Tag: John Grant (Page 4 of 5)

A Short Conversation with WRANGLER

6 September 2016 /

WRANGLER are Stephen Mallinder AKA Mal (ex-CABARET VOLTAIRE), Benge (JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS) and Phil Winter (TUNNG).

Since talking to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK back in April 2014, the trio have followed their debut release ‘LA Spark’ with a modular synth remix album ‘Sparked’, a live show at The Royal Albert Hall and a follow-up album in the shape of ‘White Glue’.

With a new single ‘Stupid’ recently unleashed as a trailer for the new long player, Mal, Benge and Phil kindly spoke about developments within the band and the forthcoming collaboration with US singer / songwriter John Grant.

‘White Glue’ is an intriguing title, is there a specific meaning behind it?

Mal: Well, I think I’ll let Phil go into the detail as it came from his idea, which was based on the exoticness of the Spanish translation of “White Glue”. Unfortunately we’d got that completely wrong, we actually meant the Italian translation “Colla Bianca” which as you can see started to sound a bit like a sh*t cocktail so went with the original, always a good idea, as we loved that anyway!

Phil: ‘White Glue’ is used to repair damaged record sleeves, of which I have many, the bottle I found had the mentioned translations which we played with and then discarded!

How do you see the new album differing from your debut ‘LA Spark’?

Mal: Well for me it expands on some of the sounds we used to make ‘LA Spark’ so has the connection, but seems to take those rhythms and sounds to another level.

We use and misuse technology, that’s what WRANGLER are about, so each release is another chapter in the story, just as ‘Sparked’ was. Everything should be a progression but also have some relationship, to build on the past.

For me personally there are themes that come out of ‘LA Spark’, which was a rather bleak and cautionary narrative in relation to human impact on the world. In turn ‘White Glue’ is a response to the corruption, exploitation and mindless materialism that engulfs us. It’s hard not to respond to a world that is dominated by elites, plutocracies and chumocracies.

Benge: To me, the difference this time round was we had quite a lot of the tracks written and in a playable state a long time before we finally recorded and mixed them in the studio, and we were playing them in our live set for ages which really helped flesh the music and arrangements out. It’s kind of the first time I’ve worked that way and it really changes the dynamic of a song when you play it and refine it in front of an audience before committing to tape. Having said that, the rest of the album was done in the studio in intense late night modular synth jams that none of us were in control of. That combination of refined arrangements and live studio experiments is where we ended up.

Phil: The time frame of the recordings definitely had an impact on the eventual sound of the record.

With ‘LA Spark’ we would generally work on a track until it was done, but with ‘White Glue’ we would start a track and then not work on it for ages, as other ideas/tracks had sprung up that we got diverted by.

But having that space in the working process really worked, as it meant we could live with them ie DJ them out or play them live before committing to the album.

The ‘Sparked’ modular remix album concept was an interesting one. Were you surprised by some of the mixes you were given?

Mal: Well you could say yes, as they were all wonderful in their own way and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. so surprised that way. But in another way, not surprised at all as we had such respect and admiration for those artists. We directly approached them to work with us and I’m eternally grateful for them agreeing and contributing… everyone’s a Maserati, as the old saying goes (including the one we did).

WRANGLER recently played The Royal Albert Hall as support for JOHN GRANT, how did that come about?

Mal: Well we first met John a couple of years ago when we played ‘Sensoria’ with CHRIS & COSEY, and realised what an aficionado he was of electronic music. We stayed in touch and all became good friends; he’d asked us to do a mix of ‘Voodoo Doll’ from his latest album and then the Albert Hall gig came up and we were invited, I guess having seen us play and knowing our music, JG thought it was a good fit. A very generous and clever man.

How did you approach playing such a prestigious venue? Were there any nerves beforehand?

Mal: I don’t really get nervous. I think having played for so many years, you realise if you start to think about all things that can potentially f*** up, you’d be a quivering wreck. So “excited” is a better word and if things really screw up, I’ve been known to tell jokes – the last thing Benge says to me every time I’m about to go onstage is “no jokes!!” so I tend to be pretty minimal now when we play. To be fair it’s not very cool and they’re sh*t jokes so he is right.

Benge: Our thinking was if we can’t have a huge screen behind us on that massive stage then we would go the opposite way and just use 3 small TV monitors, one in front of each of us and go minimal. Actually on the night, JOHN GRANT and his stage team were really generous and gave us the full light show as well, which we didn’t expect as the guest act. That was really cool of them.

Phil: It’s such an awesome space, but everyone involved was so helpful and welcoming that it was very enjoyable.

This show has led onto a forthcoming live collaboration with John Grant at The Barbican celebrating 40 years of the Rough Trade label, what can we expect from that?

Mal: Hopefully it will shift a few perceptions from both sides, but maybe less for us as we’ve all been writing and have quite a few tunes already sketched out. John has been busy touring so we started the process a month or so ago sending roughs over, but I caught up with him and he’s done some really cool sketches and rough mixes – we seem to be on the same flightpath – and we have a week or so together writing in the studio. It should be fun, we can take a break from our other roles and enjoy the process. Am hoping it will blow a few minds!

Benge: I’m really looking forward to spending time in the new studio working on this. It is such an unpredictable situation working with loads of wonky machines and so many wonky minds, anything could happen.

Phil: Expect the unexpected!

Because of the practicalities of taking the MemeTune studio equipment on the road, how do WRANGLER go about performing their music live?

Mal: Well it’s a bit of a mix and match process, so we capture and loop some of the key parts from the delicate studio gear then take the more robust equipment out with us on tour. It makes it very live and flexible, but we can build in the other parts to maintain the WRANGLER sound.

Phil: It’s a constant balancing act between the practical and the wished for!

The synth world is currently going a mad for synth hardware (modular and otherwise), would you have any advice to give to people wishing to invest in such gear?

Benge: My view is that you should try and create your own unique voice in the world if you are a creative artist. What you use is not as important as how you use it. Having said that, I love the fact that there is now so much more opportunity to use analogue hardware gear than ever before. You don’t need to scour the depths of eBay in remote far away countries to find exotic gear any more. Making music has never been more exciting than now.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK was present at the really entertaining lecture ‘Growing Up A Little Bit German’ which you gave as part of the ‘Boing Boom Tschak’ event during the Brighton Fringe Festival. How important still is the musical DNA of KRAFTWERK to the sound of WRANGLER?

Mal: Oh I think KRAFTWERK remain the benchmark for electronic music and I can’t see that ever changing. Not just the sounds themselve which still cut through for their purity, clarity and richness, but also the process. KRAFTWERK taught us all that less is more. I still listen to the albums and appreciate the sophistication of the mixes – always the correct delay, always the complimentary frequencies, the right timbre, everything in the right place and to the correct degree.

