GOLDFRAPP have returned to the lush orchestrations and enigmatic oddness of their beautiful 2000 debut ‘Felt Mountain’ for their forthcoming long player ‘Tales Of Us’.
But whereas ‘Felt Mountain’ combined Germanic folk and cabaret traditions with chilling Sci-Fi themes such as genetic engineering plus the greatest ditty ever written about oral sex ‘Lovely Head’, the first track to be debuted entitled ‘Drew’ has captured a more haunting film noir quality.
Recorded in the English countryside, Will Gregory’s romantic string arrangements recall the work of soundtrack composer Michel Legrand on ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ and in particular ‘The Windmills Of Your Mind’. Meanwhile, Alison Goldfrapp’s voice is as exquiste as ever. The beautiful accompanying video directed by Lisa Gunning is a stylish nouvelle vague masterpiece that features all manner of ambiguous monochromatic imagery and artistic nudity…
More organically textured, ‘Tales Of Us’ is quite obviously a reaction to the synth AOR of previous album ‘Head First’. While it was an immediately enjoyable MTV styled romp with great songs such as the stomping ‘Rocket’, the ABBA-esque title track and the beautiful electronic disco of ‘Dreaming’, Alison Goldfrapp was later quite public in her artistic dissatisfaction. This was despite being obviously more relaxed on stage when performing this material than at any other time of her career.
However, with happiness in her personal life, a sense of inner peace appears to have been brought into the occasionally prickly Goldfrapp personality. ‘Tales Of Us’ could well be her most personal work to date with all but one of the album’s song titles being a person’s name.
Whether ‘Tales Of Us’ will soar to the stratospheric magnificence of ‘Felt Mountain’ or be more like the less satisfactory folktronica of ‘Seventh Tree’ remains to be seen. So far, reports of the album’s live premiere at Manchester Albert Hall have been very positive; the non-name number ‘Stranger’ captures a serene Morricone-esque quality while ‘Anabel’ is mostly stripped bare. It’s not electronic work but this album is awaited with interest.
‘Tales Of Us’ is released by Mute Records on 9th September 2013
GOLDFRAPP Autumn 2013 tour dates include: Amsterdam Paradiso (21 October), Brussels Ancienne Belgique (22 October), Berlin Heimathafen Neukölln (23 October), Paris Le Trainon (25 October), Zürich Kaufleuten (26 October), London Hammersmith Apollo (1 November)
Polly Scattergood made her debut in 2009 with a self-titled album released on the iconic Mute Records.
With key influences such as Bjork and Kate Bush, it combined jubilant experimental pop with her innocent, affected vocals.
Following her debut which featured the startlingly disturbing ‘Nitrogen Pink’ and soon to make a guest appearance on BEF’s ‘Dark’ covers album with a kooky rendition of ‘The Look Of Love’, Polly Scattergood is back and her new single Wanderlust’ realises her potential.
It is a slice of deliciously wired avant pop in the GOLDFRAPP vein, disconcerting but delightful like COCTEAU TWINS and rousing with an air of fragility.
It’s been nearly four years since her debut album and Mute Records have said Scattergood “has created a more mature, yet still innately unique, Sophomore album”.
Commuting between Norfolk and Berlin to record her new album ‘Arrows’, the schizophrenic nature of these two very different parts of the world appears to have had a startling effect on ‘Wanderlust’. The album is out in the summer.
‘Wanderlust’ is released by Mute Records and available from 1st April 2013 via the usual digital outlets
Polly Scattergood plays Sebright Arms, 31-35 Coate Street, London E2 9AG on 27th February 2013
Following her Arrival in 2011, QUEEN OF HEARTS graces the music world with a glitzy slice of electro schaffel appropriately entitled ‘Neon’.
On first hearing this live, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gleefully pronounced that this managed to “out Goldfrapp GOLDFRAPP”. While this has the obvious hallmarks of Lady Alison’s glam stomp, Queenie adds her own cooing poptastic flavour, recalling RACHEL STEVENS’ under rated lost album ‘Come & Get It’. The video for ‘Neon’ is directed by fashion gurus Between Man & Beast and comes with a healthy slice of gothic vampishness.
