SOL FLARE are the up-and-coming London based trio comprising of Jenny Jones (vocals), Dominic Wood (synths + programming) and Matt Marlow (guitars) who recently unleashed their first ever single ‘Easy Line’.
While Wood’s lush electronics and drum machine beats provide the vital musical backbone to SOL FLARE, it is Jones’ magnificent voice, ranging from a piercing high soprano down to a powerful contralto growl reminiscent of Rindy Ross from Portland soft rockers QUATERFLASH, which gives them their USP.
Indeed, if QUARTERFLASH had been a synth wave act, they would probably sound a bit like SOL FLARE. Evoking images of widescreen sunsets and neon lights, SOL FLARE began their account with the impressive ‘Not Holding On’, offered as a free download via their Soundcloud. Inevitably, the ‘Drive’ soundtrack sprang to mind although ‘Not Holding On’ was far more direct and uptempo.
‘Easy Line’ develops on this introductory template with a pulsing four-to-the-floor bassline and Jones’ haunting vocals punching to the heart, embellished by Marlow’s subtle scratchy rhythmic six string and Wood’s cascading synths.
The visual accompaniment created by Jesse Dvorak captures carefree youth in Reagan-era LA with echoes of the late Eric Watson’s video for PET SHOP BOYS ‘Domino Dancing’, as a love triangle and homo-erotic ruck in the sea provide the key moments of the storyline.
An engaging live act, particularly with Jones’ charismatic stage presence, there is more to come from SOL FLARE with the stomping ‘Find You’ and stuttering dance oriented essence of ‘The Hunter’ both highlights in their current set.
Sitting comfortably alongside acts such as NINA, AVEC SANS, PRIEST and FEATHERS, if they maintain the upward artistic trajectory that has seen them cross synth wave and classic synth pop with AOR and melodic new wave, then SOL FLARE might overtake them all and join CHVRCHES.
Having already impressed at gigs in London, SOL FLARE possess an attractive style blend that could see them appeal to many more.
With a less intense release schedule than last year, it was a bit more straightforward to choose the songs of 2014.
Whereas 2013 had a short list of 45 songs, 2014 was closer to 35 although not the struggle to find 30 as was the case in 2012. So just missing out are CLIENT, KLEERUP and ToddTerje featuring Bryan Ferry, although not by much.
As usual, they are listed in alphabetical order and all have been released either in physical formats, or digitally as purchasable or free downloads during the calendar year. Thus although the excellent video for LIEBE’s ‘I Believe In You’ gained traction on MTV Europe in 2014, the song was actually released in 2013.
Tracks which are exclusive to streams, videos or DJ only promos are also not included; so QUIETER THAN SPIDERS ‘The Land Of Lost Content’ is not eligible. Limited to one song per artist moniker, here are the 30 Songs of 2014…
ANALOG ANGEL The Last Time
The transformation of Glaswegians ANALOG ANGEL in the last 18 months has been startling. From their third album ‘Trinity’, its closer ‘The Last Time’ was a big surprise, featuring a cinematic arrangement involving an orchestra cascading into an epic Pan-European journey heading eastwards. Recalling THE SISTERS OF MERCY’s ‘This Corrosion’, the virtual symphonic strings and gothic choirs sounded like OMD produced by Jim Steinman!
‘Scream’ launched Margaret Berger’s first album ‘New Religion’ since 2006 although as yet, the new opus has yet to emerge. The Norwegian Idol finalist effectively revived her career with ‘I Feed You My Love’ which came fourth in Eurovision 2013. ‘Scream’ saw her continuing the Robyn meets DEPECHE MODE template of her Eurovision smash and possessed an inherent industrialised darkness in an approach to quality pop that set itself apart.
Available as a download single via iTunes Norway through Macho Records
The first lady of cinematic electronic pop surprised everyone on the cover of her third album ‘Where Else…’ with a guitar strapped to her back. But while the record had a folk and blues influence, the synthesized textures that Ms Brücken has been best known for were still very much part of the package. The launch single ‘Nevermind’ could be seen as a musical reply to OMD’s ‘Stay With Me’. A lovely mix of electronics and acoustic, she appears to be driven by a new artistic zest.
