for a driving club friendly highlight.

Complete with drops and ribbon controlled effects, even more dance friendly is the mighty and glorious ‘Resistance’ with its own synthetic battle of wits.

With no let up, ‘Shinjuku 2.0’ exotically gatecrashes into full-on trance vibes. Meanwhile, ‘Habitat 5’ enters DEPECHE MODE meets Perfecto territory… and yes, as a song which Dre covered, you can even sing ‘Strangelove’ to it!

No less lacking in the power department is the excellent ‘L1thium’ which still glistens amongst the dystopian moods. Taking down the pace slightly while still maintaining an addictive rhythmic hold, ‘Division 3184’ continues the apocalyptic tension.

Then as the androids become almost indestructible and ready themselves for combat, the album closes as it started with ominous tones swathing the spacey ‘Xetashell Corporation’. After the alluring popwave of ‘Moving Spaces’ and prettier keys in some musical sections of ‘Kyoto Dreams’, the starker gritty futurism of ‘Akari LD-01’ will come as a surprise, although ‘Superficial Cyberlove’ from the former had pointed to those possibilities.

But ‘Akari LD-01’ displays yet another facet in Laura Dre’s musical armoury. This independently-produced club friendly opus is a compelling listen with its mix of fast and midtempo tracks revealing more layers on each listen.

‘Akari LD-01’ is available in vinyl LP, CD, minidisc, cassette, USB floppy disk + digital formats from https://lauradre.bandcamp.com/album/akari-ld-01

https://lauradre.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lauradreofficial

https://twitter.com/LauraDreMusic

https://www.instagram.com/lauradre/

https://www.twitch.tv/lauradreofficial

https://soundcloud.com/lauradre

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i6CW5oGLsKIOOIHV9sEHA/

https://linktr.ee/lauradre

https://open.spotify.com/album/0yYj17b9oTL8AR5VKcNQqs

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th March 2023, 22nd June 2023

METROLAND 0

17 March 2023 /

4-3-2-1-0

Having begun a countdown from 2022 starting at ‘4’, Belgian electronic duo METROLAND have been teasing a series of trailers from their fifth album ‘0’. The concept holds a sequence in history noting that with an increased globalism, the title ‘0’ cannot simply be pronounced as “zero”, but can be in one of thousands of languages. METROLAND love a concept; their 2012 debut long player ‘Mind The Gap’ celebrated the London Underground while 2015’s ‘Triadic Ballet’ was in honour of The Bauhaus School.

The duo’s most recent album ‘Men In A Frame’ was an installation collaboration with five photographers from the art co-operative F-8. But with ‘0’, Passenger A and Passenger S are anticipating the future and ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution’; a term first coined in 2015 by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, the premise is that Industry 4.0 is here. But what will it mean to be human now? ‘0’ is METROLAND’s soundtrack to explore this brave new future.

While Passenger S is going with three variants and tracklistings with his simultaneously released 808 DOT POP ‘Pop Radio’ concept, METROLAND go with two versions featuring exclusive songs and different versions on the digipak CD edition.

It all begins with the excellent stark machine Motorik of ‘Industrie 4.0’ which offers recollections of ORBITAL’s ‘Pants’. However the CD only ‘Out/In’ is an avant noise overture with a harshness not previously heard on a METROLAND track while ‘Davos’ also demonstrates a tougher schlagzeug edge. The multi-lingual ‘Bitcoins & Blockchains’ is more discordant in its outlook, aurally illustrating this murky and mysterious world.

‘4IR Intelligence’ brings an uptempo immediacy that may have been lacking on the previous album ‘Man In A Frame’ and throws in a few false stops for fun. Along not dissimilar lines, ‘Bigger Data’ provides something of a bounce at its start before penetrating into klassik Kling Klang during its second suite.

Something a bit different and fuzzier, ‘Machine 2 Machine’ plays with swing time and ends with the sound of dial-up while ‘Modularity’ is propulsive machine pop with distorted fragments to add sharpness.

However, a few of the more experimental tracks do not come off; ‘Smart Factory’ is more of an extended pulse collage and ‘The 2nd Machine Age’ labours its point, but ‘7 Principles’ takes things too far in its 16 minute form although within it, there is a melodic 3 minute piece that werks with a glorious ending.

Much more successful is ‘Mimo’ with an array sweeps, glitchy percussive passages and trance effects and with glistening hooks in amongst the squelch, ‘Klaus Schwab’ is in the vein of ‘Harry Beck’ or 808 DOT POP’s ‘Heinrich Hertz’ to celebrate the subject’s worldly character.