Meanwhile, the flipside is ‘Tears In The Rain’ produced by Stefan Storm of THE SOUND OF ARROWS who co-contributed the brilliant ‘Shoot The Bullet’ on her debut ‘The Arrival’ EP. ‘Tears In The Rain’ is a gorgeously atmospheric piece, crisply Nordic and simply spine tingling.
Also doing the rounds is the magnificently epic MARK REEDER Electrically Excited Remix plus its Electrically Charged Radio counterpart. His portfolio consists of PET SHOP BOYS, DEPECHE MODE, JOHN FOXX and MARSHEAUX courtesy of his ‘Five Point One’ collection and of his crafted restyle, QUEEN OF HEARTS herself says: “This one is just a little bit special…♥” And she’s right!
Other remixes are available by LIGHTWAVES and GOLD BEACH. All this and there’s the excellent Stuart Price produced ‘Feel’ still to come…
‘Neon’ b/w ‘Tears In The Rain’ is unleashed as a vinyl and download by All Things Go Records on 14th May 2012. The download features bonus tracks Forgive Me and No More while the 7″ is available to pre-order now at http://shop.atgrecords.com/product/neon-tears-in-the-rain-7
Alison Goldfrapp could be considered the most influential female music figure of the 21st Century so far.
Her sexy space age air hostess outfit accessorised by thigh length boots from the ‘Wonderful Electric’ DVD has become an iconic image while the distinctive electro glam GOLDFRAPP sound has been borrowed by pop princesses Rachel Stevens, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and even rock bands such as MUSE!
She has become so influential in fact that in the ultimate back-handed compliment, the music press even gave Madonna the nickname “Oldfrapp”! The fairy godmother of modern electro has always cut a striking visual persona with photos of her playing keyboards in her smalls pre-LITTLE BOOTS, cuddling wolves dressed as a deviant Sally Bowles and strutting about the metropolis in a pink jump suit among the varied scenarios.
All this, despite her inherent awkwardness with regards live performance and interviews. While Alison Goldfrapp has obviously been the voice and face of GOLDFRAPP, her silent partner Will Gregory has been crucial to the chemistry. A musician and producer of strong intellect with a proficient instinct for pop, classical and soundtrack music, he has been the stabilising element to the front woman’s more art school eccentricities. When they first worked together in 1999, both were considered to have been around the musical block.
Goldfrapp was involved in well documented collaborations with ORBITAL and TRICKY while Gregory did a stint with TEARS FOR FEARS at the height of their commercial powers, playing sax in their live band and on the tracks ‘I Believe’ and ‘The Working Hour’. The dreamboat duo have successfully managed to avoid being categorised, surviving both Trip-Hop and Electroclash, two early labels that confused journalists tried to lump them with!
Almost chameleon-like, GOLDFRAPP have changed styles with every album, making the audience work for their pleasure. From their serene but sinister cinematic debut ‘Felt Mountain’ to the futuristic glitz of ‘Black Cherry’, the X-Certificate KYLIE of ‘Supernature’ to the folktronica of ‘Seventh Tree’ and the more recent retro AOR of ‘Head First’, GOLDFRAPP have for the most part, been supreme despite these mood swings.
But by way of a goodbye to their tenure on EMI (via their original label Mute), GOLDFRAPP release a compilation called ‘The Singles’. It is not a collection of their best work by any means or even a definitive singles document. As a snapshot to entice the curious to investigate their most glorious work via their albums, this is a worthwhile curriculum vitae, an indicator as to why their sound has been pillaged mercilessly throughout the world!
The superb ‘Lovely Head’ with its spine tingling whistle and electronically assisted banshee wails started it all in 2000. Will Gregory’s mad Korg MS20 treatment on Alison Goldfrapp’s sumptuously charged screaming was one of the most thrilling musical moments of the noughties. Made famous by a mobile phone ad featuring Gary Oldman and as the theme to indie flick ‘My Summer of Love’ starring Emily Blunt, the duo’s stratospheric debut single had Ennio Morricone’s’s widescreen inflections but to accompany an ascent to the Matterhorn rather than a trek through a Spaghetti Western.