They still work because of the simplicity and symmetry which is the basis of beauty. WRANGLER understand that, although I think sometimes it’s nice to mess it up. If KRAFTWERK are sophisticated beauty, WRANGLER are the rebel twin occasionally getting tarted up for a mucky night out.

What are your future aspirations for WRANGLER?

Mal: To write some great music, maybe try and position what we do in different contexts and allow more people to appreciate it. But really, just to continue enjoying it and ruffling a few feathers on the way.

Benge: We have only ever done our music to please ourselves. We think the perfect sound doesn’t exist yet and if we can keep trying to find that sound we will be doing something incredibly worthwhile.

Phil: More of the same please, but maybe turn the clap up a bit!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its grateful thanks to WRANGLER

Additional thanks to Steve Malins at Random Management

‘Stupid’ is released as a download single on 9th September 2016

The new album ‘White Glue’ is released by Memetune in CD, vinyl and digital formats on 23rd September 2016

WRANGLER perform a collaborative set with JOHN GRANT at The Barbican in London on Saturday 22nd October 2016 as part of Rough Trade 40

https://www.facebook.com/mallinderbengewinter/

https://twitter.com/wearewrangler

Text and Interview by Paul Boddy
6th September 2016

25 FAVOURITE SYNTH SONGS BY NON-SYNTH ACTS

31 March 2016 /

Strangely, it really was like a fanfare for the common man…

When the recently departed Keith Emerson used a Minimoog for the solo on EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER’s ‘Lucky Man’ in 1970, little would he predict that nearly half a decade later, the floodgates would start to open for many rock bands eager to exploit the synthesizer as an alternative lead instrument to the electric guitar.

Pete Townshend’s use of the EMS VCS3, ARP 2500 and ARP 2600 on the ‘Who’s Next’ album was another key recording which featured electronics within an experimental rock context. Meanwhile PINK FLOYD famously took an EMS Synthi AKS with its built-in digital sequencer into the stratosphere for ‘On The Run’ from ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’.

Although these tracks used synthesizers, they could hardly be classified as synthpop. But what of the occasions when rock artists go the full hog and enter the murky world of synths, sequencers and drum machines? While occasional dabbling in the electronic world has been common, a full volte-face has been rare.

One of the most recent examples of an artist transferring allegiances has been John Grant, former vocalist with THE CZARS who recorded his 2010 debut solo album ‘Queen of Denmark’ in collaboration with the American folk-rock band MIDLAKE. Grant said to The Quietus in 2013: “I wanna be the guy who is surrounded by all this synth hardware on stage. Like Jean-Michel Jarre, or Vangelis or one of those guys. I wanna be the guys from Yello and Cabaret Voltaire. I wanna understand, it’s such a subtle art form. I wish I was a robot, like Kraftwerk!”

So here is a list of 25 favourite songs by non-synth acts who risked soiling their reputation by delving into the murky world of synthesizers. All songs feature the synth as the dominant melodic instrument and are by artists who are generally perceived to be guitar or rock driven. Those considered to have a strong association with the synthesizer, like SPARKS, SPANDAU BALLET, NEW ORDER, ASSOCIATES, TALK TALK, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM and THE KILLERS have not been included.

So presented in chronological and then alphabetical order, here are ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s choices…

THE MOTORS Airport (1978)

The traditional Pub Rock sound of THE MOTORS was transformed with ‘Airport’, its intro and chorus ARP Odyssey synth riff being one that wouldn’t have felt out of place on an OMD song. With the addition of ABBA-esque pianos, the piece itself was an anti-paean to an airport, one which had cruelly flown the lead vocalist Andy McMaster’s love interest away from him.

Available on the album ‘Approved By’ via Captain Oi!

http://www.andymcmaster.net/

SQUEEZE Take Me I’m Yours (1978)

With A&M getting concerned that there were no obvious singles on their debut album, Glenn Tilbrook made the decision to hire “lots of synths and a bloke who knew how to work them” and then went about “pretending to be Kraftwerk”! A squelchy synth bass and lo-fi drum machine dominates throughout ‘Take Me I’m Yours’.

Available on the album ‘Greatest Hits’ via A&M Records

http://www.squeezeofficial.com/

JOY DIVISION Atmosphere (1980)

While JOY DIVISION had played around with syndrums and electronic effects on ‘Unknown Pleasures’ to complement their gloomy guitar driven sound, they had yet to produce a song that featured synths as a melodic lead. Recorded using an ARP Solina, the chilling ‘Atmosphere’ with its tender bass playing and percussive grandeur was their most complete recording to date.

Available on the JOY DIVISION album ‘Substance’ via Rhino

http://joydivisionofficial.com/

JONA LEWIE You’ll Always Find Me in the Kitchen At Parties (1980)

This VERY electronic Polymoog-driven single was almost entirely self-produced by Lewie with the exception of some live bass by Norman Watt-Roy and hi-hats from Bob Andrews. It was rumoured that Kirsty MacColl provided backing vocals, although this was denied by Lewie. Maccoll eventually appeared on Top Of the Pops to perform ‘You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties’.

Available on the album ‘The Best Of’ via Union Square Music

http://www.jonalewie.com/

PAUL McCARTNEY Temporary Secretary (1980)

Having impersonated Ron Mael from SPARKS in the ‘Coming Up’ video, Macca went the full electronic dance hog with the quite bizarre ‘Temporary Secretary’. With prominent sequencer patterns to simulate a typewriter and detached deadpan vocals, this oddball experiment confused fans of both WINGS and THE BEATLES.

Available on the PAUL McCARTNEY album ‘McCartney II’ via EMI Records

http://www.paulmccartney.com/

HAZEL O’CONNOR Eighth Day (1980)

Featuring in the O’Connor starring movie ‘Breaking Glass’, ‘Eighth Day’ was written by the singer to parallel the biblical story of Genesis, but with machines taking over on the final day. Produced by Tony Visconti, synths are used effectively throughout to echo the content of the song. The lyrics to ‘Eighth Day’ still feel relevant and paint a picture of a future world slowly pulled apart by developing technology.

Available on the album ‘Breaking Glass’ via Spectrum Music

http://www.hazeloconnor.com/

ROBERT PALMER Johnny & Mary (1980)

robert-palmer-johnny-and-mary-islandAfter surprisingly recording Gary Numan’s ‘I Dream of Wires’ on his album ‘Clues’, the lead single ‘Johnny & Mary’ also showcased some impressive electronics with its hypnotic synth bassline and melodic keys. ‘Johnny & Mary’ got a new lease of life in 2015 with Bryan Ferry providing vocals in a more down-tempo incarnation by Todd Terje in 2015.

