Released in the Autumn on Vince Clarke’s Very Records, ‘The Colour of Terrible Crystal’ is the third album release by ALKA.
Named after a quote from anarchist philosopher Peter Lamborn Wilson’s vast study of angels, the long player is the work of Philadelphia-based musician Bryan Michael.
While ‘The Colour of Terrible Crystal’ is musically eclectic, it differs from his other ALKA work in that a pop element is omnipresent, a quality that can perhaps be attributed to the presence of Vince Clarke who assists on co-production and programming.
This is particularly evident on the beautifully vocoder rich ‘Melancholy Lasts’ which comes over like Giorgio Moroder doing ‘Moments In Love’ as a love theme for a ‘Midnight Express’ remake. But to say this is album is pop as in ERASURE would be misleading; ‘Betablockers’ takes in some of ORBITAL’s rhythmic experimentation before ‘Over Hills And Vales’ exhibits avant minimalism in the vein of Stockhausen.
The artful ‘Collusion’ recalls Brian Eno around his ‘Another Green World’ period before the beat loops kick in, accompanied by a pleasing female vocal. Cut from the opposite end of the electronic spectrum, the stuttering backbone that accompanies the blips and blops of ‘Questlore’ is unsettling yet the track is strangely listenable, especially when it enters a melodic synth phase that is wholly unexpected.
Talking of unexpected, ‘Truncate’ goes full-on electro-funk and could be mistaken for LES RYTHMES DIGITALES. Then there’s the beautiful cinematic beauty of ‘Piece’ and the slightly more dramatic overtures of ‘Collusion’.
‘Wrong Side Up’ adds some percussive noise to the palette before the closing oddball number ‘We Are Free Forms’ does what it says on the tin with warbles of hypnotic synthbass incongruously combined with an angelic soprano.
As far as modern instrumental based albums go, ‘The Colour Of Terrible Crystal’ is much more accomplished and inventive than say ‘MG’ and successfully avoids the clichés found within predominantly wordless sub-genres like EDM and Synthwave.
While best known as a solo artist signed to Mute, Essex songstress POLLY SCATTERGOOD recently won acclaim for her hauntingly spacey vocal in a new epic arrangement of ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’.
Subtitled ‘Dark Star’, it was recorded with one of the song’s co-writers Bruce Woolley. Never one for convention, for Record Store Day 2017, she not only released a physical edition ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ exclusively in CD format, but it was also only available online.
Scattergood’s self-titled debut came out on Mute in 2009 on which revealed herself to be a promising talent unafraid to express emotion and vulnerability. One of the album’s highlights ‘Other Too Endless’ was remixed by Vince Clarke and showed how her music could work within a synthesized environment.
And it was on second album ‘Arrows’ in 2013 featuring the electro-COCTEAU TWINS twist of ‘Wanderlust’ that she was able to indulge in some of her more technological aspirations, while ‘Cocoon’ exposed her enticing vulnerability over an eerie soundscape.
But in 2015, Scattergood headed in the opposite direction in collaboration with Mute label mate James Chapman of MAPS; their ON DEAD WAVES project featured a more guitar oriented and retro-based aesthetic than any of their individual works. But in acknowledgement of their Mute roots, the pair recorded an Americana flavoured cover of YAZOO’s ‘Only You’.
With ‘Video Killed The Radio Star (Dark Star)’ riding high on the airwaves, POLLY SCATTERGOOD had a quick chat about her future plans…
How did your ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ collaboration with Bruce Woolley come about?
Bruce contacted Mute a while ago asking if I would be interested in working with him on ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’. I am a fan of his work so we got together in his studio and played with some ideas.
You got to dress up like Barbarella in the video and handle a VCS3, where did that come from and have you had a go on a working one?
Bruce and I met for drinks in London and he pulled out all of these sketches of space scenes and other worldly beings that he had in his head and it just kind of flowed from there… we then discussed wires and electronics as we both love synths and couldn’t resist having the beautiful VCS3 in the video.
Bruce has some amazing instruments in his studio. My synth obsession began very early as my mum’s sister (Elizabeth Parker) worked at the Radiophonic Workshop for years. I watched her on some wild videos playing these incredible machines growing up, I always wanted to play them myself, but they aren’t the kind of thing you get your hands on easily!