Surreally sexy, GOLDFRAPP’s slower, more atmospheric numbers have always been one of their major strengths. Of those esoteric offerings, ‘Black Cherry’ and ‘Utopia’ are thankfully present. The former is still chillingly enticing while the latter is a seething ditty about a “fascist baby” and the science of genetic engineering… ”my dog needs new ears” indeed. ‘Felt Mountain’ was a masterpiece of avant string laden Weimar that showcased Alison Goldfrapp’s amazing vocal range from Callas to Bassey to Dietrich! A slow burner that eventually sold half a million, it was deservedly nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001.
But despite that, the first of GOLDFRAPP’s major direction changes occurred in 2003 with second album ‘Black Cherry’. It upped the tempo and added a more forthright electronic template. Deliciously wired like THE GLITTER BAND fronted by Kate Bush, the 6/8 rooted ‘Strict Machine’ became ubiquitous as incidental music to any TV documentary about the adult entertainment industry. Preceding it was that other filthy slice of Teutonic schaffel, ‘Train’.
Its growling Polivoks riff was too discordant to have mainstream appeal but as visualised by its erotic promo video, it became popular with dancers of that ilk! After being beaten senseless by the efficient but monotonous four-to-the-floor club beats of the nineties, this was a statement of intent. GOLDFRAPP showed that this was not the only way!
Will Gregory himself said to Sound On Sound at the time: “I get freaked out when I think about us all sitting down at 10 in the morning in front of Logic set at 120bpm, 4/4. I think we all need something that’s our own, that you feel is special…” And this was the sound that was to be latched onto by chart pop producers everywhere!
‘The Singles’ opens though with 2005’s ‘Ooh La La’, the T-REX pastiche that is probably still the best known GOLDFRAPP tune having been featured in adverts, ‘Hollyoaks’ and the like. However, it was ‘Some Girls’ by Rachel Stevens that first put the icy glam electro sound into the UK Top 5 in 2004. Although so obviously GOLDFRAPP-lite, many thought ‘Ooh La La’ was actually ‘Some Girls’ follow-up, much to dismay of Ms Goldfrapp! “I AM NOT RACHEL STEVENS!” she exclaimed! However, ‘Ooh La La’ attracted many younger music fans who wanted to move on from Kylie and the like for something more sophisticated. Parent album ‘Supernature’ ended up selling one million world
The fantastic ‘Number 1’ brought ROXY MUSIC into the 21st Century. Styled like lusty OMD with beautiful tones and buzzy noises combined to full counter melodic effect, the vocal delivery was almost like a female Bryan Ferry. Ms Goldfrapp was once filmed describing synth sounds by colours… this song seemed to feature all the colours of the rainbow. ‘Ride A White Horse’ was another proud pop moment, but with its Studio54 decadence and more T-REX referencing, something had to give and Alison Goldfrapp temporarily abdicated her electro queen crown for the confusing, acoustically flavoured ‘Seventh Tree’.
From it, ‘A&E’ was outstanding, a paradoxically sweet tune with an unsettling narrative about a girl’s attempted suicide. Also from ‘Seventh Tree’, ‘Happiness’ could have actually been one of their trademark 12 bar stompers but was toned down to a more drippy maypole dance to fit with the album’s concept… REX THE DOG’s rejected remix of the song was far better! One could respect the intentions of ‘Seventh Tree’, but ‘Felt Mountain’ it most certainly wasn’t!
A return to synths and poptastic tempos with the ‘Head First’ album in 2010 coincided with a more relaxed and confident Alison, someone who was now comfortable in her own skin having come out in her personal life. Lead single ‘Rocket’ was considered uninspiring by some observers, but it was a catchy MTV-styled disco tune featuring the brassy stabs from Laura Branigan’s cover of Italo standard ‘Gloria’. The gorgeous middle eight was angelic while the near lyrical banality of the chorus was utter genius, intended sexual innuendo or not! ‘Believer’ is the other ‘Head First’ representative but with the choice being restricted to single releases, then the ELO meets Billy Joel aping ‘Alive’ might have been a better choice as an example of accessible electro AOR for the masses.
