Category: Reviews (Page 2 of 200)

LEVENTE The Ray Bradbury Chronicles

3 February 2025 /

The writings of Ray Bradbury encapsulated “the art of the possible” while never shying away from mankind’s penchant for self-destruction.

On ‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’, Transylvanian Hungarian musician Levente Toth has attempted to capture the American author’s surrealist and visionary spirit. Back in the days when Romania was under communist rule and led by the notorious dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, Levente main escapism was electronic music. After the Iron Curtain fell, he settled in the UK and built a home studio, releasing his first album ‘Places’ in 2000.

Using synthesizers and technology as its tools of expression, ‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’ is quite classical in its approach with assigned sounds representing its characters. Featuring 10 compositions inspired by 10 Ray Bradbury works, ‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’ indulges in some deep musical storytelling in the vein of Vangelis in particular.

Levente describes Bradbury as “A master of writing, who often used sci-fi and fantasy settings to tell us something deeply human about ordinary people like us”. The ultimate Cold War angst opener, ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ is understandably unsettling as it captures an automated house outliving its inhabitants following a nuclear holocaust until fire breaks out and the house itself dies with a last message from its failing computer vox humana.

‘The Lake’ is fittingly ghostly and mournful as the building of sandcastles leads to a drowning but ‘The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind (War / Realization)’ offers rousing hope in the face of war as peaceful collaboration benefits all. ‘The Messiah (Apparition / Exaltation / Sorrow)’ encapsulates freedom away from specific religions to focus on true values as ‘A Miracle Of Rare Device (Vision / Sceptic / Child)’ brings in gentle pulses and a sweeping optimistic grandeur to celebrate this parable about imagination and open mindedness.

‘Fahrenheit 451 (City / Escape / Exile)’ could only be represented by a dystopian soundscape as the books are burned in an eerie parallel to what is happening around the world today; so it is down those with a memory of previously documented knowledge, lessons and mistakes who need to stand up to fight the inept ignorance that abounds. With more supernatural exploration, ‘On The Orient, North (Romance / Death / Together)’ captures a gothic romanticism as sombre virtual cellos cross the paths of harps and pipes while on ‘The Scythe (Lives / Cuts / Madness)’, the atonal atmospheres of early TANGERINE DREAM creep in.

‘The Drummer Boy Of Shiloh’ has something of a folk quality as it captures the tension of upcoming battle before closing proceedings, ‘Kaleidoscope (Scattered / Last Emotions / Earth)’ soundtracks the spectre of imminent death as astronauts get ejected into space after their craft explodes and drift to face their fate with a fading heartbeat…

The relaxing ambience of ‘ASHRA’s New Age Of Earth’ or the excited cultural discovery of Vangelis’ ‘China’ this is not, but if you enjoy cerebral instrumental concept albums lingering in darkness, then ‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’ is worthy of investigation.

‘The Ray Bradbury Chronicles’ is available digitally from https://levente.bandcamp.com/album/the-ray-bradbury-chronicles

https://www.talesoffrozentime.com/

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https://linktr.ee/leventezone

Text by Chi Ming Lai
3rd February 2025

SLEEP FOREVER Alter Ego

31 January 2025 /

SLEEP FOREVER is the solo venture of Zurich-based musician Markus Weber who is a member of post-punk electro duo VEIL OF LIGHT with Michael Hofstetter and have opening for THE SOFT MOON in Switzerland on their curriculum vitae.

However with VEIL OF LIGHT set to release a new album ‘Hymns Of Faith & Trust’ in the middle of February, as occasionally with Sweden’s DAILY PLANET and their instrumentalist Johan Baeckström, the musical and productions lines do blur.

Following up 2022’s full length debut ‘Boyhood’, Weber continues to fuse classic synthpop sounds with house-influences, with the appropriately titled ‘Alter Ego’ all drenched in a reverbed introspection. The words “wistful” and “escapist” are obvious descriptions for SLEEP FOREVER but with lyrics relating to personal experience, the songs are immediately accessible and THROBBING GRISTLE this is not…

It’s with this wholehearted sincerity that the album’s opening song ‘Shine A Light’ offers a slice of bouncy and breezy synthpop that recalls PET SHOP BOYS, complete with glissando string effects although SLEEP FOREVER achieves this with a dreamier disposition. ‘Pacific Wild’ follows a not dissimilar path for that melancholic but ultimately joyous feeling filled with the sorts of melodies and counter-melodies that wouldn’t have been out of place on the MTV European Top 20 in 1988.