Overall, the album is a bit long but there are plenty of accessible moments to enjoy in its mechanised interaction with humans, objects, theories and intellectual concepts, just as KRAFTWERK and OMD have done in the past. While METROLAND have toughened some elements in places, the melodies and percussive pulses remain to be savoured.

’0’ is released by Alfa Matrix on 25th March 2023 in CD, blue double vinyl LP and digital formats

The METROLAND / 808 DOT POP 4CD bundle including ‘0’, the FM and AM variants of ‘Pop Radio’ + the ‘X’ megamix collection is available from https://store.alfa-matrix-store.com/product/metroland-808-dot-pop-exclusive-pre-order-cd-pack/

http://www.metrolandmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/metrolandmusic

https://twitter.com/MetrolandMusic

Text by Chi Ming Lai
17th March 2023

BEBORN BETON Darkness Falls Again

14 March 2023 /

Formed in 1989, Germany’s BEBORN BETON released their first album proper ‘Tybalt’ in 1993 having issued three cassettes independently.

After the US only compilation album ‘Tales From Another World’ and a tour opening for APOPTYGMA BERZERK in 2002, the trio of Stefan Netschio (vocals), Stefan Tillmann (keyboards + drums) and Michael B Wagner (keyboards) went on hiatus.

The extended break did BEBORN BETON the world of good and when they returned in 2015, it was with ‘A Worthy Compensation’, their best album to date.

Produced and mixed by Olaf Wollschläger whose credits include MESH, YELLO, S.P.O.C.K, PSYCHE and MINERVE, the new long player ‘Darkness Falls Again’ takes aim at greedy capitalists and war mongering zealots hell bent on destroying the planet in order to satisfy their own fragile egos. Despite the lingering doom, the overall message is to remain positive in the face of adversity and collectively resist in order to make the world better place for all.

Reflective of the album’s title, there is a shadier austere to start; ‘My Monstrosity’ can’t help but recall 21st Century CAMOUFLAGE with the moodier build and aesthetics from their most recent album ‘Greyscale’ in particular, although the gothier vibes point to other directions and tensions.

‘Dancer in the Dark’ manages to out Camouflage CAMOUFLAGE with an infectious pop sensibility and tight rhythmic construction that actually grooves. With simple six string inflections à la ‘Violator’, it is a reminder of how catchy DEPECHE MODE were once… speaking of whom, ‘Last Chance’ comes over like DEPECHE MODE meeting Marilyn Manson in an embodiment of the narrative’s anger.

With a rich oboe tone ‘Trockenfallen Lassen’ is a Germanic ballad with the raspy air of WOLFSHEIM, but in an about turn, the brilliant ‘I Watch My Life on TV’ is shaped by hypnotic dance motifs with icy pulsating resonances while enticing synth solos show that the frame has not been broken in silence. Not an OMD cover, ‘Electricity’ swings more in a DE/VISION vein with some grit and a live drum feel, the darkness falling over a spiky chill which even throws timpani into the mix.

Declaring “God is dead” over a thumping metronomic beat, ‘Burning Gasoline’ is doomy but glorious electro-disco, a song like THE OSMONDS ‘Crazy Horses’ that highlights environmental destruction by corporations and the need to stop as “we are running out of time”.

Things don’t get much cheerier for the close as ‘I Hope You’re Not Easily Scared’ is an anti-capitalist observation. Taking many shapes including an epic orchestrated section, choppy synthbrass hooks, timpani and an eerie choral fade out, it is an ominous end but the message is got across.

Of BEBORN BETON’s socially-conscious environmentalist protest album, Stefan Netschio said to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK: “We were and are still living in a time of a multi-level crisis. So the darker tone just came naturally. Still, we hope that people will feel the strong uplifting energy of the songs that is meant to drag peoples’ minds out of this misery and give them hope that things can change for the better.”

Gloomier than its predecessor ‘A Worthy Compensation’, despite the realistic pessimism, ‘Darkness Falls Again’ is an excellent well-crafted album that offers hope.

It doesn’t wallow in its darkness, unlike more established bands that trade on collective misery. In their melodies, hooks, beats and lyrical expression, BEBORN BETON motivate the fight rather than the resignation by calling for the revolution rather than just wondering where it is…

‘Darkness Falls Again’ is released on 17th March 2023 by Dependent Records as a 48-page artbook with bonus CD, digisleeve CD, black vinyl LP and limited edition white vinyl LP as well as on the usual digital platforms, pre-order via http://lnk.spkr.media/beborn-beton-darkness

https://www.bebornbeton.com/

https://www.facebook.com/bebornbeton

https://www.instagram.com/bebornbeton/

https://en.dependent.de/en/Artists/Beborn-Beton/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Chris Ruiz
14th March 2023

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