Available on the ROBERT PALMER album ‘Clues’ via Island Records

http://www.robertpalmer.com/

SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES Red Light (1980)

By 1980, SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES had fragmented and were in an interim period without a permanent guitarist which pushed the then-trio into various modes of experimentation. Featuring a Roland Compurhythm and a camera shutter motor rewind as its backbeat, the minimal ‘Red Light’ was dominated by ominous synth played by Steve Severin to evoke a smoky club atmosphere.

Available on the SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES album via Polydor

http://siouxsieandthebanshees.co.uk

GODLEY & CREME Under Your Thumb (1981)

For those familiar with their presence in 10CC, the Kevin Godley and Lol Creme’s ‘Under Your Thumb’ certainly came as a surprise curveball with its hi-hat driven drum machine and primarily electronic instrumentation. The dramatic ghost story set to a synthpop template echoed KRAFTWERK’s ‘Trans-Europe Express’, with its rhythmic nature tying in with the train journey narrative of the lyric.

Available on the album ‘Cry: The Very Best Of’ via Polydor / Universal Music

https://www.discogs.com/artist/104312-Godley-Creme

PHIL LYNOTT Yellow Pearl – Remix (1981)

‘Yellow Pearl’ originated during the 1979 THIN LIZZY tour of Japan when Midge Ure was temporarily in the band.
Remixed by the Glaswegian with contributions from Rusty Egan and Billy Currie, it was so draped in the involvement of artists from the electronic field that it was almost forgotten that Lynott was the frontman of a heavy rock band!

Avilable on the THIN LIZZY album ‘Greatest Hits’ via Universal Music

https://www.thinlizzyofficial.com/

BILL NELSON Living In My Limousine (1981)

Frustrated by the limitations of BE BOP DELUXE, guitar virtuoso Bill Nelson formed RED NOISE in 1978 with a more electronic focus. But when Nelson recorded the decisively Bowie-esque ‘Quit Dreaming & Get On The Beam’, his label Harvest refused to release it but the album evetually came out on Mercury Records; ‘Living In My Limousine’ with its Numanesque detachment was one of the highlights.

Available on the BILL NELSON album ‘Quit Dreaming & Get On The Beam’ via Mercury Records

http://www.billnelson.com/

PETE SHELLEY Homosapien (1981)

‘Homosapien’ came about after the aborted fourth BUZZCOCKS album; producer Martin Rushent suggested to frontman Shelley that the two of them should work using the latest electronic equipment. Seen as Shelley’s coming out song, synths and 12 string guitar combined for a wonderful futuristic snarl. The lyric “Homo Superior in my interior” got the initial single release a Radio1 ban.

Available on the PETE SHELLEY album ‘Homosapien’ via Active Distribution Ltd

http://www.buzzcocks.com/

DAVE STEWART & BARBARA GASKIN It’s My Party (1981)

Keyboardist Dave Stewart (not the EURYTHMICS one!) was best known for being part of progressive rock acts NATIONAL HEALTH and EGG, although link-ups with Colin Blunstone and Barbara Gaskin gave both hits with reworked electronic cover versions of ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ and ‘It’s My Party’ respectively. The latter topped the UK charts in 1981.

Available on the album ‘Up From The Dark’ via Broken Records

http://www.davebarb.com/

NEIL YOUNG Transformer Man (1982)

Between 1980-1982, Young was carrying out a therapy program for his young son Ben who had cerebral palsy. The music of KRAFTWERK reflected Young’s attempts to communicate with his son. Acquiring a Vocoder, Synclavier and Linn Drum Computer, while much of the eventual ‘Trans’ album did not work, there was an ethereal ‘Neon Lights’ beauty in ‘Transformer Man’.

Available on the NEIL YOUNG album ‘Trans’ via Geffen Records

http://www.neilyoung.com/

THE CURE The Walk (1983)

By this point, THE CURE were down to a duo with Lol Tolhurst ditching his drum kit for keyboards, leaving Robert Smith with a far wider artistic freedom outside of the act’s previous band-based context. The resultant fantasy single ‘The Walk’ arguably started the tit-for-tat war with NEW ORDER, its octave synth bassline and machine-like kick drum blatantly templating ‘Blue Monday’.

Available on the album ‘Japanese Whispers’ via Fiction Records

http://www.thecure.com/

FREEEZ IOU (1983)

Following their 1980 hit ‘Southern Freeez’, jazz funksters FREEEZ had fragmented to a duo. Fascinated by the urban electro hybrid of AFRIKA BAMBAATAA & THE SOUL SONIC FORCE’s ‘Planet Rock’ produced by Arthur Baker, they jetted off to meet him in New York. Baker suggested recording his self-penned ‘IOU’.

Available on the FREEEZ album ‘Gonna Get You’ via Cherry Red

https://www.discogs.com/artist/8670-Freeez

GENESIS Mama (1983)

While Tony Banks’ keyboards have always been a key factor in the sound of GENESIS, 1983 saw some sinister minor key Prophet 10lines played on a  at the start of ‘Mama’. Building in a similar fashion to ‘In Your Room’ by DEPECHE MODE, the story of a young man with a mother fixation, longing for a prostitute, took an unexpected genre twist with Phil Collins’ creepy laugh inspired by Grandmaster Flash.

Available on the album ‘Genesis’ via Virgin Records

http://www.genesis-music.com/

QUEEN I Want To Break Free (1984)

QUEEN famously declared “no synthesizers” on their albums, but by 1980’s ‘The Game’, an Oberheim OBX had entered the ranks. Recording ‘I Want To Break Free’ had been tense, due to writer John Deacon’s insistence that the guitar solo had to be played on a Roland Jupiter 8 by session musician Fred Mandel. For its single release, the song was extended to include even more synthesizer.

Available on the album ‘Greatest Hits II’ via EMI Music

http://www.queenonline.com/

LEONARD COHEN First We Take Manhattan (1988)

Originally recorded by Jennifer Warnes in 1985, the doom laden Canadian poet recorded his own monochromatic synth interpretation. Tightly produced with sequenced digital slap bass, Linn Drum and sombre synth sweeps, ‘First We Take Manhattan’ was Cohen’s commentary on terrorism. Contrasting with a soulful interlude from Anjani Thomas, it made Cohen’s vocal even more resonant.

Available on the album ‘I’m Your Man’ via Sony Music

http://www.leonardcohen.com/

JULIAN COPE Just Like Pooh Bear (1995)

It doesn’t take a musical genius to work out just who Mr Cope is parodying here… the bassline, sequencing and drum programming on ‘Just Like Pooh Bear’ hilariously rip-off DEAD OR ALIVE’s ‘You Spin Me Around’. Judged on its own merits, it was an uber-catchy piece of synthpop work with some pretty filthy lyrics.