Available on the album ‘Where Else…’ via Cherry Red Records
Neil Davidge is best known for his work with MASSIVE ATTACK and has been involved in game and film soundtracks for many years. His first solo album ‘Slo Light’ contained many of the elements that marked his work with the Bristolian triphoppers. ‘Sleepwalking’ was a haunting number beautifully voiced by Eim Green which recalled the ethereal quality of COCTEAU TWINS’ Elizabeth Fraser and the electronically assisted Weimer Cabaret of ‘Felt Mountain’ era GOLDFRAPP.
Available on the album ‘Slo Light’ via 7Hz Recordings
Following the disappointment of 2011’s FRANKMUSIK driven ‘Tomorrow’s World’, ‘The Violet Flame’ produced by Richard X saw ERASURE express an infectious zest for the future, beginning with pre-recorded dance grooves from Vince Clarke. But the best number turned out to be a ballad remixed by Paul Humphreys who added some of the beautiful Synth-Werk magic that characterised OMD’s ‘English Electric’ to ‘Be The One’.
Available on the boxed set edition of ‘The Violet Flame’ via Mute Artists / Pledge Music
Released for their DEPECHE MODE support tour in Europe, ‘Wild Love’ was more dance-oriented than anything FEATHERS attempted on their debut album. A heavy beat dominated, building to a suitably epic chorus providing that euphoric lift. The gated trance elements in the second chorus were a particular highlight, especially when backed by a screeching falsetto counterpoint. But just as it got going, it faded out!
GAZELLE TWIN has acquired an impressive host of admirers including John Foxx, Gary Numan and Clint Mansell. Her second album ‘Unflesh’ has allowed the Brighton based songstress to extract her demons with some artistic violence. One of the highlights ‘Exorcise’ was an impressively aggressive cross between PINK FLOYD’s ‘One The Run’ and KRAFTWERK’s ‘Home Computer’. Its uneasy resonance was aided by Bernholz’s harsh, deadpan commentary.
Available on the album ‘Unflesh’ via Anti-Ghost Moon Ray
This mysterious combo with their lo-fi noise and motorik beats have revealed a series of energetic singles over the past two years including ‘Jessica 6’. But GIRL ONE & THE GREASE GUNS revealed a much softer side with ‘No Longer Spellbound’. With its beautiful atmospheric quality smothered in icy synth strings and grainy vox samples, if ‘Twins Peaks’ had been set in The Lake District, then the theme tune might sound a like this.
Available on the download EP ‘No Longer Spellbound’ via Squirrel Records
HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR feat JOHN GRANT I Try To Talk To You
Imagine Jim Morrison getting it on down at The Danceteria circa 1982! ‘I Try To Talk To You’ featuring the expansive baritone vocals of John Grant combined the best of classic New York electro disco and grand piano theatrics with an emotively soulful vocal. The courageous lyrics found Grant recalling when he discovered he was HIV positive. “I asked John to dig deep with his lyrical contribution” recalls HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR mainman Andy Butler, “I had no idea he would dig so deep”.
Available on the album ‘The Feast Of The Broken Heart’ via Moshi Moshi
‘I Can’t Figure You Out’ sounds like another product of Scandinavia but HUGH hail from South London. The captivating lead vocal from Izzy Brooks states “you know just how I feel” as she makes handle with care pleas like “don’t toy with me” and “careful with my heart” while the intensity builds like a pressure cooker. And this is all before a time signature change and some frustrating despair is released with her spirited jazzy refrain of “No, I can’t figure you out!” Now, who hasn’t been here before?
Available on the download EP ‘I Can’t Figure You Out’ via Hughlovehugh
IAMAMIWHOAMI, the electronic multimedia project fronted by Jonna Lee and produced by Claes Björklund returned with their second opus ‘Blue’. ‘Hunting For Pearls’ featured wonderfully pulsing sequences and trancey atmospheres, coupled with a beautifully rich vocal from Lee. With a mysterious falsetto reach, the air may be cold outside but inside, things are warm. If Kate Bush made a modern electronic dance record at ABBA’s Polar Studios, it would probably sound like this.