The ‘Alter Ego’ title song perhaps doesn’t soar to such heights but is pleasant enough with its layered tuning while ‘Indifference’ plays with a moodier metallic dressing. ‘Head Over Heels’ though is not a TEARS FOR FEARS cover but a rhythmic sophistipop number recalling WHITE DOOR. Sung in Deutsch, ‘Augen Zu’ takes the sophistipop direction further and actually sounds like JOHNNY HATES JAZZ in the 21st Century.

With an intro sounding as if it is about to burst into ‘Dreamland’ by PET SHOP BOYS, ‘Pillar To Post’ chugs along with digital slap bass in an accessible Italo disco fashion and sparkles in the instrumental break while ‘Undertow’ is uptempo without being disco and although reminiscent of A-HA, it comes over as slightly less accomplished than the Norwegian trio.

‘Keep On Pretending’ is another slice of synthy sophistipop but the vocal stylings grate over 12 songs and this album is perhaps a bit too long, losing steam in its second half. However the opening two numbers ‘Shine A Light’ and ‘Pacific Wild’ highlight the capabilities Markus Weber and are certainly worthy of playlisting.

‘Alter Ego’ is available as a digital release and a limited-edition cassette from https://sleep4evr.bandcamp.com/album/alter-ego

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
31st January 2025

KIM WILDE Closer

29 January 2025 /

Kim Wilde needs no introduction and has been a celebrated pop artist since her debut single ‘Kids In America’ reached No2 in 1981. Other hits such as ‘Chequered Love’, ‘Cambodia’, ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’, ‘You Came’ and ‘Four Letter Word’ followed.

Part of a British rock ‘n’ roll dynasty, her father Marty was a highly respected star in his own right while her brother Ricky had his own flirtation with teen pop stardom before settling to become a record producer with the late Mickey Most acting as his mentor.

The new album ‘Closer’ is Kim Wilde’s first studio album since 2018’s ‘Here Come The Aliens’ but perhaps more important conceptually, it is intended as a companion record to her 1988 album ‘Close’ from which came ‘You Came’ and ‘Four Letter Word’.

Produced as usual by Ricky Wilde and featuring several songwriting contributions from his daughter and her niece Scarlett, ‘Closer’ is another family affair with regular live band members Paul Cooper (bass) and Neil Jones (guitar) also on board. With Kim, Ricky and Scarlett writing lyrics across the record, the introspective themes are both personal and universal.

The enjoyable first single ‘Trail Of Destruction’ highlights parental concerns about the environment and political discourse, acting a throbbing synth-laden anthem with Euro-rock vibes seeping in to makes a powerful fist-pumping statement.

But ‘Closer’ begins proper with ‘Midnight Train’, a vibrant slice of cutting synthesizer-driven rock in the vein of ULTRAVOX complete with wailing solos and as a result, recalls imperial phase BERLIN. And as if by magic in response, Midge Ure appears and duets on the orchestrated filmic drama of ‘Sorrow Replaced’.

A quick calendar check confirms it is not 1981 but composed by Ricky and Scarlett, ‘Scorpio’ sounds as if could be from that year’s self-titled Kim Wilde debut and is a highly enjoyable new wave throwback to when she was ready to take on Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Hazel O’Connor. A Kim and Ricky co-write, the mightily heartfelt ‘Lighthouse’ sees our heroine proving she is still in fine voice after 44 years in music, recalling the up-and-coming German popwave songstress NINA who Ricky Wilde recorded an excellent album with in 2023 called ‘Scala Hearts’.

Bristling with a soaring fervour, ‘Love Is Love’ can be best described as a sizzling dance stomper which hits the highs and would make a fitting entry for Eurovision. Meanwhile ‘Rocket To The Moon’ hits the energetic Schaffel button to take on Alison Goldfrapp at her own game and even adds a bit of Suzi Quatro along the way.