Available on the album ’20 Mothers’ via Echo Records

https://www.headheritage.co.uk/

THE BLOODHOUND GANG The Bad Touch (1999)

Known for their crude lyrics, alternative rap rockers THE BLOODHOUND GANG’s ‘The Bad Touch’ with its double-entendres pushed all the necessary synthpop buttons.. The song was inspired by boredom and depression after vocalist Jimmy Pop was watching the Discovery Channel and saw a programme featuring monkeys mating.

Available on the album ‘Hooray For Boobies’ via Interscope Records

http://www.bloodhoundgang.com/

KELLY OSBOURNE One Word (2005)

After her initial pop punk adventures, Ozzy’s youngest daughter surprised everyone with the classic synthpop of ‘One Word’, a number penned by 4 NON BLONDES’ Linda Perry with a more than passing resemblance to VISAGE’s ‘Fade to Grey’. The resemblance was so uncanny that legal action was launched with writers Midge Ure, Billy Currie and Chris Payne each awarded a share of the royalties.

Available on the KELLY OSBORNE album ‘Sleeping In The Nothing’ via Sanctuary Records

http://kellyosbourne.com/

MGMT Time To Pretend (2008)

Originally recorded for the 2005 EP of the same name, ‘Time To Pretend’ was stoner rock gone synthpop. Re-recorded for the ‘Oracular Spectacular’ album, MGMT used a number of piercing monophonic synth lines to aurally represent the hatching of eggs laid by a deceased praying mantis in a lyrical fantasy about leading the rock star life of drugs and models.

Available on the MGMT album ‘Oracular Spectacular’ via Columbia Music

http://whoismgmt.com/

EDITORS Papillon (2009)

EDITORS followed a keyboard-based trajectory with their third album ‘In This Light & on This Evening’. It spawned the Flood-produced ‘Papillon’ which was their most synth-dominated single to date. The decision to “go synth” didn’t go without ramifications though, with lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz departing in 2012 citing the band’s “future musical direction” as his reason to bail from the outfit.

Available on the album ‘In This Light & On This Evening’ via Kitchenware

http://www.editorsofficial.com/

JOHN GRANT Pale Green Ghosts (2013)

John Grant chose a folk festival for his we hope you enjoy our new direction moment, premiering a brace of synth and drum machine-based songs which prompted half the audience to walk out. ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, produced with Biggie Viera of GUS GUS, showcased an artist unafraid to embrace a polar opposite style and actually pulling it off successfully.

Available on the album ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ via Bella Union

http://johngrantmusic.com/

A playlist ‘Songs With Synths by Non-Synth Acts’ compiled by ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and featuring over 90 tracks can be listened to at
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2chFW4lwbd9I4SS0dQKGGu

Text by Chi Ming Lai and Paul Boddy
31st March 2016, updated 20th January 2024

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2015

9 December 2015 /

Loudness Contour Modifiers

In a far more productive year than 2014, many electronic music veterans returned to the fold in 2015 with their first new albums for many years. There were plenty of releases from independent acts too, with Nordic Europe being a particularly strong territory once again.

45 quality songs made the shortlist and were eventually whittled down to 30. So mention must be made of ALICE IN VIDEOLAND, ANALOG ANGEL, BEBORN BETON, BECKY BECKY, CAMOUFLAGE, CLUB 8, ELECTROGENIC, EURASIANEYES, ME THE TIGER, HANNAH PEEL and SIN COS TAN who all released recordings in 2015 that would have easily made the listing in less competitive years such as 2012 and 2014. Even DURAN DURAN’s disappointing ‘Paper Gods’ yielded one decent track in ‘Face For Today’, but one swallow doesn’t make a summer.

So the decision has been made; with a restriction of one song per artist moniker, this alphabetical list comprises tracks released in physical formats, or digitally as purchasable or free downloads during the calendar year. Here are ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s 30 SONGS OF 2015…

A-HA She’s Humming A Tune

A-HA Cast In SteelHaving played what appeared to be their farewell concert at the Oslo Spektrum in December 2010, A-HA reunited in a relaxed manner that recalled their days as a fledgling band. On ‘She’s Humming A Tune’, there were hints of 1986’s ‘Scoundrel Days’ in a lower key with sweeping synths, bottle neck six string and live drums moulding the chilling soundscape with that exquisite Nordic allure. ‘Cast In Steel’ was the antithesis of the misguided EDM blow-out that DURAN DURAN attempted on ‘Paper Gods’

Available on the album ‘Cast In Steel’ via Universal Music

http://a-ha.com/

BLACK NAIL CABARET Satisfaction

Feeling gloomy? Then take heed of the advice from BLACK NAIL CABARET and “Don’t be sad! Don’t be whiney!” – this brooding slice of Gothtronica was the lead single from the Hungarian duo’s second album ‘Harry Me, Marry Me, Bury Me’. Laden with a delicious synth bassline like DEPECHE MODE reimagined for a Weimar Cabaret set piece and topped with eerie string machine, ‘Satisfaction’ was the duo’s best individual offering to date. The pair also made a worthy impression opening for CAMOUFLAGE.

Available on the album ‘Harry Me, Marry Me, Bury Me’ via Basic Unit Productions

http://www.blacknailcabaret.net/

BLANCMANGE Useless

From Neil Arthur’s first BLANCMANGE album without long time bandmate Stephen Luscombe, ‘Useless’ was a brilliant hybrid of BRIAN ENO circa ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ with LCD SOUNDSYSTEM. “It’s about anyone who thinks they might be useless” said Arthur, “This song is about that whole idea that we’re all flawed and you’re ‘useless as you are’… there are just times when you think ‘f*cking hell, I couldn’t organise a p*ss up in a brewery’ or that whole thing about confidence”.

Available on the album ‘Semi Detached’ via Cherry Red Records

https://www.blancmange.co.uk

CAMOUFLAGE Count On Me

Although launch single ‘Shine’ indicated it was business as usual, as hinted at with the title, CAMOUFLAGE’s long awaited long player ‘Greyscale’ was their most mature artistic statement yet. The mellow and warm ‘Count On Me’ saw Marcus Meyn duet with Peter Heppner of WOLFSHEIM fame. The lush blend of vocals and atmospherics showcased two of Germany’s most highly regarded electronic acts at their best.