But ultimately, this compilation is not for GOLDFRAPP fans. At 14 tracks, it is as short as possible so as not to bore potential punters and steers away from GOLDFRAPP’s more obscure but splendid singles such as ‘Human’, ‘Twist’ and ‘Pilots’ (which incidentally was banned by the BBC in the wake of 9/11). In fact, there is no inducement for fans to purchase other than the two new songs included.
An opportunity for a deluxe set with a DVD of promo videos or bonus CD gathering the tremendous B-sides such as ‘White Soft Rope’, ‘Gone To Earth’, ‘UK Girls’, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Yes Sir’ has been missed. But with the two unreleased numbers, ‘Yellow Halo’ is a lovely eulogy to Alison Goldfrapp’s late mother and a close relative to ‘A&E’, while ‘Melancholy Sky’ is a dreamy ballad with that classic John Barry orchestrated film theme vibe; Will Gregory even breaks out the sax!
So are these two compositions an indication of where GOLDFRAPP are heading next? Certainly some other worldliness would be welcomed by many of their loyal audience waiting in anticipation at the Deer Stop. For this chapter in the GOLDFRAPP story at least, it ends as it started… with some marvellous cinematic soundscapes.
‘The Singles’ is released by Mute / EMI Records as a CD and download
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK came into being on 15th March 2010 following the HEAVEN 17 aftershow party at Sheffield Magna.
The year also saw the release of a new album by OMD in ‘History Of Modern’, their first since 1996 while there was a long awaited single by THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Meanwhile there was the emergence of new acts such as VILLA NAH, MIRRORS, THE SOUND OF ARROWS and HURTS.
At the end of 2009 when LITTLE BOOTS and LA ROUX heralded a renaissance in the sound of the synth, KRAFTWERK’s Ralf Hütter said to Mojo Magazine: “From all our work comes inspiration. We have been very lucky because the music we envisioned, the ideas we had of The Man-Machine and electro music, have become reality and technology has developed in our direction… and electro is everywhere!”
In a tremendous year for all things electro, here are our 30 songs of 2010 in alphabetical order by artist:
CHRISTINA AGUILERA & LADYTRON Birds Of Prey
In 2008, there was much talk of Christina Aguilera going electro and collaborating with LADYTRON. The two finished tracks ‘Birds Of Prey’ and ‘Little Dreamer’ were relegated to bonus track status on her album ‘Bionic’, with the latter only on iTunes. ‘Birds Of Prey’ softens the percussive noise that dominated ‘Velocifero’ with Ms Aguilera showing some great vocal restraint herself, with an almost hypnotic Middle Eastern feel.
Available on the album ‘Bionic (Deluxe Edition)’ via RCA
ARP is New Yorker Alexis Georgopoulos who crafts gorgeous contemporary kosmische musik for the 21st century. ‘The Soft Wave’ was a glorious work and from it, ‘High Life’ was a cute instrumental with beautiful synth strings dominated by the spectre of KRAFTWERK and CLUSTER. Minimal guitar adds texture to the pulsing accompaniment, recalling other German heroes such as Michael Rother and Manuel Göttsching.
Available on the album ‘The Soft Wave’ via Smalltown Supersound
AU REVOIR SIMONE Tell Me (Un Autre Monde Remix by MIRRORS)
Although AU REVOIR SIMONE have a wispy girls next door demeanour, this remix by MIRRORS recrafts the originally bare ‘Tell Me’ into a dense apocalyptic ditty which makes Erika Forster, Annie Hart and Heather D’Angelo sound almost suicidal! With its heavy synthetic percussive backbone, this is definitely dance music from another world! Like an alternative gothic disco soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’!
Shimmering Emulator type strings, pulsing sequences and a rousing chorus make this a very immediate slice of synthesized pop. BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT mainman Rod Thomas reworks the template of ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and gives it a bit of a sensitive new man outlook. ‘Love Part II’ is NEW ORDER’s disco music for lager louts taken back to its slightly camper Italo roots. Not one for those who wear football shirts to the pub!
