Category: Reviews (Page 25 of 200)

BLANCMANGE Private View

28 September 2022 /


The 15th long player from BLANCMANGE sees a return to London Records who issued their debut ‘Happy Families’ in Autumn 1982.

Originally a duo comprising of Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, the pair released a further two albums ‘Mange Tout’ and ‘Believe You Me’ before going on a lengthy hiatus.

They returned in 2011 with ‘Blanc Burn’, but with Luscombe unable to continue due to health reasons, BLANCMANGE has since become a prolific solo adventure for Arthur. ‘Private View’ presents a collection of synthesised art-pop that finds a significant role for guitarist David Rhodes, BLANCMANGE’s very own Carlos Alomar who has regularly applied his talents with Peter Gabriel as well as a live stint with JAPAN.

Continuing FADER partner Benge as producer who worked on the recent BLANCMANGE albums ‘Unfurnished Rooms’, ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Mindset’ and ‘Commercial Break’, ‘Private View’ presents a striking opener in ‘What’s Your Name’; not a cover of the 1981 DEPECHE MODE tune, despite a sparse vibey start, it strums and crashes into action while Arthur uses a manipulated voice treatment to give a sense of other worldly alienation away from the indie rock track that this could easily be.

‘Some Times These’ also retains a fuzzy kerrang element although the chorus keyboard theme has an immersive Eno-esque air that echoes his work on “Heroes”. More sequencer driven, ‘Reduced Voltage’ echoes CAN in its groovy kosmische precision but the guitars are turned up in the second half, contrary to the title.

Waking up with an idea seeded in 1980, ‘Here We Go Go’ is a song that could have come from the ‘Quartz’ album from FADER but with louder percussion, before it marvellously morphs into the artier drama of OMD for its conclusion. The energetic ’Chairs’ pulses along with a strong throbbing drive and Arthur announcing in frustration at those easy triggers that “we keep getting excited about things beyond our control”, when all he needs is a “cup of tea”…

With more ragged six string and mechanised pulsing, ‘Who Am I?’ sees our hero lost and forlorn while ‘Everything Is Connected’ offers a strange kind of eerie indie electro-funk but while not a reprise of ‘Feel Me’, it is as the title suggests, part of the lineage.

With a steadfast pulsing motorik, ‘I Tried To Be You’ features several glorious synth sections which are very pleasing to the ears. Then using a swirling cacophony of electrickery, the ‘Private View’ title number borrows the punchy drum mantra from NEW ORDER’s ‘Leave Me Alone’ to present a sardonic angle on a world where “you know you can’t let go now”.

Brilliantly taking cues from the forest-laden atmospheres of CLUSTER, ‘Take Me’ features some wonderful piano and guitar work. It’s a sumptuous motorik ballad where Arthur declares he is “lost without love” although this ending provides the best song on ‘Private View’.

40 years on from BLANCMANGE’s debut album on London Records, ‘Private View’ shows Neil Arthur can still spring some surprises.

He continues as a creative force to be reckoned with, using his brand to open doors and satisfy while eschewing the more nostalgic tendencies of some of his peers.

‘Private View’ is released on 30th September 2022 by London Records in the usual formats

2022 BLANCAMANGE UK live dates include:

London Rough Trade East (1 October), Cambridge Junction (7 October)^, Stroud Subscription Rooms (8 October)^, Colchester Arts Centre (13 October)^, Cardiff University Y Plas (14 October)^, Frome Cheese and Grain (15 October)^, Reading Sub 89 (20 October)^, Nottingham The Level (21 October)^, Gillingham Glassbox Theatre (22 October)^, Bristol Fleece (27 October)+, Guildford Boileroom (28 October)+, Wimborne Tivoli Theatre (29 October)+, Exeter Theatre (4 November)*, Southampton The Brook (5 November)*, Birmingham The Mill (10 November)+, Lancaster Kanteena (11 November)+, Barrow-in-Furness Forum Theatre (12 November)+, Diss Corn Hall (17 November)*, Manchester Gorilla (18 November)**, Liverpool Hangar 34 (19 November)**, Leeds Wardrobe (24 November)**, Sheffield Leadmill (25 November)**, Newcastle Riverside (26 November)**, Aberdeen Lemon Tree (1 December)**, Edinburgh Liquid Room (2 December)**, Glasgow Queen Margaret Union (3 December)**, Brighton Concorde 2 (9 December)**, London Islington Assembly Hall (10 December)**