Available on the album ‘Blue’ via towhomitmayconcern
Deep from within the Adirondack Mountains comes the beautifully gentle electronica of I AM SNOW ANGEL. The self-produced vehicle of singer / songwriter Julie Kathryn, the music evokes images of icy landscapes and crystalline hydro basins. The best track from her debut EP, ‘Let Me Go’ is rich in understatement and a Nordic styled tour de force swathed in melancholy, full of dreamy escapism. The full length album ‘Crocodile’ did not disappoint either.
Available on the download EP ‘I Am Snow Angel’ via Amazon
With a breathier, more continental direction towards cinematic pop, The Kid effectively grew up with her second album ‘1888’. KID MOXIE’s widescreen dreamy demeanour saw a much more focussed work. ‘Lacuna’ means “an empty space” yet this song is filled with an enigmatic mystery as Elena Charbila applied some of the je nais se quoi first piloted on 2008’s ‘La Romance D’Hiver’ to the drifting, almost abstract soundscape… and then there’s the pretty isolated piano ending!
Available on the download album ‘1888’ via Undo Records
Having delivered one of the best synth based debut albums in recent years, any new Kleerup recording now lives with a high degree of expectation. ‘Let Me In’ featuring Susanne Sundfør, who voiced several tracks on RÖYKSOPP’s ‘The Inevitable End’ album, came over like Karin Park if she had joined latter day ROXY MUSIC. Retaining the original appeal of Kleerup’s debut, ‘Let Me In’ was brilliantly classic and yet modern with its more organic template and even funky template.
Available on the download EP ‘As If We Never Won’ via Warner Music
MACHINISTA’s pairing of John Lindqwister and Richard Flow specialise in synthpop with a rock’n’roll edge. Their best offering from their debut album ‘Xenoglossy’ was the schaffel propelled ‘Pushing The Angels Astray’. Despite discussing the spectre of immortality, the sombre aura was balanced with a marvellous melodic line and fabulous chorus like ALPHAVILLE in their prime.
Available on the download album ‘Xenoglossy’ via Juggernaut Music Group
Released in the week of the Scottish Independence Referendum, Marnie’s ‘Wolves’ was an appropriately soaring anthem “for anyone that doesn’t believe in sticking with the status quo, for anyone who has the heart to try and make a difference”. Certainly, the positive response she received for her debut long player ‘Crystal World’ and a return to her homeland has no doubt inspired her own independence.
Available as a download single via Les Disques du Crépuscule
This was KRAFTWERK and ‘Trans Europe Express’ 21st Century style as Belgium’s favourite passengers METROLAND embarked on a maroon coloured rail journey through France and Germany via the Benelux basin on ‘Thalys’. The full length 11 minute version rhythmitised metal on metal while there were also London, Paris and Düsseldorf edits in this musical tie-in with the Thalys high speed train operator.
Available on the download EP ‘Thalys (London)’ via Alfa Matrix
Frisky vocalist Emily Kavanaugh and moody producer Mark Brooks began writing songs as NIGHT CLUB with the goal of creating dark – yet commercially accessible – synthpop. Developing on the Britney gone electro goth sound of their glorious 2013 single ‘Poisonous’, ‘She Wants To Play With Fire’ treaded on the darker, sleazy side of life and dysfunctional relationships with Kavanaugh out to take on her demented love rival.
Available on the download EP ‘Black Leather Heart’ via Gato Blanco
‘Look What You’ve Done’ is a feisty development of ‘Restless’ from Karin Park’s previous album ‘Highwire Poetry’. Wrestling within a fiery glam schaffel like an angry GOLDFRAPP and a catchy chorus, with THE KNIFE venturing into more uncompromising climes, the ‘other’ Karin ably fills the void now left vacant by the Drejers. ‘Look What You’ve Done’ is a fine example of the Swede’s ambition to fit into both pop and experimental worlds.
Available as a download single via State Of The Eye Recordings
With LITTLE BOOTS having gone dance and LA ROUX veering away from synthpop, there is now a vacancy for a new kooky homegrown female synth talent. One of the possible candidates is PAWWS, otherwise known on her passport as Lucy Taylor. She has labelled her music “upsetting disco” and ‘Give You Love’ lives up to that description. Certainly those averse to female fronted synthpop will have their touch paper lit even further with this exquisite pop number.