Available on the single ‘Love Part II’ via Popjustice Hi-Fi
Assisted by I MONSTER’s Dean Honer who also co-produced THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘Night People’, THE CHANTEUSE & THE CRIPPLED CLAW’s first single ‘Are You One?’ has Candie Payne’s very classic pop presence coupled with Adrian Flanagan’s eccentronic backing. It is a concoction that wonderfully sounds like Sandie Shaw being backed by a BBC Radiophonic Workshop collaboration with Lalo Schifrin!
Available on the single ‘Are You One?’ vai Arms Controller
Usually dealing in a brand of “8-bit Casiotone drone-disco” sounding like YEAH YEAH YEAHS with synths, CHEW LIPS look like OMD being led by Debbie Harry! And they take the OMD thing further here with their best track ‘Rising Tide’, the iTunes bonus song on their debut album ‘Unicorn’. The haunting piano, precise drum machine and bass with sparkling synth-harp runs and a spirited vocal come together nicely to build up to a rousing crescendo.
Available exclusively as a download on the album ‘Unicorn’ from iTunes.
Here are the young men of DELPHIC, continuing the electronic dance / rock fusion pioneered by the legend of Factory Records. The backing is pure NEW ORDER and reinforced by a great klanky guitar solo which would do Bernard Sumner proud. Now, if DELPHIC could just develop things into great pop songs like ‘Halcyon’ rather than some of the prolonged jams and grooves that dominate their debut album ‘Acolyte’.
With their melodic and glacial electronic disco, you’d think they were Scandinavian, but THE GOLDEN FILTER consist of an Aussie in Penelope Trappes and a Yank in Stephen Hindman. Penelope’s vocals have an uplifting quality on the chorus while still retaining a distant chill but the counter melodies compliment the danceable twists. A little I Feel Love creeps in during the chorus to give a wonderful dancefloor adrenalin rush.
Available on the album ‘Voluspa’ via Brille Records
As the title suggests, this is gorgeous and dreamy with a distinct European flavour from the enjoyable GOLDFRAPP album ‘Head First’ which perhaps is more focused on mid-Atlantic AOR. Alison’s voice still resonates as one of the best in the business and back to being accompanied by electronic instrumentation where it belongs. The pulsing sequences and string machine washes of ‘Dreaming’ make this perfect dancefloor material.
Available on the album ‘Head First’ via Mute Records
Mr Ferry has certainly been astute in recognising how much of an influence he’s been on younger musicians and accepting collaborative opportunities with modern dance luminaries such as HELL and GROOVE ARMADA. DJ HELL provides U Can Dance’ with some hard electronic backing, complimenting Ferry’s trademark vocals. Ferry recorded his own Roxy styled version for his solo album ‘Olympia’.
Available on the single ‘U Can Dance’ via International Deejay Gigolo Records
Hypnotic in the spirit of Giorgio Moroder crossed with Arthur Baker and featuring the guest vocals of Jerry Valuri who first collaborated with Jori Hulkkonen on his 2005 album ‘Lo-Fiction’, this dark club track’s spacey rolling sequences make this almost like a dancefloor take on THROBBING GRISTLE’s ‘Hot On The Heels Of Love’ before launching into a bit of New York electro disco in an unexpected middle section!
After Philip Oakey’s collaborations in 2009 with LITTLE BOOTS and PET SHOP BOYS, THE HUMAN LEAGUE returned with the lead track from their forthcoming album ‘Credo’. Punchy with an elastic bassline and chanting chorus, the lyrical couplet “leave your cornflakes in your freezers, leave your chocolates and your cheeses…” shows Mr Oakey hasn’t lost his touch for off-the-wall symbolism. So “Join us now my friends we hail you!”