Available on the album ‘Greyscale’ via Bureau B

http://www.camouflage-music.com/

CHVRCHES Clearest Blue

CHVRCHES stuck to the synthpop template of their debut and delivered what LITTLE BOOTS, LA ROUX, and LADYHAWKE and HURTS all failed to do… a decent second album! The propulsive four-to-the-floor action of ‘Clearest Blue’ shows how far CHVRCHES developed. Although not unlike an amalgam of ‘Gun’ and ‘Science / Visions’, ‘Clearest Blue’ is even more accomplished, wonderfully held in a state of tension before WHACK, there’s a dynamic surprise that recalls the classic overtures of Vince Clarke.

Available on the album ‘Every Open Eye’ via Virgin Records

http://chvrch.es/

RODNEY CROMWELL Black Dog

BlackDogcover170x170RODNEY CROMWELL is Adam Cresswell, formally of ARTHUR & MARTHA. ‘Black Dog’ recalled the pulsing post-punk miserablism of SECTION 25 and was embellished some Hooky styled bass. Cresswell said: “It’s all broadly linked to experiences in my life over the last ten years; themes of love, loss, depression, redemption”. As with NEW ORDER’s ‘Temptation’, despite the inherent melancholy, there was light at the end of the tunnel that made ‘Black Dog’ a most joyous listening experience.

Available on the album ‘Age Of Anxiety’ via Happy Robots

http://www.happyrobots.co.uk/

DAYBEHAVIOR Cambiare

daybehavior-change-front-small-2000Utilising her Italian heritage, DAYBEHAVIOR’s lead singer Paulinda Crescentini gave a suitably alluring performance on ‘Cambiare’, the B-side of the Swedish trio’s single ‘Change’. Remixed to poptastic effect, the joyous yet melancholic tune took the best elements of Italo disco with an expression of sorrow and happiness that recalled imperial phase PET SHOP BOYS. With a catchy chorus and seductive topline, Linguaphone language lessons were never this much fun…

Available on the single ‘Change’ via Graplur

http://www.daybehavior.com

DESTIN FRAGILE Run Away

DESTIN FRAGILE Halfway To NowhereAn offshoot of Swedish EBM veterans SPETSNAZ, DESTIN FRAGILE are a very different animal with hints of CAMOUFLAGE and DEPECHE MODE in their sound. ‘Run Away’ opened their ‘Halfway To Nowhere’ opus, an album which some observers have hailed as one of the best of 2015. Featuring a fine vocal from Pontus Stålberg resembling MESH’s Mark Hockings, this is what modern synthpop should be like; pop music with synths and melody as well as dynamic synth solos.

Available on the album ‘Halfway To Nowhere’ via Dark Dimensions

https://www.facebook.com/destin.fragile.pop

EAST INDIA YOUTH Carousel

EAST INDIA YOUTH’s debut ‘Total Strife’ pointed towards William Doyle’s potential to pen sublime pop, and with the follow-up ‘Culture Of Volume’, this was more than realised. But the album’s centrepiece was ‘Carousel’. Imagine the start of OMD’s ‘Stanlow’ reworked during BRIAN ENO’s sessions for ‘Apollo: Soundtracks & Atmospheres’. With no percussive elements and over six minutes in length, Doyle gave a dramatic vocal performance resonating in beautifully crystalline melancholy.

Available on the album ‘Culture of Volume’ via XL Recordings

http://eastindiayouth.co.uk/

EMIKA My Heart Bleeds Melody

Berlin-based EMIKA is one of the dark horses of the UK electronic scene. A combination of her classical training, Czech heritage and use of modern technology has made for a provoking, brooding sound that has attained critical acclaim over the last few years. From her third album, helpfully named ‘Drei’, ‘My Heart Bleeds Melody’ was its highlight, a concoction of intricate pulsing layers and solemn detachment that provided a captivating listening experience.

Available on the album ‘Drei’ via Emika Records

http://emikarecords.com/

FFS P*ss Off

FFS_cover_artFFS proved collaborations do work. A total triumph, ‘P*ss Off’ was possibly the album’s most outstanding number. With the vibrancy of ‘Kimono My House’ and ‘Propaganda’ era SPARKS, there were plenty of jaunty ivories and camp vocal theatrics in the vein of classics like ‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and ‘BC’. “It’s inexplicable” they all growled as the multi-track phrase of “HARMONISE” kicked in! A total joy, ‘P*ss Off’ was the ultimate two fingered art school pop anthem.

Available on the album ‘FFS’ via Domino Records

http://www.ffsmusic.com/

WOLFGANG FLÜR Cover Girl – The Ninjaneer Mix

One of the highlights in Herr Flür’s DJ sets has been The Ninjaneer Mix of ‘Cover Girl’, a swirling synthpop track that the former KRAFTWERK percussionist has described as ‘The Model MkII’. He said: “Her story goes on and unfortunately shows her going downhill. She had bad experiences with drugs, alcohol and other things so had to dance in night clubs for earning money at least. A true story, a bad life… that’s sometimes the way how super models are knitting their career”

Available on the album ‘Eloquence’ via Cherry Red Records

http://www.musiksoldat.de

JOHN GRANT featuring TRACEY THORN Disappointing

JOHN GRANT Grey Tickles, Black PressureJOHN GRANT’s adventure into a solemn electronic template on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ not only won him a BRIT Award nomination too. Meanwhile his collaboration with HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR showed he understood the disco as well. ‘Disappointing’ combined the two approaches and added some funk for an enjoyable Bowie meets YAZOO styled workout. In a song full of surprises, not only was there the presence of slap bass, but there was the dulcet tones of EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL’s Tracey Thorn too.

Available on the album ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ via Bella Union

http://johngrantmusic.com

GWENNO Calon Peiriant

Gwenno_Y_DYDD_OLAFGWENNO’s Welsh and Cornish heritage has allowed her to develop a unique brand of lo-fi electronica. Her full-length Welsh language debut ‘Y Dydd Olaf’ came out on Peski Records in October 2014. Now reissued in 2015 by Heavenly Recordings, GWENNO has deservedly gained an increased profile for her music. With beautiful, traditionally derived melodies placed in a spacey yesterday’s tomorrow setting, the spacey ‘Calon Peiriant’ was one of the more immediate delights on offer from a wonderful album.

Available on the album ‘Y Dydd Olaf’ via Heavenly Recordings

http://www.gwenno.info/

IAMX Happiness

Depression despite apparent material success has been an ongoing lyrical theme for Chris Corner as IAMX. And with ‘Happiness’, his craving for a mind to be free of bad news, negative influences and jealousy was countered with his line of “Everywhere hypocrisy!” as pulsing arpeggios kicked in for the final third’s gentle but drama laden climax. Highly poignant in the current economic and political climate, Corner’s move from Berlin to Los Angeles certainly did his music no harm.

