Category: Reviews (Page 36 of 200)

ALANAS CHOSNAU & MARK REEDER Širdis

1 February 2022 /

With the dark clouds of war looming, it’s as if The Cold War never ended…

With tensions on the Eastern Front between two of the largest nations in Europe, what is needed is some heart. Meaning “Heart” in Lithuanian, ‘Širdis’ is the first song to be recorded in the native language of Alanas Chosnau in his fruitful collaboration project with Mark Reeder. Chosnau is one of the biggest music stars in his home country while Reeder is the Berlin-based Mancunian known for his remix work for NEW ORDER and DEPECHE MODE.

‘Širdis’ is a heartfelt plea to friends, as from a distance, we wait for their decision. The damage has been done, yet we can’t let love turn to fear. They don’t know which road to take and as it brings confusion and uncertainty, they each know that someone is going to get hurt. Who will carry the burden of responsibility? Who will be the couriers of peace?

But friends and family are the ones who have to choose sides and live with the consequences in the aftermath. Having grown up in the former Soviet Union, Chosnau knows first-hand what this is like… so this is a plea for love and peace between friends.

The pair have touched on politics before with 2020’s ‘Heavy Rainfall’, a song seemingly having an environmental reference but actually reflecting on the world’s increasingly disturbing political climate. As can be expected from Alanas Chosnau, he presents ‘Širdis’ as a suitably panoramic performance video directed by Aleksandras Brokas.

A moody emotive ballad, Reeder even brings a Balalaika into the instrumental palette for added regional authenticity alongside his usual synths, bass and guitar. The English language version of ‘Širdis’ will feature on the upcoming album by Mark Reeder and Alanas Chosnau to follow-up their excellent debut long player ‘Children of Nature’; “I’m waiting, respond to me” sings Chosnau in translation as he dedicates the song to all who are walking towards their goal.

‘Širdis’ is released by MFS on the usual digital platforms including https://markreeder.bandcamp.com/track/irdis

https://alanaschosnau.com/

https://www.facebook.com/alanaschosnau/

https://www.instagram.com/alanaschosnau/

https://www.facebook.com/markreeder.mfs/

https://twitter.com/markreedermfs

https://www.instagram.com/markreeder.mfs/

https://mfsberlin.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai with thanks to Mark Reeder
Photo by Martyn Goodacre
1st February 2022

MOTHERMARY I Am Your God

27 January 2022 /


Inspired by the Prayer of the Blessed Virgin, the strikingly photogenic twins Elyse and Larena are like real-life ‘Twin Peaks’ characters, with the backstory being that they escaped their strict Mormon family in remote Montana.

Elyse hitched a ride to Salt Lake City before uprooting to Brooklyn and attempted a solo music career. But unhappy with how producers failed to see her vision, when Larena joined her in The Big Apple, MOTHERMARY came into existence to reclaim their sexuality and womanhood, having been brainwashed to “Have children, procreate, but don’t be sexual beings!”

Released on Italians Do It Better, with an appealing contrast of light and shade, their debut album ‘I Am Your God’ highlights religious hypocrisy with resigned contralto vocals and immersive synthetic instrumentation. This is exemplified by an electro-take on Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ which brings the tone of the song’s lyrical content more in line with its true meaning about the euphoria of oral sex. Making a similarly profound statement, ‘Burn With Desire’ utilises a steadfast synthwave backdrop to encapsulate the twin’s repressed sexuality.

Opening the album with the swung presence of ‘Catch Fire’, it’s a number that gradually develops its power while ‘Wearing Me Thin’ introduces a slow soulful groove. There’s dancier material too; sounding like haunting Anglo-German art pop duo KALEIDA but with an acid house squelch, ‘Pray’ is a highly provocative highlight with gritty references to a “sacrificial offering” and confirmation that “We’ll pray for you…”

In line with the album’s recurring religious imagery, ‘Resurrection’ is undoubtedly another bedroom metaphor, enhanced by a barrage of sleazy synth smothering, but despite its understated R ‘n’ B rhythms, ‘Coming For You’ morphs with strident synthbass in a statement of desire which when the glitch vocals take their place, presents more of a creepy stalker mentality like ‘You’ set to an electronica soundtrack.