Support acts: ^Oblong +Alice Hubble *Rodney Cromwell **Stephen Mallinder

http://www.blancmange.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/BlancmangeMusic

https://twitter.com/_blancmange_

https://www.instagram.com/blancmange_music/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Helen_Kincaid
28th September 2022

MECHA MAIKO NOT OK

17 September 2022 /

Toronto-based synthy songstress Hayley Stewart is back as MECHA MAIKO with her third long player ‘NOT OK’. Conceived in a rural retreat away from civilisation on her synthpop farm before being finished in the big city with engineer and producer Jack Marko, the various social-political flashpoints that emerged during the worldwide pandemic such as Black Lives Matter, misogyny, fake news, corruption and global warming shape the themes of ‘NOT OK’.

Hayley Stewart first became known as a member of DEAD ASTRONAUTS with Jared Nickerson, appearing on the albums ‘Constellations’ and ‘Arms Of Night’.

But she found herself a solo creative outlet as the Japanese inspired MECHA MAIKO; the resulting 2018 debut record ‘Mad But Soft’ was a collection of sweet dreamy synthpop and featured ‘Cold’, a collaboration with fellow Canadian Dana Jean Phoenix. The interim ‘Okiya’ EP from 2019 stated greater ambitions and demonstrated that Stewart was already standing apart from many of the acts who she appeared with on ‘The Rise Of The Synths’ documentary in her uninhibited experimental approach.

This was all swiftly cemented by the marvellous second album ‘Let’s!’; its opening track ‘Apathy’ saw a quirky amalgam of swing, techno and Far Eastern influences which seemed ridiculous on paper but proved to be magnificent in practice. Also from ‘Let’s!’, ‘Phones’ was a Eurocentric club friendly offering that presented MECHA MAIKO’s answer to ‘Rhythm Is A Dancer’ and in hindsight, was a sign of things to come.

The MECHA MAIKO Bento box continues its care-free sonic development on ‘NOT OK’ which sees a greater influx of dance rhythms acting as the backbone to the catchy imaginative electronica. Opener ‘Innocent’ starts sedately but spacey pulsations and otherworldly detunings provide a Sci-Fi setting for Stewart’s pretty vocals. Feeling the force of some mighty electro, ‘Sunny, Softly (I Feel Love)’ throws in the iconic throb from the Giorgio Moroder produced Donna Summer hit for a glorious beat driven statement enhanced by an angelic delivery.

The thumping ‘400 Humans’ thrusts the agenda further to the point that it is almost EBM before it threatens to do even stranger things and morph into ‘Running Up That Hill’. Meanwhile ‘Hard’ does as the title suggests with Stewart treating the listener to her high-pitched warble as she enunciates over pentatonic interventions and a frantic rhythmic construction.

‘Shut It Down’ takes its lead from more house-driven forms but also adds an oriental twist while as an observation of those youngsters “born under the bus”, ‘The Kids’ is an attack on the spectre of the far right while utilising the charm of tinny drum machines in its trip to Detroit with some sparkling keyboard work and enticing synthesizer drama.

The industrial disco of ‘Webs’ uses metallic textures and compressed snare snaps over a pattern of repetition that echoes early HEAVEN 17 and DEPECHE MODE so as a result, comes over like Philadelphian synth girl Catherine Moan. At a moderate pace with something more musically introspective, ‘Broken Tongue’ adopts various drones but is still hauntingly melodic and addictively squelchy, building and cleverly altering into different aesthetic layers as it progresses to its conclusion.