Available on the album ‘Metanoia’ via Caroline International

http://iamxmusic.com/

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE & VINCE CLARKE Automatic Parts 1 + 2

Jarre-electronica-coverThe French synth maestro’s first album for since ‘Teo & Tea’ in 2007 was an opus entitled ‘Electronica 1 – The Time Machine’ featuring collaborations with TANGERINE DREAM, JOHN CARPENTER, LITTLE BOOTS, MASSIVE ATTACK among many. But the two part ‘Automatic’ with VINCE CLARKE was the highlight, taking in the best of the tune based elements of both artists while not letting one party dominate. VCJMJ was certainly a more artistically realised proposition than the polarising techno of VCMG!

Available on the album ‘Electronica 1: The Time Machine’ via Columbia Records

http://jeanmicheljarre.com/

KID KASIO Full Moon Blue

“Whether I release it in 2013 or 2016, it’s still going to sound like 1985!” said KID KASIO main man Nathan Cooper. A man whose is plainly honest about where his influences lie, his love of classic synthpop permeates throughout his work. Now imagine if DEPECHE MODE was fronted by Nik Kershaw instead of Dave Gahan? With ‘Full Moon Blue’, that musical fantasy became fully realised with a clever interpolation of ‘Two Minute Warning’, one of Alan Wilder’s songwriting contributions from ‘Construction Time Again’.

Available on the album ‘Sit & Wait’ via Kid Kasio

http://www.kidkasio.com

KITE Up For Life

Despite having been around since 2008, Swedish synth duo KITE have tended to be overlooked internationally. But Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg’s wonderfully exuberant array of sounds and rugged, majestic vocals deserve a much larger audience. Issuing only EPs and never albums, KITE’s most recent release ‘VI’ opened with the magnificent progressive electronic epic ‘Up For Life’. The passionate and sublime first half mutated into a beautifully surreal journey of VANGELIS-like proportions for the second.

Available on the EP ‘VI’ via Progress Productions

https://www.facebook.com/KiteHQ

MACHINISTA The Bombs

The syncopated electro disco feel of ‘The Bombs’, one of the highlights from MACHINISTA’s second album came almost by accident. Instrumentalist Richard Flow remembered: “Actually the first version of ‘The Bombs’ had a completely different rhythm in the drums. I actually did get stuck with this song and I wasn’t happy at all about the music. Once I did change the bass drum to a simple 4/4, I was back on track again. Most of the sounds from the original version I did keep, so perhaps a simple 4/4 bass drum mixed with the sounds for this original rhythm created this ‘disco’ feel…”

Available on the album ‘Garmonbozia’ via Analogue Trash Records

http://www.machinistamusic.com/

MARSHEAUX Monument

marsheaux_a_broken_frame_LPA worthy of re-assessment of DEPECHE MODE ‘A Broken Frame’ has been long overdue and MARSHEAUX have certainly given a number of its songs some interesting arrangements. Their version of ‘Monument’ borrowed its bassline from latter day DM B-side ‘Painkiller’. Combined with some wispily resigned vocals, it provided a tense soundtrack that could be seen as metaphoric commentary on the economic situation in Greece. It’s not often that cover versions are better than the originals, but this is one of them.

Available on the album ‘A Broken Frame’ via Undo Records

http://marsheaux.com/

METROLAND (We Need) Machines Without Romance

METROLAND’s second album ‘Triadic Ballet’ was a triumphant electronic celebration of the Bauhaus, art movement led by Walter Gropius. Gropius theorized about uniting art and technology and on the B-side of its launch single ‘Zeppelin’, METROLAND worked towards the 21st Century interpretation of that goal. Now imagine if GARY NUMAN had actually joined KRAFTWERK in 1979? Then the brilliantly uptempo ‘(We Need) Machines Without Romance’ would have surely been the result.

Available on the EP ‘Zeppelin’ via Alfa Matrix

http://www.metrolandmusic.com/

MURICIDAE Away

Studio legend John Fryer has been busy and the project that perhaps harks closest to THIS MORTAL COIL is MURICIDAE. Featuring the exquisite vocals of Louise Fraser, she and Fryer apparently “met on the beach searching for mermaids”… the sea is very much the visual theme for their music, with Fryer cultivating “sonic sculptures to musically embody the exquisite Muricidae Shell itself”. The tranquil beauty of ‘Away’ captures a shimmering soundscape that compliments Fraser’s plaintive lament.

Available on the EP ‘Tales From A Silent Ocean’ via Muricidae Music

https://www.facebook.com/muricidaemusic

NEW ORDER Plastic

After the guitar dominated proceedings of the last few NEW ORDER albums, Bernard Sumner promised a return to electronic music for the Mancunians’ first album of new material without estranged founder member and bassist Peter Hook. That was certainly delivered on with ‘Plastic’, a full-on throbbing seven minute electro number mixed by Richard X with blippy echoes of ‘Mr Disco’. Dealing with the issue of superficiality, it declares “this love is poison, but it’s like gold”… yes, beware of anything plastic and artificial!

Available on the album ‘Music Complete’ via Mute Artists

http://www.neworder.com/

KARIN PARK Stick To The Lie

In 2015, the Norge domiciled Swedish songstress’ KARIN PARK finally released her fifth album, the profanity laden fifth ‘Apocalypse Pop’. While less harsh in sound to some of the other tracks on the long player, ‘Stick To The Lie’ was no less angry. The most overtly synthpop track on the collection, this accessible yet emotive song was one of the highlights on a collection that affirmed KARIN PARK’s place in modern electronic pop.

Available on the album ‘Apocalypse Pop’ via State Of The Eye

http://www.karinpark.com/

PURITY RING Begin Again

With CHVRCHES having borrowed PURITY RING’s electro template and pushed it into the mainstream, the direction taken on the Edmonton duo’s sophomore album ‘Another Eternity’ was going to be watched with interest. Certainly it was more focussed than its predecessor ‘Shrines’. Still utilising glitch techniques, booming bass drops and Corin Roddick’s rattling drum machine programming, the album’s best song ‘Begin Again’ made the most of Megan James’ sweet and dreamy voice.

Available on the album ‘Another Eternity’ via 4AD Records

http://purityringthing.com/

SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN All The City Lights

Sweden’s SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN (translated as “The Last Man on Earth”) are led by Eddie Bengtsson, best known for his work with S.P.O.C.K and PAGE. The themes of space travel and Sci-Fi are regular lyrical gists and while all of SMPJ’s songs are voiced i Svenska, Bengtsson opened up his Vince Clarke influenced synthpop to the English language in 2015 with the ‘Translate’ EP. Brilliantly produced, ‘All The City Lights’ (a version of his 2014 single ‘Stadens Alla Ljus’) was its highly enjoyable opening gambit.