‘Give It Up’ follows a similar arrangement template although the message is more resigned. The closing ‘I Am Your God’ title track also brings in deep vocal pitch shifting for an unsettling demonic twist.

Reminiscent of KALIEDA but with more urban derived beats, the ‘I Am Your God’ album captures a haunting anguish and despair that channels the twins’ pain and uncertainty into the music with a collective repression.

“Women can be mothers and nurturing and caring and smart, and we also get to have f***ing sex drives” MOTHERMARY said, “We get to enjoy our bodies. We get to enjoy pleasure. We get to orgasm if we want to.”

‘I Am Your God’ is released by Italians Do It Better on 28th January 2022 , pre-order at https://idib.ffm.to/i-am-your-god

https://www.mothermary.band/

https://www.facebook.com/1800mthrmry/

https://twitter.com/mothermarymusic

https://www.instagram.com/mothermarymusic/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th January 2022

MICHAEL OAKLEY Babylon

23 January 2022 /

Michael Oakley first came to wider prominence with his debut mini-album release ‘California’ in 2017 which the explored sun-kissed climes of its title like a musical driving travelogue.

Embraced by the synthwave community, for his debut album proper ‘Introspect’, he changed course slightly utilised the more Yamaha DX and Fairlight derived sounds to capture the spirit of polished pop producers such as Trevor Horn and Stephen Hague.

But for his 2021 long playing release ‘Odyssey’, ENIGMA, ACE OF BASE, HADDAWAY, THE BELOVED and MOBY became the new points of reference. The first single ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ was inspired by Scottish dance act THE TIME FREQUENCY and even mixed by their Jon Campbell, but the new single ‘Babylon’ takes a more exotic laid back approach.

With a kiss like a rose, the video sees classic peroxide beauty Scarlot Fields in an appropriately vintage setting with a chess set, valve TV and the inevitable phone among the props. Meanwhile for the alternate scenes featuring our bearded tattooed hero, he had a specific brief for director Brad A Kinnan: “I told Brad that I wanted my scenes to have a similar look and feel to the DURAN DURAN ‘Come Undone’ video”. That 1993 track from Le Bon & Co clearly makes its presence felt musically on ‘Babylon’ too.

Contributing some soulful diva backing vocals on ‘Babylon’ is Dana Jean Phoenix and Haley Stewart aka MECHA MAIKO while THE MIDNIGHT’s sax player Jesse Molloy adds his talents to the tropical backdrop. Oakley himself has described the song co-written with Ollie Wride as sounding as “if Robert Palmer did a track with ENIGMA!” with the synth solo using the flute and Taj Mahal presets from a Roland JV1080 module.

“It’s about meeting my wife” added the now Canadian-based Glaswegian, “In biblical terms, Babylon was the first civilisation next to heaven, this is the closest to heaven you can get, it feels like Babylon being in this relationship”.

‘Babylon’ is from the album ‘Odyssey’ released by NewRetroWave, available as a neon pink or neon orange vinyl LP and cassette from https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/album/odyssey

https://www.michael-oakley.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelOakleyOfficial

https://twitter.com/MichaelOakleySW

https://www.instagram.com/michaeloakleyofficial/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Brad A Kinnan
23rd January 2022

RATIONAL YOUTH Wavelength EP

21 January 2022 /

The ‘Wavelength’ EP celebrates 40 years of RATIONAL YOUTH.

Founded in Montréal by Tracy Howe and Bill Vorn, along with PSYCHE and MEN WITHOUT HATS, RATIONAL YOUTH were trailblazers for electronic music in Canada. Joined by Kevin Komoda, they opened for OMD and released their debut album ‘Cold War Night Life’ in 1982. Tracy Howe remains the main man of RATIONAL YOUTH with his wife Gaenor now in the line-up. The ‘Future Past Tense’ EP was released in 2016 and showcased ‘This Side Of The Border’ which captured the anxieties of the world’s current socio-political climate.

With the opening song on ‘Wavelength’, RATIONAL YOUTH’s observational ethos is poignantly relevant again with an epic political statement. ‘Kepler 48’ is a brand new composition that captures Tracy Howe’s boxed anger while Gaenor’s voice counterpoints with offers of hope over a dark backdrop of punchy synth that closes with a dropping crescendo.