With layered synthetic hooks and a smothering of chunky six string interventions, ‘Hourglass Human’ sees Kim in a spirited duet with Scarlett while the electronically pumped ‘Stones & Bones’ provides a further rousing character to the album as it heads into the home straight. Closing ‘Closer’, the gorgeous ‘Savasana’ intros as a moody ballad before a percolating bass acts as the hypnotic engine room to a cinematic backdrop of synths, piano, guitars and layered vocals.

Kim has said of this album: “’Closer’ has truly been an absolute joy to make… it feels like the natural companion to ‘Close’ from 1988, and I believe it serves as a perfect reflection of where I find myself today, musically speaking.”

There is something of a heartwarming nostalgia to ‘Closer’ while it is also fresh and uplifting despite the sadness in some of its lyrical gists. Immediate but never sounding tiresome in the way some albums by artists of past eras can and have sounded, this is an album that will make long standing fans very happy. But with its classic blend of new wave, synth, pop, rock and dance, it may also see the return of those who bought Kim Wilde records in the past but may not have done so for over 30 years 😉🎶

‘Closer’ is released by Cherry Red Records on 31 January 2025 as a CD, black vinyl LP, limited edition white vinyl LP and download

Kim Wilde 2025 UK Tour:

Birmingham Symphony Hall (14 March), Manchester Academy (15 March), Bristol Beacon (16 March), Cambridge Corn Exchange (18 March), London IndigO2 (19 March), Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (21 March), Sheffield City Hall (22 March), York Barbican (23 March), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (25 March)

For more information on European tour dates and how to purchase tickets, visit https://www.kimwilde.com/tour-dates

https://www.facebook.com/officialkimwilde

https://www.instagram.com/kimwildeofficial/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
29th January 2025

DINA SUMMER Girls Gang

23 January 2025 /

A Berlin union between LOCAL SUICIDE, the Greco-German technodisco couple Dina Pascal and Max Brudi with Nu-disco exponent Jakob Häglsperger, better known by his stage moniker KALIPO, DINA SUMMER follow up 2024’s ‘Hide & Seek’ EP with a new album ‘Girls Gang’ to welcome in 2025.

‘Hide & Seek’ was a fine blend of new wave, synthpop, dark disco, techno and Italo with a cutting Mittel Europa edge and ‘Girls Gang’ is a natural progression, playing on its darker but still club friendly aesthetics compared with the Italo flavoured debut album ‘Rimini’ from 2022.

Setting the scene, the ‘Girls Gang’ title song adopts the hypnotic pulse of BOY HARSHER in a seductive celebration of “girls in black”, of dancing to BAUHAUS and DEAD CAN DANCE in a dedication to female icons such as Morticia, Wednesday, Vampira, Elvira and Siouxsie. A German phrase meaning “sound and smoke”, the equally uptempo ‘Schall & Rauch’ plays with female and male vocals in the second half for some haunted post-punk disco.

Much more intense, the sonic cathedral of ‘Nothing To Hide’ paces down with textural guitar interventions sitting alongside synthetic choirs and a rattling percussive backdrop. Upping the momentum and embracing the outsider, ‘Alien’ throbs gloriously in a manner calling Miss Kittin & The Hacker as DINA SUMMER make demands to “take me to your leader” as “we are aliens!”

Named after the popular holidaying destination in Northern Greece known for its sandy beaches, the comparatively lighter ‘Halkidiki’ is an infectious electronic club tune made for sultry summery nights and shines with bliss before the darker climes that come with ‘Promise Me’; this sees Berlin-based New Yorker Luca Venezia of CURSES guest with his anguished lead accompanied by Joshua Murphy’s six string for a burst of melodic goth rock embroiled in longing.

The gothic theme continues on ‘Hypnotized’ which musically borrows from BAUHAUS and THE CURE as stabbing synths offset the doom-laden bass guitar while ‘Zombie’ continues on a not too dissimilar footing fully in keeping the song’s theme.

‘Disco Goth’ gets back to clubland as frantic throbbing electronics with commentary on how to get that look while the tense ‘FOMO’ continues the action under strobe lights and plays on that “fear of missing out”. The closer ‘No More Tears’ falls under the spell of THE SISTERS OF MERCY and goes for the full Doktor Avalanche blow out although the bursts of synth are the dead giveaway that this is not actually Andrew Eldritch and Co.