Available on the download EP ‘Sugar’ via Best Fit Recordings
Since playing with John Foxx, Hannah Peel’s own music has used more electronics alongside her beloved violin, musicbox, piano and trombone. ‘Fabricstate’ starts as a beautiful understated number before being bolstered by a whirring synth solo around a series of percussive clusters. When the warmth of the synthesizer is exploited and coupled with a classically trained background, the hybrid can result in a quietly subversive organic and technological fusion.
Available on the download EP ‘Fabricstate’ via My Own Pleasure
Taking electronic music into some intriguing fusions is Beijing born Fifi Rong. ‘Next Pursuit’ crosses the vocal mystery of Kelli Ali and the quirkiness of MOLOKO while throwing in a touch of Lana Del Rey and MAZZY STAR too. Crucially, the intriguingly soulful ‘Next Pursuit’ also adds in rhythmical variation as the rhythms click into action during the higher register vocal refrains while the verses are held together with a smokey allure.
Available on the download EP ‘Next Pursuit’ via Ditto Music
ROBYN & RÖYKSOPP Monument (The Inevitable End Version)
Edited and rethought for the eniginatic Norwegian duo’s album ‘The Inevitable End’, ‘Monument’ was originally a spacey 10 minute epic now tightened to a more bite size and dare one say it, more enjoyable format sans saxophone over a hypnotic two chord structure. As usual, Robyn’s vocals are edgy and nonchalant while RÖYKSOPP’s electronic soundtrack ably hit the spot with its energized octave-jumping bassline.
Available on the album ‘The Inevitable End’ via Dog Triumph / Cooking Vinyl
With their third album in as many years, Finnish duo SIN COS TAN went the concept album route for ‘Blown Away’, a midlife crisis story of a man who becomes a drug courier and goes on a journey of excess, fast money and hedonism. First single ‘Love Sees No Colour’ dressed NEW ORDER’s love technique in an OMD stylee with the result being a kaleidoscopic tune that managed to mix sunshine with melancholy.
Available on the album ‘Blown Away’ via Solina Records
The Nordic vocalist of the moment has to be Susanne Sundfør who has worked with M83 and Kleerup. But she is best known for her work with fellow Norwegians RÖYKSOPP. Propelled by a pulsing electronic backbone, ‘Fade Away’ from Sundfør’s forthcoming album ‘Ten Love Songs’ sees her in rousing form with a tune that at times sounds almost like Scandinavian gospel. Meanwhile, a fabulous synth solo gets thrown into the bargain too.
Available as a download single via Sonnet Sound / Kobalt
One act establishing themselves in 2014 were TRUST from Toronto. Led by the polarising “Eeyore gone goth” moodiness of Robert Alfons, the ironically titled ‘Joyland’ was a excellent second album that captured the sleazy nature of a 21st Century SOFT CELL and attached it to the grumpiness of Leonard Cohen. ‘Peer Pressure’ was a frantic but funky uptempo number featuring Alfon’s trademark vocal pitch shift technique that proved misery and dancing could actually go together.
Available on the album ‘Joyland’ via Arts & Crafts
Touchingly melancholic with classic Weimar Cabaret melodies and vibrant Kling Klang interplay, TWINS NATALIA conjured up memories of holiday romances with pretty German frauleins and flirty French mademoiselles. Debut long player ‘The Destiny Room’ was many years in the making and did not disappoint. With the PET SHOP BOYS styled neo-orchestrated statement of ‘Set Love Free’, it was a wonderful slice of joie de vivre.
Available on the album ‘The Destiny Room’ via Anna Logue Records
While the romantically uptempo ‘Become’ was inevitably the focal point of Midge Ure’s ‘Fragile’ album, there were other songs that were easily its equal. The most notable of these was ‘Dark, Dark Night’, an online collaboration with Moby. Though derived from ‘Rockets’ on Moby’s ‘Destroyed’ opus, Ure exploited the original’s rich symphonic string sounds and chilled vibes before an amazing climax with melodic screeches and a tremendous guitar solo from Ure.