The remaining tracks on ‘Wavelength’ are new recordings of three songs from the 1983 self-titled EP for Capitol Records after Bill Vorn departed; that fragmentation of RATIONAL YOUTH saw bassist Denis Duran and drummer Angel Calvo brought into the fold. Overshadowed by the mighty ‘Holiday In Bangkok’ at the time, those songs are realised with a purer electronic vision on Wavelength’ while also making them more widely available for the first time in nearly four decades.

‘Latin Lovers’ is a case in point, presented with a more pronounced Italo flavoured treatment over its 1983 post-punk funk, with the catchy timpani laden backing given a new twist with Gaenor opening on lead before her husband joins in for a duet.

‘The Man In Grey’ has all that angsty Cold War claustrophobia brought into the 21st Century but with another feminine counterpoint and while those chilling tensions are sadly relevant again, the swirly synth solo in the middle eight remains a delight.

Much speedier with frantic beats and sparkling arpeggios, ‘In Your Eyes’ recalls fellow Canadians MEN WITHOUT HATS while Tracy Howe lets rip with his enjoyable Bob Geldof mannerisms. These reworkings are different enough to appeal to RATIONAL YOUTH enthusiasts but with the arrangements essentially kept intact, the essence of the originals retain the character of their initial appeal.

‘Wavelength’ is a worthy body of work pertinent to the present while also highlighting the “environmental destruction for profit” ethos of the giant corporations and their space travelling billionaire owners. Yes, ‘Don’t Look Up’ really is becoming a closer reality and RATIONAL YOUTH are again on the ‘Wavelength’ of the concerned world citizen.

‘Wavelength’ is released by Rational Music Group and available on the usual online platforms inlcuding https://rationalyouth.bandcamp.com/album/wavelength

https://open.spotify.com/album/5u1el3uoUDcaiSLTjhSQwV

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Susana Meza
21st January 2022

POLYCHRON+ She’s Always Been There

19 January 2022 /


POLYCHRON+ is the new electro-acoustic project by veteran Italian producer Gabriele Gai with songwriter, musician and vocalist Aurelio Menichi.

To say their debut album ‘She’s Always Been There’ is something a bit different and unusual would be an understatement.

Not only does it mix electronically derived Mediterranean dance music with Tuscan folk and classical forms, it has an impressive cast of guests including Anna Domino, Blaine L. Reininger and Luc Van Lieshout from TUXEDOMOON.

It is a cultured and sophisticated album that includes the synthetic torch cabaret of ‘Alaska Drive’ sung by NicoNote and the arty jazz-inflected Italo disco of ‘Twist The Knife’ featuring crooner Alex Spalck and Luc Van Lieshout on trumpet. Standing next to them is the brilliantly understated house of ‘Lighter Than The Blue’ which sees Blaine L. Reininger not only offer his pronounced Leonard Cohen-esque baritone but also bring a virtuoso violin performance to the party.

‘Yeh-Teh’ springs a surprise with some enjoyable avant garde rapping and a snarling sample from a BBC interview with John Lydon declares “I want everything in life to be transparent… let us as human beings determine our own journey in life!”

What is contained on ‘She’s Always Been There’ is nothing but diverse, with melancholic piano assisted instrumentals like ‘Morbid Love’ and the delicate Anna Domino voiced flutey guitar ballad ‘Pocketknife’ figuring. Meanwhile ‘Gum, Le Blue Jar’ could be a reggaefied YELLO while a cover of Italian post-punk band GAZNEVADA’s ‘Tij-U-Wan’ throws in spikey rock and the influence of DEVO halfway through!

Seeded by life, disappointments and grief with cinematic reference points to the Les Disques Du Crepuscule and Crammed Records catalogue as well as Italian New Wave, ‘She’s Always Been There’ will appeal to fans of the TUXEDOMOON axis with its refined electronic base embellished by a variety of traditional instrumentation.

‘She’s Always Been There’ is released in CD and digital formats by Totem Taboo and distributed by Materiali Sonori

https://www.facebook.com/polychronplus/

https://open.spotify.com/album/4FzDi2KbpvajkEmDZohmlL

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th January 2022

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