Possibly the darkest track on the album, ‘Name Power’ offers buzz ‘n’ grit in a call-to-action that alters in tempo at various stages to suit. With shades of Kelli Ali, the sombre doom syncopation of ‘NOT OK’ is a worthy title track with cascading arpeggios, penetrative synthbass and an incessant beat to accompany a passionate message that “IT’S NOT OK”.

While the programme is traditionally concluded, a bonus track appears in a move off concept due to it being about ‘Just Some Guy’; speedy synthetic drum mantras and HI-NRG digital claps accompany the absorbing machine disco to provide the +1, like a B-side stuck onto the space left on one side of a C90 tape after recording the album.

While earlier MECHA MAIKO works may have had a charming naivety, a more worldly lyrical maturity has enveloped while not losing the sense of fun in the instrumentation. This ensures that the message can get through and be appreciated on a number of levels. As OMD proved in the past and as outlined in a Charlie Brown meme “…beautiful melodies telling me terrible things” is a highly impactful approach.

‘NOT OK’ is a fine collection of dance-friendly avant pop; as our heroine herself said: “Hopefully it can validate some of the feelings and frustrations that others have been grappling with, and to serve as a reminder that we don’t have to accept things as they are”

‘NOT OK’ is released by New Retro Wave, available as a white / black coloured vinyl, CD, cassette, Minidisc and download from https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/not-ok

https://www.mechamaiko.com/

https://www.facebook.com/mechamaiko/

https://twitter.com/mechamaiko

https://www.instagram.com/mechamaiko/

https://soundcloud.com/mecha-maiko

https://open.spotify.com/album/2ghVQRu4Wn1cS2FccPzZWQ

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Zackery Hobler
17th September 2022

DINER Cassini EP

12 September 2022 /

Emerging Chinese singer / songwriter Diner Liu is the latest artist to follow bands such as STOLEN and Re-TROS to make a breakthrough in the West.

Born in China but also living and studying in Hong Kong and London, like Fifi Rong who collaborated with YELLO, Diner Liu is a cross culture kid.

In 2021, she released her eerie alternative rock driven debut EP ‘Inevitable’ on China’s leading independent music label Modern Sky. The second EP ‘Cassini’ sees her working with Berlin-based Mancunian Mark Reeder and his long time studio partner Micha Adam.

Having been inspired by ‘Blue Monday’, Diner Liu’s post-punk sound has been embellished by pentatonic textures and a greater use of electronic dance elements, hence the invitation for the NEW ORDER connected Reeder to be at the production helm. Influences range from PJ Harvey to traditional Chinese music with Patrick Cowley sitting in between.

With a greater but not exclusive use of synths, it is fitting that this sophomore work was conceived around the 2017 Cassini–Huygens space research mission to the planet Saturn. At the conclusion of its mission, the probe deorbited and burned up in the gas giant’s upper atmosphere. Written in London, Beijing and Berlin, Diner Liu was inspired by the mission’s parallels to her own personal health; having suffered from an extremely rare disease called LGESS, she eventually lost her uterus before she was 24.

Despite her mental and physical battles dealing with the situation, she saw that her life journey and music career were only just getting started. So just as the Cassini probe eventually burned up around Saturn, she saw a new chapter beginning, realising that “starting a family might not be the ultimate goal of my life.”

The best track on ‘Cassini’ comes with the rhythmic  ‘大星’ (‘Big Star’) which takes on a wonderfully cosmic air that comes dressed with Guzheng, a Chinese zither that even SPANDAU BALLET once used on the experimental ‘Innocence & Science’ from 1982’s ‘Diamond’ album.