Available on the album ‘Fragile’ via Hypertension Music
VILE ELECTRODES capitalised on their profile from supporting OMD’s German tour in 2013 by snaring prestigious Schallwelle Awards for Best International Act and Best International Album for their debut ‘The future through a lens’. ‘Pandora’s Box’ was an excellent previously unreleased song full of wobbling analogue vigour that initially came with the lavish ‘Pack Of Wolves’ three CD package and set the scene for a much anticipated follow-up long player.
WRANGLER’s manifesto is to harness “lost technology to make new themes for the modern world”. And their signature track is ‘Lava Land’, a superb cross between CABARET VOLTAIRE and prime ‘Metamatic’ era John Foxx but with a modern twist. Stephen Mallinder’s voice manipulations range from demonic gargoyle to stern drowning robot. The frantic pace is strangely danceable, but the mood is distinctly unsettling and dystopian when the screeching steam powered Logan string machine kicks in.
SOFT METALS delightfully impressed with their debut London gig at The Shacklewell Arms in Daltson.
The LA based duo have felt an affinity with Europe since their ‘The Cold World Melts’ EP released in 2010. Indeed, the title of one the tracks ‘Métaux Mous’ (French for “Soft Metals”) summed up their enthralling angelic mix of Detroit techno fused with minimal European synth forms as influenced by the likes of THROBBING GRISTLE and its offshoot CHRIS & COSEY.
And that’s not forgetting to mention the style of singer Patricia Hall with its nods to fashion icons such as Françoise Hardy. SOFT METALS made further in-roads with their first self-titled full length album in 2011 and its naturally progressive follow-up ‘Lenses’ released last year.
For this European tour, instrumentalist Ian Hicks’ arsenal of vintage synths and drum machines was simplified to feature a more straightforward, modern but still analogue set-up that was obviously easier to carry but no less punchy. Meanwhile, as well as providing her innocent reverbed vocals, Patricia Hall had a Dave Smith Mopho x4 at her disposal instead of her usual Juno60 and added some icy string machine sections to the bright and danceable electronic sketches that came forth.
SOFT METALS’ repeating rhythms, incessant blips and uplifting arpeggios on tracks such as ‘Voices’, ‘Lenses’ and ‘Always’ were powerful and crisp although occasionally, Patricia Hall’s vocals did struggle to be heard. But this did not hinder her flirtatious enthusiasm as she occasionally ventured toward her studious musical partner in the engine room, clearly enjoying her first time performing in London. ‘Psychic Driving’ and ‘When I Look Into Your Eyes’ allowed for some dreamy breathers in the middle amongst all the frantic action but it was the final part of the set that stole the show.
The wonderful ‘Tell Me’ totally mesmerised the audience into a trance, the detuned bursts providing a arty counterpoint to the dance while the sexy ‘In the Air’ provided a euphoric climax with Ian Hicks controlling the various pulsing layers to provide the dynamic highs and lows for a perfectly hypnotic finish. But there was more as the good looking couple threw in a brilliantly alluring club friendly version of THROBBING GRISTLE’s ‘Hot On The Heels Of Love’ as a bonus.
With the likes of TRUST, FEATHERS, AUSTRA, GRIMES, NIGHT CLUB, I AM SNOW ANGEL and ELEVEN: ELEVEN proving that North America is currently the proving ground for new, quality electronic pop music, SOFT METALS more than confirmed that they were part of this elite group with this first London performance.
The albums ‘Soft Metals’ and ‘Lenses’ are released by Captured Tracks and available in CD, vinyl and download formats
FEATHERS have been called the female DEPECHE MODE since the release of their first single ‘Land Of The Innocent’ and the parent long player ‘If All Now Here’ in the first half of 2013.
It has all been predominantly the work of Austin based singer / songwriter Anastasia Dimou, formally of PJ HARVEY inspired rockers CRUEL BLACK DOVE who in their time recorded a cover of THE PSYCHEDLIC FURS’ ‘Love My Way’ for ‘The Vampire Diaries’ soundtrack.