Available on the single ‘Night People’ via Wall of Sound
HURTS have been certainly accused of style over substance. ‘Wonderful Life’ looked like being a one-off but luckily they have some other magnificent songs to back up their European art house film via the Weimar Republic persona. With ‘Stay’, the heartfelt intensity of the lush arrangement captures the understated but epic sophistication. With the symphonic grandeur of ULTRAVOX fronted by the melodic sensibilities of TAKE THAT, is this a ‘Vienna’ for the early 21st Century?
Available on the album ‘Happiness’ via Major Label
From their third album of the same name, Texan bionic bubblepunk duo HYPPERBUBBLE have an almost cartoon-like take on synthpop in the vein of that great lost combo VIC TWENTY who released only one single on Mute back in 2003. With the decaration that “Good times are taking over!”, ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’ is fun and quirky with Jess DeCuir as the electro Emma Peel and husband Jeff as the obedient robotic version of John Steed.
Available on the album ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’ via Bubblegum Records
Electro Weimar Cabaret is the easiest way to describe the music of Katja von Kassel. Lies’ features strong traditional European influences like French accordions and ‘Vienna’ piano but also has hints of Grace Jones ‘I’ve Seen That Face Before’. Not entirely surprising as both songs are routed in the same dance… the tango. LADYHAWKE collaborator Alex Gray’s intricate production alongside Katja’s magnificently deep vocal presence is like the “1930’s meets the future”.
From what appears to be the only electronic based act that the real music purists positively fawn over, this is a superbly guitar free number that sounds like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN mashed up with Gary Numan and early DEPECHE MODE. The wonderfully wobbly synths and steady drum machine beat take the lead in the poptastic style of Vince Clarke while James Murphy’s vocal hits a soaring falsetto after initiating a ‘Mac The Mouth’ tribute.
Available on the album ‘This Is Happening’ via DFA
LOLA DUTRONIC are a Canadian duo comprising of the eponymous singer and producer Richard Citroen who adapt classic Anglo-Gallic pop with modern electronic arrangements. ‘Best Years Of Our Lives’ borrows from the more recent past with quite obvious references to OMD, ERASURE and even PULP. It’s cutesy pop, perhaps reminiscent of prime SAINT ETIENNE and Lola’s accent is just alluring!
Using a bit of Fe-Mael intuition, MARINA & THE DIAMONDS aka Marina Diamandis adds eccentricity to some catchy keyboard led pop helmed by the ubiquitous Greg Kurstin. “I have become my own self fulfilled prophecy” she proclaims before she screams up two operatic octaves taking a nod towards classic ‘Kimon My House’ era SPARKS while the coda turns into a Cossack dance! Frankly, this is brilliantly bonkers!
Available on the album ‘The Family Jewels’ via 679 Recordings
Written and produced by Jim Eliot and Mima Stilwell but aided by Stuart Price at the mixing helm, ‘All The Lovers’ was Kylie Minogue’s best single since the KRAFTWERK-tinged ‘Slow’. This is euphoric Euro-disco with some wonderful synthetic tones, especially on the solo. There’s something for everybody here in this fabulous pop song. But what a shame about the disappointing parent ‘Aphrodite’ album though.
MIRRORS hail from Brighton, the UK capital of hedonism but their intense and artful approach to dancing is very different to the ‘hands in the air’ culture of their home base. Synthetic chill and pulsing effects dominate this brilliantly uptempo electro number. Rhythmically this recalls TALKING HEADS ‘Crosseyed & Painless’ while the claustrophobic production is very post-punk, wonderfully dense but melodically dramatic.
Available on the single ‘Ways To An End’ via Skint Entertainment
In the true innovating spirit of their classic era, the sparse percussive framework of ‘New Holy Ground’ is merely the sound of footsteps. This is the nearest they have come to the lost B-side ‘The Avenue’. The wonderful piano line and virtual choirs contribute to the beautiful melancholy that characterised OMD’s best work where Paul Humphreys concentrated on the musical backbone while Andy McCluskey provided the narrative focus.