Meanwhile, the colder ‘Cassini’ title song is a steadfast slice of Sci-Fi electro featuring Mark Reeder’s trademark synthbass pulse over a bangy offbeat, with the hypnotism enhanced by the enigmatic vocals as the closing mutant metallic textures provide the cerebral sensations.

The remainder of the EP offers variations on modern post-punk augmented with live guitar and drums.  ‘Athena’ musically recalls JOY DIVISION but proceedings are progressively paced up into an exotic throbbing trance while with synthy swoops and a tinkling motif, ‘Circle Of A Down’ captures a mysterious Middle Eastern flavoured vibe from Diner Liu’s angelic tones contrasting with the inherent sense of foreboding. The percussion-less ‘Exile’ is shaped by six string and ivories, but the downbeat doom of ‘Midnight Panorama’ takes an unexpected turn into dreamy electro which is reminiscent of Kid Moxie.

With a stylistic blend and commentary on the uncertainties of life, its extinction and its rebirth, this EP captures a dark romantic consciousness as all good gothically inclined journeys should. Life can be fulfilling outside of the expected conventions.

‘Cassini’ is released by Modern Sky and available now on the usual online platforms

https://www.instagram.com/kydiner/

https://www.modernsky.com/home/artists/216

https://open.spotify.com/album/5I9Xuf6beLX0HxCJ7397Kd

Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th September 2022

MINIMAL SCHLAGER Love, Sex & Dreams

9 September 2022 /


Based in London and Berlin, MINIMAL SCHLAGER began in 2020 during the pandemic.

Remotely, they developed a brand of synth heavy dreampop that was debuted on their ‘Voodoo Eyes’ EP in 2021; it included an unusual dark electro-disco take on JOY DIVISION’s ‘Disorder’.

With no songs carried over from ‘Voodoo Eyes’, Argentine sibling duo Alicia Macanás and Francisco Parisi have recorded their first album ‘Love, Sex & Dreams’ in Berlin with producer Robbie Moore whose credits have included THE IRREPRESSIBLES and PEACHES.

The MINIMAL SCHLAGER name dates back to when Macanás first moved to Berlin and was a reaction to her German friends who considered that the domestic melodic pop form of Schlager was not worthy; so she came up with the concept of “Minimalistic Schlager”.

Opening ‘Love, Sex & Dreams’, ‘Nana Del Caballo Grande’ packs a punch with a sombre electronic bassline and a reverberant calling in their native tongue for a “Lullaby of the Big Horse”, before a Rachmaninov mini-piano concerto cocooned in shoegaze appears.

Following on, ‘Before’ captures strident moods and airy vocals but despite their moniker of minimalism, this is a densely produced affair. As discussed in the brief studio banter beforehand, ‘Forbidden Fruit’ is ghostly with an ominous octave shift thrust and alluring “little girl lost” enunciations that wouldn’t sound out of place on a David Lynch film soundtrack.

Sounding like it could have come straight out of the Italian Do It Better playbook with a delicious feline quality, ‘Rush’ is gorgeous Europop escapism, tingling with joy in its disco vibes and electrifying synth solo. With a message of resilience and hope, it is a song that gets high on life.

Possibly even better, ‘Submission’ is a more of a new wave number with subtle guitar, glistening synths and a rhythmic bounce that sets it apart from the other songs. While it is all very is sexy, the chorus is exhilarating as “For a second, I know I can win!”

After that slice of optimism, ‘Fate’ returns to the album’s earlier introspection as “it’s so over” but Macanás remains enticing in her delivery, especially in the more major key chorus that get instrumental support from some higher range keys despite the cacophony of distortion underneath.

Buzzing but pretty, ‘Glow’ provides a seductive uplift as the title suggests, although the gnarled keyboard lines offset any illusions that perhaps something is maybe on the cards.

Almost electroclash in its frantic construction, ‘Euphoria’ verges on Miss Kittin territory in its semi-spoken expression. And when it dynamically jumps up a gear halfway into an angelic chorus trapped within a wall of strung and synthetic sound, it is enthralling.