Featuring a more programmed technological template, FEATHERS impressed immediately and as a result, a live band was recruited from among Dimou’s friends in the Texas area. Support slots with ROBYN, SOFT METALS and LITTLE BOOTS followed but after a one-off gig with DEPECHE MODE at SXWS last March, FEATHERS were invited to support Basildon’s finest on the first European leg of their 2014 dates.
With the move to arenas and a once in a lifetime opportunity in front of a massive audience, a new band was assembled. So in came occasional FEATHERS guitarist Destiny Montague and Shirley Ho from CRUEL BLACK DOVE on bass. Meanwhile Christine Aprile, who had appeared on the ‘Land Of The Innocent’ video, joined on keyboards. Only token male Jon Minor on drums remained from the previous live line-up. For FEATHERS, the pressure was now on.
DEPECHE MODE fans have not been known for their sympathy towards support acts; MIRANDA SEX GARDEN for example were pelted with missiles during the 1993 ‘Devotional’ tour but feedback for FEATHERS on this ‘Delta Machine’ jaunt was generally positive.
At Birmingham’s LG Arena, they had to take to the stage early at 7.00pm with only The Devoted hardcore present in the moshpit while caught out punters made their way in.
But from the moment they started, they were greeted with polite and gradually louder applause as the venue began to fill. Interestingly, Birmingham was the city where FEATHERS sold the most CDs so they must have made some kind of impression.
To coincide with the conclusion of their DEPECHE MODE sojourn, FEATHERS played a one-off gig at Birthdays in London’s hipster capital Stoke Newington. Repeating their DEPECHE MODE support setlist, they opened with ‘Fire In The Night’, a surefire 6/8 stomper in the mould of ‘Soothe My Soul’ carefully chosen to snare The Devoted.
The almost similar sounding but more SUZI QUATRO aping ‘Believe’ came third but sandwiched between them was the funky electro disco of ‘Soft’. Frantic and catchy with its staccato voice and slap samples along the lines of the single mix of ‘Behind The Wheel’, ‘Soft’ was a handy card to play with its rich uplifting hooks and inherent danceability.
But while the obviously DM friendly material made its appearance earlier on, the more interesting aspects of FEATHERS were still to come. ‘Welcome Possession’, the last track on ‘If All Now Here’ strangely appeared midway through the set but slotted in perfectly. A transient epic of moody cinematics, Dimou gave it some lungs like LADY GAGA lost in a desert while the coda veered into expansive NEW ORDER ‘True Faith’ territory.
Throughout the show, Dimou flexed her larynx in a hushed but brooding manner that was highly seductive. While some of the textures were familiar, FEATHERS revealed their USP when the other three female band members’ Trans-Atlantic background voices kicked in alongside Dimou’s dreamy lead. With a predominantly electronic lattice, it is this vocal element of FEATHERS that really distinguishes them from any number of DEPECHE MODE influenced acts.
On the elastic groove laden ‘Dark Matter’, proceedings were bolstered by Destiny Montague’s rhythmical six string while the crisp chime sample was mixed so high and sharp that it almost decapitated the first three rows! As heard on the soundtrack of the latest ‘Grand Theft Auto’ game, its industrialised R’n’B overtones provided a interesting take on contemporary pop music.
Another electronic disco number ‘Familiar So Strange’ kept the momentum going but it was the new song ‘Wild Love’ that stole the show.
With its trancey widescreen presence and mighty chorus, Christine Aprile’s falsetto counterpoints maintained the otherworldly atmosphere within the club friendly vibe. It is possibly their most accessible song yet with its European dance influences and euphoric hypnotism.
To finish a short but dynamic set, the marvellous ‘Land Of The Innocent’ with its ‘Ice Machine’ arpeggio intro held the audience’s attention with the artful enigma of AUSTRA and the darker menace of LADYTRON. The three part harmonies from Montague, Ho and Aprile came to the fore and complimented Dimou’s gorgeous tones beautifully.
Successfully highlighting the more uptempo and immediate songs in FEATHERS’ small catalogue, the set however was not entirely flawless.
A cramped stage and therefore unfamiliar positioning of Dimou’s synth meant she missed cues on both verses of ‘Soft’ but her slip-ups certainly didn’t dampen her enthusiasm.