Available on the CD EP ‘Translate’ via SMPJ

http://www.moonbasealpha.space/

SUSANNE SUNDFØR Delirious

SUSANNE SUNDFØR and her acclaimed ‘Ten Love Songs’ album developed on the electronic focus of its predecessor ‘The Silicone Veil’. With an eerie, droning intro with echoes of THE WALKERS BROTHERS’ ‘The Electrician’, ‘Delirious’ thundered with some fierce electronics bolstered by dynamic orchestrations like THE KNIFE meeting DEPECHE MODE. It captured love as a reluctant battle of the emotions while our heroine announced with emotive resignation “I’m not the one holding the gun”.

Available on the album ‘Ten Love Songs’ via Sonnet Sound

http://susannesundfor.com/

TRAIN TO SPAIN Passion – Machinista Club mix

TRAIN TO SPAIN Keep On RunningTRAIN TO SPAIN’s developing brand of uptempo, energetic pop utilises classic synthesizer sounds in the vein of Vince Clarke coupled to a metronomic rhythm structure akin to the 1985 ‘Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder’ album. Coming over like LANA DEL REY fronting YAZOO, Wigeborg’s cooingly vulnerable vocals on ‘Passion’ let rip over a suitably complimentary electronic backbone from Rasmusson, while a superb remix by MACHINISTA added some beefy gothic disco goodness.

Available on the download single ‘Keep On Running’ via Sub Culture Records

http://www.traintospain.se/

TREGENZA The Partisan

Manchester based Ross Tregenza is an experienced hand having co-written ‘Diaries Of A Madman’ with Dave Formula and Steve Strange when he was a member of VISAGE II in 2007. He surprised electronic music audiences with a Spartan cover of ‘The Partisan’, a song made famous by LEONARD COHEN. While many may despair at the very mention of the droll Canadian, his work has strong parallels with many Gothic veined musical forms, especially with this harrowing tale of fighting for La Résistance.

Originally from the EP ‘Stolen Thunder’, alternate version available on the album ‘Into The Void’ via Tregenza Music

https://www.facebook.com/tregenzamusic

VILE ELECTRODES Captive In Symmetry

On VILE ELECTRODES’ mesmerising ‘Captive in Symmetry’, “Filmic” is indeed a very apt description with the booming synth bass motif possessing echoes of the ‘Twin Peaks’ theme tune ‘Falling’. As beautiful sequences, eerie strings and Anais Neon’s hauntingly alluring vocals take hold, it all comes over like a dreamboat collaboration between JULEE CRUISE and OMD that could easily be considered for use in the proposed revamp of the surreal North American drama.

Available on the EP ‘Captive In Symmetry’ via Vile Electrodes

http://www.vileelectrodesco.uk/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th December 2015

JOHN GRANT Grey Tickles, Black Pressure

14 October 2015 /

JOHN GRANT Grey Tickles, Black PressureDAVID BOWIE, AIR, NINE INCH NAILS, YAZOO, GARY NUMAN… now that that diverse roll call has hopefully piqued your musical attention…

The new JOHN GRANT album takes elements from each and throws it all into a melting pot with a topping of mordant / sardonic lyrics which at points, either shock or genuinely make the listener laugh out loud.

On what is his third long player, Grant has added another layer to the modus operandi which he developed on ‘Queen Of Denmark’ and ‘Pale Green Ghosts’.

Number one – monophonic / dark synthpop and number two – downtempo soft-rock AIR / PINK FLOYD styled songs remain present and correct, but the contributions of keyboardist Bobby Sparks have meant that there is a more playful, funkier edge to many of the pieces here. Ever present throughout though are the confessional and acidic lyrics which help to keep a cohesive feel, even when styles lurch wildly from one song to next without much in the way of warning.

Bookended at either end of the album are spoken word quotations from the First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud”. ‘Intro’ recalls YAZOO’s experimental ‘I Before E After C’ with its layers of vocals and the choice of text (deliberately) contrasts sharply with that of Grant’s own lyrical approach.

John-Grant by Michael-BermanFirst full song and title track ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ takes no prisoners with Grant (who is HIV positive) wishing he was around in the promiscuous 70s so that he could have “got a head start in the world of disease”; additionally he discusses whether haemorrhoid creams are targeted at him and the fact that although his illness is serious, there are “children who have cancer” and “I can’t compete with that”.

Now if you can get past that lyrical whammy of an opener, a cornucopia of musical riches await… ‘Snug Slacks’ features funky synths and classic clavinets, Kaoss Pad-style effected vocals and an overall dry production style which is quite different to the lush sound which was present through much of ‘Pale Green Ghosts’. Most casual teenage listeners will be frantically reaching for Wikipedia when they’re confronted with a list of names including Joan Baez, Charlene Tilton and shock performance artist GG Allin which all get a name check in the song.

‘Guess How I Know’ is very NINE INCH NAILS in its conception, a quiet-loud dynamic with a filthy distorted guitar and vocal combo punching through on the chorus. A delightfully unhinged synth solo is featured in the middle 8 before Grant bids farewell in several languages during the outro to the song.

John Grant's new album, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, comes out Oct. 9.The intro of ‘You and Him’ sounds like UNDERWORLD’s Karl Hyde jamming with THROBBING GRISTLE before a Garage Punk Rock-style chorus takes the song to another level. Again the lyrics (especially in chorus) are particularly unhinged: “You and Hitler ought to get together, learn how to knit and make matching sweaters”. This track follows the character assassination route which was present on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, where Grant bear his feelings about an ex-lover in an all-too public arena.

‘Down Here’ with its acoustic guitars brings a respite from the more in-your-face elements present at the start to the album. A meandering bass synth lifts the chorus for a song that at initial face value is pretty traditional until a woodwind solo pops up unexpectedly in the middle and during the outro. Grant is blatantly unafraid to experiment with unconventional sonic textures and that is one of the joys of this album.

‘Black Blizzard’ is the most electronic and genuinely dark track here, starting with a cut-off filtered sequencer part and programmed drums, and peaking with a chorus with fast, skittering hi-hats. Were it not for the synthetic nature of the song, lyrically it could easily soundtrack a ‘Game of Thrones’ episode, but mentally picture the added bonus of GARY NUMAN doing a walk on part towards the end with a Polymoog Vox Humana solo.

The lead single ‘Disappointing’ is a wonderful 21st Century Love Song with a shopping list of things / places / objects which pale in comparison with Grant’s love interest in the song. Based around a cheeky rework of YAZOO’s ‘Situation’ bassline, the song also features Tracey Thorn from EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL on guest vocals, whilst channelling the spirit of Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ in its pay-off chorus. Grant’s baritone verse vocals again recall Karl Hyde in a track which is the clear highlight here.