‘Ridiculous’ pars things down with a disntinctly metronomic backbeat as Macanás laments while “crying over spilled milk every day” because it was “too ridiculous to save” and “it took me a while to know”. Taking things right down, the organ-led ‘Prayers’ acts as a haunting closer and at times, comes over like an indie Fifi Rong.

Delightfully delicious with a good number of excellent songs in different colours and different shades, ‘Love, Sex & Dreams’ is a wonderful debut album that does exactly what is says on the tin! Artful, alluring and enchanting, this is the modern spirit of la nueva ola.

‘Love, Sex & Dreams’ is released by Duchess Box Records as a limited edition red vinyl LP available from https://minimalschlager.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/minimalschlager

https://twitter.com/minimalschlager

https://www.instagram.com/minimal.schlager/

https://spoti.fi/3i3X2rQ

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th September 2022

VH x RR On The Shoulders Of Giants EP

6 September 2022 /

VH x RR is the collaborative project of American-based pairing Von Hertzog and Rob Rowe.

Von Hertzog is best known as a producer and the studio guru behind The Social Club complex, while Rob Rowe was the singer of CAUSE & EFFECT who had four albums and numerous EPs to their name. Rather like two astronauts in separate spaceships but on the same mission, the pair have still yet to actually meet in person, with Hertzog operating his complex outside Philadelphia while the English-born Rowe works from his home studio in Seattle.

In 2020, the duo opened their account with ‘The Persistence Of Memory’ EP, the first of their Cosmos Trilogy themed around the wonders of the universe which was followed up the following year by ‘A Sky Full Of Ghosts’. The final segment ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ now hits the airwaves and takes its name from the book by the late great Stephen Hawking celebrating the history of physics and astronomy. It’s an expansion of the steadfast musical and lyrical imagery that illustrated the first two EPs.

The strident ‘Shattered Bones’ opens ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ with a brooding widescreen mood and RR even vocally expresses tinges of Jim Kerr from SIMPLE MINDS in a midtempo statement on the fragility of existence in this collapsing world.

‘Slipped’ is no less cheerful in its weary expression of loss, something that Rowe has had tragic experience of. But it glistens despite the melancholy in the anguished delivery and within the layered harmonisation, there’s a glimmer of hope. With a thrusting octave shift, the anthemic ‘Heavenly Outline’ takes the pace up very slightly although this is not exactly a hands-in-the-air experience, its message is to take chances and overcome fears because you only live once.

Driven by a throbbing engine room, ‘The Undertow’ in an absorbing cosmic adventure while on sister song ‘The Fray’, a vintage drum machine backbeat is the core of a spacey never ending story seeking light and love; Hertzog himself sees these two songs as “yin and yang”. Closing with an unexpected but subtle percussive mantra, ‘Don’t Let Go’ closes ‘On The Shoulders Of Giants’ with a flash of optimism to counter that darkness that has lingered over a trilogy that has dug into the human condition via its inter-galactic metaphors.

The concept is as much metaphysical as it is existential and as VH x RR have stated, “Ideas do not exist in a vacuum. They are the result of, and informed by, the past”. While the songs, the singing and the production cannot be faulted, if there is a criticism, then it is that the protracted midtempo nature of this EP and the trilogy may be heavy going for some listeners.

Despite that, there are some excellent tracks and existing followers of Von Hertzog and Rob Rowe will cherish this latest VH x RR release with its emotional intensity and felicitous sonic easel to compile themselves a full length album from these three bodies of work.

‘On The Shoulders Of Giants’ is released as a CD EP and to online platforms on 10th September 2022 https://vhxrr.bandcamp.com/album/on-the-shoulders-of-giants

http://vhxrr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/vhxrrmusic

https://twitter.com/VHxRR

https://www.instagram.com/vhxrr/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
6th September 2022

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