Despite its title, ‘Girls Gang’ does actually feature more male vocals than its predecessors while there also are more of the guitar-driven elements associated with goth creeping in which is quite timely given the recorded return of THE CURE. In much as the same was as NEW ORDER have done in the past, the album manages to straddle the worlds of electronic disco and alternative rock. As with acts like DIE SEXUAL, despite the apparent darkness, there’s an energetic thrill that comes from the decadent dance and the willingness to be one of the gang.

‘Girls Gang’ is released by Iptamenos Discos on 24 January 2025 as a vinyl LP, vinyl LP with bonus 12” with remixes, CD and download, available from https://dinasummer.bandcamp.com/album/girls-gang-idi021

DINA SUMMER 2025 Live Dates include:

Berlin Rough Trade (27 January), Berlin Lido (13 March), Zürich KAUZ (14 March), Mainz Schon Schön (20 March), Munich Rote Sonne (22 March), Hamburg Bahnhof Pauli (27 March), Leipzig Conne Island (29 March), Wroclaw Transformator (5 April)

https://dinasummer.berlin/

https://www.facebook.com/dinasummermusic/

https://www.instagram.com/dinasummermusic/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dinasummermusic

https://soundcloud.com/dinasummer

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Katja Ruge
23rd January 2025

CAT TEMPER From A Whisker To A Scream

17 January 2025 /

While people get the willies over the Jaguar cars rebrand, the other cat is back…

CAT TEMPER is the alter-ego of Mike Langlie, the most prolific meowsician in synthwave. At last count, he has issued 15 full length albums since 2019, mixing synthpop, electro, punk, hair metal with the sounds of 8-bit videogames. The ‘Furio’ album got an unexpected boosted when DURAN DURAN shared its ‘Rio’ homage artwork on their socials.

“I started making music in the 1980s and my style hasn’t changed much through the years.” Mike Langlie told ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, “Thankfully retro synthpop is back in fashion! I still use gear I’ve had since then and a lot of soft synths recreating classic hardware I sold or could never afford. Roland Juno basses and pads, Yamaha DX7 bells and leads, Jupiter-4 arpeggios, LinnDrum and Simmons drums among others. Also plenty of weird sounds from my first and favorite synth, the Casio CZ-101 which appears on almost all of my songs.”

Following-up the most recent CAT TEMPER album ‘Still Just A Cat In A Rage’ released just a few months ago, ‘From A Whisker To A Scream’ promises a more cosmic journey that ranges from “a gentle purr to a growling crescendo”.

Opening with the swooping synths and rich melodies of ‘Across The Stratosfur’, TANGERINE DREAM are paid tribute to, with spacey array of sequencer patterns and icy string machine interventions of the Berlin School also shaping ‘Force Meowjeure’ while ‘Alpha Catauri’ adopts more ominous downbeat tones. But the best track comes with ‘Dark Kitty’ which takes a diversion as swathed in melodrama, synthetic orchestrations do battle against a barrage of pizzicato.

On the more synthwave side of things and playing with the same Roland Jupiter arpeggiator used on DURAN DURAN’s ‘Save A Prayer’ for the intro, ‘Turn Of The Tail’ mutates into a neon-lit set piece. ‘Purrallel Worlds’ explores windier melodics over a vintage drum machine backbeat while a sinister rhythmic swing dominates ‘Remote Mewing’. Away from the cosmic, ‘Birdwatcher’ goes all metal but has cinematic diversions in between while ‘Escape Claws’ pays homage to Jean-Michel Jarre’s more dramatic mid-period.

Full of lush synths, whirling arpeggios and soaring solos, some may tire of the pawsome feline puns. But ‘From a Whisker To A Scream’ has cattitude and knowing references, so doesn’t take itself too seriously to ensure it never comes over pompous. You are either a CAT TEMPER person or you are not.

‘From A Whisker To A Scream’ is available as a splatter vinyl LP and download via https://cattemper.bandcamp.com/

https://www.cattemper.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cattempermeow/

https://www.threads.net/@cattempermeow

https://bsky.app/profile/cattemper.bsky.social

Text by Chi Ming Lai
17th January 2025

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