Towards the end of the album, ‘No More Tangles’, a wish for a simple life, cribs its concept and some of its lyrics from a shampoo, whilst ‘Geraldine’ recounts the story of Broadway actor Geraldine Paige who often had the reputation of being underused, despite being a consummate professional in her field. The closing piece is ‘Outro’ which brings the work full circle, this time with a solo child voice reading another piece from Corinthians.

John-Grant by Michael-Berman-owlsIf there’s a criticism of the album, it’s that some of the ideas are stretched a little thin and too many tracks follow the woozy downtempo soft-rock template which AIR used on ‘The Virgin Suicides’ album. The overall production style also feels a lot drier and abrasive sounding than the expansive feel cultivated on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, but this is probably nitpicking in the overall context of the work.

In an age of music where the life is often all but squeezed out of it, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ is full of personality and the sound of someone actually PLAYING a synth, and in many tracks actually taking a solo, is very refreshing.

For fact fans, the album title combines the Turkish for “nightmare” with the Icelandic for “midlife crisis” and although that sounds like a doomy proposal, the end result is far more up than it should be, resulting in a body of songs that require repeated consumption before fully taking hold of the listener.

Newcomers to Grant’s work who wish to explore more of his electronic side are also recommended to dip into much of ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ to sample a truly maverick artist who provides a welcome alternative to the sheer volume of vacuous pop around at the moment.

‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ is released by Bella Union

JOHN GRANT 2015-2016 live dates include:

Dublin Vicar Street (9th November), Dublin Vicar Street (10th November), London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo (12th November), Brighton Dome (13th November), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (26th January), Belfast Mandela House (27th January), Cork Opera House (28th January),Coventry Warwick Arts Centre (1st February),Cambridge, Corn Exchange (3rd February), Southampton Guildhall (4th February), Leeds Town Hall (5th February), Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (7th February), Manchester Hall (8th February), Gateshead Sage (10th February), Sheffield Octagon Centre (11th February)

http://johngrantmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/johngrantmusic

http://bellaunion.com/

Text by Paul Boddy
Photos by Michael Berman
14th October 2015

HANNAH PEEL Rebox 2

16 June 2015 /

Issued to coincide with her recent tour supporting EAST INDIA YOUTH, multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter HANNAH PEEL has released ‘Rebox 2’, a seven track mini-album comprising of four covers and three new instrumentals.

Peel first became known for her debut EP ‘Rebox’ which featured music box covers of synthpop classics such as ‘Electricity’, Tainted Love’ and ‘Blue Monday’. Her first album ‘The Broken Wave’ showcased her many talents within a traditional instrumentation setting.

But it was following her recruitment as a synth playing violinist with JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS that has led to an increasingly electronic element to her work. This new template was premiered on the song ‘Harbour’ from her ‘Nailhouse’ EP, while her best body of work to date ‘Fabricstate’ was a marvellous hybrid of the synthetic and the organic. With her seasonal single ‘Find Peace’, Peel went the full electronic hog with a dreamy cacophony of analogue electronics and percussive mantras akin to GAZELLE TWIN.

With HANNAH PEEL’s second full length album ‘Awake But Always Dreaming’ now in the can and due for release in 2016, ‘Rebox 2’ is an enticing stopgap, demonstrating more of the potential that this Craigavon born songstress ultimately possesses. Her music box has now become something of a trademark. She said in 2011: “I discovered the programmable music box when scoring some music for a theatre show in Liverpool”. With parallels to modern sequencing, she explained it used “a punch card type of system, resembling early computer techniques when having to give digital instructions”.

So having applied her technique to the songs of Synth Britannia, ‘Rebox 2’ brings HANNAH PEEL up to date by reinterpreting the work of her modern day contemporaries. A reworking of PERFUME GENIUS’ ‘Queen’ begins this seamless 23 minute collection as reverbed steps snap into unison with the music box and some droning sweeps. As Peel snarls while reciting this anti-homophobic protest song, it sets the tone for what follows.

‘Let The Laughter In’ novelly uses a sample of Peel’s own charming voice as a rhythmic backbone that comes over like psychedelic hiccups while synths and piano layer themselves in.

The music box continues its presence on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, one of the highlights from JOHN GRANT’s acclaimed 2013 long player of the same name. One interesting point is that the songs Peel has covered on ‘Rebox 2’ are all by male artists, thereby instantly adding a different perspective. The combination of music box, harp textures and haunting, multi-layered vocals on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ add to the tension already provided by the subtle synthetic elements and dramatic, militaristic heartbeat. Grant’s original was inspired by YELLO and CABARET VOLTAIRE, so it is fascinating to hear that pioneering seed manipulated into something else.

Drifting into the moodily ambient ‘Reverie’, the solemn piano and strings capture accurately the dictionary definition of “an instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy or musing state”. Meanwhile, the stark template of the original ‘Rebox’ lends itself wonderfully to ‘Palace’, originally performed by WILD BEASTS. With only her music box for company, with an innocent bedroom air and the realisation that home is where the heart is, Peel’s arrangement is simple and intimate, yet wholly accomplished. From the most traditional arrangements then comes the most futuristic with ‘Premonition’. A hypnotic sequencer pulses to oblivion while softly layered synth and voice samples augment the framework for a vibrant and enjoyable composition.

The best is saved until last with the marvellous synth / music box hybrid of ‘Heaven, How Long’. Already a classic song of the future by its originators EAST INDIA YOUTH, whereas William Doyle’s version eventually turns into a motorik sonic barrage of sound, Peel keeps ‘Heaven, How Long’ bravely unwavering and lonely. And when her solemn violin joins in, it pulls at the inherent resignation as outlined by the emotive lyric: “In spite of all the love inside me – There is a question I’ve been asking – Heaven how long?”.

The sonic amalgam that Peel and her producer Erland have provided on ‘Rebox 2’ creates a marvellous compendium that crosses centuries of musical heritage, yet looks forward to the future. No-one appears to be making music in the way HANNAH PEEL is at the moment, with the genre blend of the traditional world with the electronic… and with the brilliant uptempo electronic pop of ‘All That Matters’ set for inclusion on her new album, there will be even more wondrous offerings to come from the delightful Miss Peel.

‘Rebox 2’ is released by My Own Pleasure, CD is available now from http://hannahpeel.tmstor.es/ while the download can be purchased via https://hannahpeelmusic.bandcamp.com/

http://www.hannahpeel.com

http://www.facebook.com/hanpeel

https://soundcloud.com/hannahpeel

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th June 2015

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