If this lady can survive nine dates on a DEPECHE MODE tour in front of some of the most partisan concert audiences in the world, she can survive just about anything.
Overall, The Sisters Of Night gave a wondrously impressive performance that was full of presence, empowerment, enchantment and vulnerability.
As FEATHERS build on the promise of ‘If All Now Here’ and gain more experience on the world’s stages, they can only get better. Now considering how good their debut actually is, that is one mouth watering prospect.
‘If All Now Here’ can be downloaded via Bandcamp, Amazon or iTunes. CD copies are still available, please check for availability
One of the strongest albums of 2013 came from Texas based FEATHERS with ‘If All Now Here’.
Essentially the musical vehicle of Austin based singer / songwriter / programmer Anastasia Dimou, Softsynth described it as “about as good a debut as we’ve heard in a yonk’s age” while Popjustice simply said it as “very good” and listed it in their Top 33 Albums of 2013.
As Softsynth said in their review, to call FEATHERS the female DEPECHE MODE is apt but rather over simplifying it.
Combining modernism, dystopia and deserts with a husky, gothic allure with Middle Eastern overtones, FEATHERS’ moody dramatic torch songs such as ‘Land Of The Innocent’ and ‘Leaves Start Trembling’ combine well with their vibrant danceable synthpop such as ‘Dark Matter’, ‘Familiar So Strange’ and ‘Soft’.
Most importantly though, they have tunes and choruses. Speaking about FEATHERS’ album, Dimou remarked that ‘If All Now Here’ “may be too poppy for some, and too dark for others” but to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, they sound like the perfect pop group!
FEATHERS’ filmic impressionism and spacious dynamics have impressed all the right people. This has resulted in an invitation to support DEPECHE MODE on the January 2014 leg of their European tour.
Comparisons with Basildon’s finest are inevitable for the Sisters Of Night but whereas some acts literally try to reproduce the classic DM sound layer-by-layer, FEATHERS are different straight away by the virtue of Dimou’s vocals and its contrast with the predominantly electronic backing. This ultimately gives the girls their own, very promising identity. To coincide with their big break supporting Da Mode, FEATHERS have released their first new material since ‘If All Now Here’ on a maxi-collection entitled ‘Only One’.
The title track ‘The Only One’though is driven by a more obscure programmed rhythm construction. Dimou’s vocal does wow and flutter in a fashion that takes a bit of getting used to, but the result is delightfully unusual in the context of electropop. Plus there’s another of those dreamy harmonic chorus sections leading to a fabulous middle eight. It is stuff like this that makes FEATHERS so enticing. An alternate take on the 6/8 stomper ‘Believe’ is one of the bonuses.
Interestingly, it is slightly more electronic than the slide guitar laden version on ‘If All Now Here’ so now sounds a little less like DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Soothe My Soul’. At points coming over like GOLDFRAPP fronted by THE BANGLES, it begs the question as to what DM would sound like now if they actually used their synths again, instead of just having them to accessorise their ‘Delta Machine’ blues!
To finish, there’s the Vogel remix of ‘Familiar So Strange’. Stripped of its electro disco elements and paced down, with its mix of Dimou’s seductive allure and sttacato vocal treatments, it really could fit onto the soundtrack of ‘Drive’.
The two new songs from ‘Only One’ indicate that FEATHERS are still on track after their impressive start with ‘If All Now Here’. The doors opened by the DEPECHE MODE support tour could help lift them into the big time.
The debut album ‘If All Now Here’ is still available for download via Bandcamp, Amazon or iTunes
FEATHERS open for DEPECHE MODE on the following European dates:
Barcelona Palau St Jordi (15th January), Madrid Palacio de Desportes (17th January), Madrid Palacio de Desportes (18th January), Montpelier Arena (21st January), Lyon Halle Tony Garnier (23rd January), Antwerp Sportpaleis (25th January), Birmingham LG Arena (27th January), Paris Bercy (29th January), Paris Bercy (31st January)
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‘Easy Line’ b/w ‘Hide’ is available as a download single from https://solflare.bandcamp.com/
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are released by Captured Tracks and available in CD, vinyl and download formats
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