Available on the album ‘History Of Modern’ via Blue Noise
WILLIAM ORBIT featuring SARAH BLACKWOOD White Night
In period which has seen a flurry of solo activity and the reformation of DUBSTAR, the lovely Sarah Blackwood took time out to work with on a track from his album ‘My Oracle Lives Uptown’. Although a version without her ended up on the final tracklisting, her take was offered as a free download in 2010. More accessible than some of CLIENT’s recent offerings but more purely electronic than DUBSTAR, this was a priceless pop gem from our Sarah which lyrically was “full of pain”.
Inspired by her favorite “inherently sad gay disco anthems” with more bittersweet heartbreak from Ms Carlsson, ‘Dancing On My Own’ is driven by wonderful, edgy electronics while the simultaneous dancing and mourning reflects the vulnerability everyone experiences in the loss of love. Solemn synthetic disco at its best from the feisty, independently spirited Swede who is slowly turning into a modern day GINA X PERFORMANCE.
Available on the album ‘Body Talk’ via Konichiwa Records
SHH are Diana Huarte and Daniel Gorostegui from Argentina already with 2 albums to their name. ‘Wonderful Night’ is bouncy danceable electropop that does what it says on the tin. Euphoric sensualism captured in 3 and a half minutes, the chunky pulsing sequences to a solid dance beat and a rousing chorus add a blissful optimism full of Latin spirit. As the duo’s own mission statement announces, it is “Electronic pop, Buenos Aires style!”
Available on the album ‘Gaucho Boy’ via Sin Dormir Records
Described as “the HURTS you can dance to” and “Disney meets Brokeback Mountain”, the opening lines “I’m going to work my way out of this town, I’m going to be someone and know who I am” of ‘Into the Clouds’ are quite a mission statement. THE SOUND OF ARROWS are a duo based in Stockholm presesnting dreamy widescreen synthpop, swathed in beautiful Nordic melancholy. Their musical subtlety is an essential and enlightening listen.
Aavailable on the single ‘Into The Clouds’ via Labrador Records
Following up the previous two SUNDAY GIRL singles ‘Four Floors’ and her cover of ‘Self Control’, ‘Stop Hey!’ saw overdriven drum sounds and a piercing trebly riff dominate this piece of icy Eurocentric electro, sounding not unlike Ellie Goulding with a 20 cigarettes a day habit backed by MIRRORS and MGMT! This was kooky and stylish avant pop that hinted at something much darker going on in Jade Williams’ mind.
Available on the single ‘Stop Hey!’ via Geffen Records
No, this isn’t a misprint! The hidden track on the reunited Manchester boy band’s Stuart Price produced opus ‘Progress’ is an electronic gem. Beginning with soothing vocoder before building to a percussive climax, in a rare lead vocal for Jason Orange, he comes over all apologetic in the manner of Al Stewart over a dreamy backing track that possesses the glacial Scandinavian quality of RÖYKSOPP with a sprinkling of Eno-esque ambience.
“Heartbeat? Get down!”, TENEK have successfully smoothed off some of their more industrial edges to deliver their most immediate and accessible song yet. A rousing chorus and a structure not dissimilar to THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’, there are further synth anthems galore on their album ‘On The Wire’ with nods to the MTV-era of TEARS FOR FEARS and A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS.
Available on the album ‘On The Wire’ via Toffeetones
VILE ELECTRODES are a colourful trio who formed due to an unhealthy obsession with analogue synthesizers and fetish porn. ‘Deep Red’, a title inspired by Dario Argento’s ‘Profondo Rosso’, is a gorgeous 7 and a half minute synth ballad that comes over like CLIENT fronting classic OMD… tremendously dramatic stuff in the vein of ‘Statues’ and ‘Stanlow’!
Have you ever heard Gary Numan almost jaunty? The fantastic ‘Remains Of Love’ is the poppiest thing that the former Gary Webb never recorded. Juho Paalosmaa is next to crying in the wonderful chorus but it almost sounds like Numan on prozac over Tomi Hyyppä’s crystalline melodies. With that all important air synth factor, VILLA NAH took the important elements of classic electronic pop and connected it to sharp dance rhythms.
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is released by Mute Records and available from 1st April 2013 via the usual digital outlets
is released by Mute / EMI Records as a CD and download
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