When I signed to Mute, Daniel Miller showed me the Mute studio which had a pretty amazing collection of equipment which I was lucky enough to have access to. I think that’s partly why my first album took so many years to make, I had too many toys to play with!
You’re no stranger to cover versions with standards like ‘The Look Of Love’, ‘New York New York’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Only You’ among the songs you have performed. Are there any others you’d like to try out?
Lots, but it’s a case of feeling inspired to add something new or different to a track, rather than regurgitating something for the sake of it.
The Vince Clarke remix of ‘Other Too Endless’ from your debut album will be appearing on a compilation out soon. What was the inspiration behind the song, both lyrically and musically?
Musically it was all about keeping the vibe quite linear and numb, but with these big swells and lot and lots of layers that build. The siren you hear was picked up on a mic as we recorded the vocal in the Mute studio on the Harrow Road. It was just all capturing a kind of bitter sweet bleakness and then processing it through the music. Lyrically, it’s a very long story… involving black zambuca…
The resultant remix from Vince Clarke was very different from your original. What were your thoughts when you first heard it? What did you particularly like about it?
Vince Clarke really went straight to the heart of this song with his remix. He kind of stripped away all the layers I had buried myself in and left my vocal naked in parts. When I write and work on producing these songs, I often leave these little secrets in them, especially in the production. Like clues to where they came from. Sometimes people hear them and sometimes they don’t, but what Vince did was brave. He took away the safety net of layers and added a starkness and a strength to the song which I would never have been able to achieve on my own.
It didn’t stop there because you did ‘Ghostgirl Lovesick’ with Vince Clarke too, what was the collaboration process for that?
I was living in a tiny studio flat in an attic opposite the Forum in Kentish Town at the time and recording all my ideas onto mini disk. These ridiculously beautiful books, created by Tonya Hurley, arrived on my door step and they really inspired the song. I worked on the track closely with both Tonya and Vince, then I recorded some ideas onto mini disk… wow that makes me feel so old but it wasn’t that long ago, right?!
I sent them over to Vince who then worked his magic. You can hear bits of the room of the recording but I kind of love that, it all just made it much more intimate.
Has a full collaborative with Vince Clarke ever been discussed? What do you think it would sound like?
It’s never been discussed, and I never know what anything will sound like until it’s finished so I couldn’t hazard a guess at how a collaboration would sound…but Vince is awesome, I’m a big fan of his work, and always open to interesting collaborations, so never say never!
You’ve always been quite open to the remix process with THE GOLDEN FILTER, ANALOG SUICIDE, FORT ROMEAU and MAPS being among those who have given reinterpretations of your work. Do you have any favourites?
I only release remixes I really love so they are all quite special to me in different ways and for different reasons. The Vince remixes will always be very close to my heart. I also love the ANALOG SUICIDE (Tara Busch) remix of ‘Bunny Club’. I released it on limited edition cassette tape I loved it so much. Also MAPS (my label mate and ON DEAD WAVES collaborator) has a way of making everything sound epic and dreamy!
So how do you look back on your most recent album project ON DEAD WAVES with James Chapman of MAPS?
ON DEAD WAVES is a real joy to be part of. It’s a project I feel incredibly proud of. James is an incredible musician and has a very calm studio vibe. Our creative process was pure and there was no outside pressure or interference.
We both share the same manager, he was very supportive of the whole process and keen that we stay focused and don’t worry about anything other than the music, so that’s what we did.
It was just me and James in the studio where we would work late and get up strangely early. We were doing what we love so the studio bubble is a good place to be in.
When Mute heard the album, they really took it in the spirit it was intended and spent a long time working with us on the artwork and creative side of things, making it really reflect the empty expansiveness of the sound. We had a lot of fun, played some amazing gigs, from the beautiful Roundhouse in Camden to supporting M83. So yeah, ON DEAD WAVES is a project which I have a lot of love for and continue to do so!
‘Blackbird’ allowed you and James to pursue your Nancy and Lee fantasies?
We didn’t talk about musical references when writing, we shared a lot of art and film references though.
It’s almost time for solo album number three. What direction are you heading in for that following the first two, quite varied offerings and ON DEAD WAVES?
Yeah the first two had many different influences and styles. I was experimenting and learning as I went along… I don’t make albums fast…
I have hundreds of songs on my hard drive, but none of them are ready to be put into an album yet. I’m working on a little EP idea with Jim Sclavunos at the moment. Don’t want to give too much away though as it’s very early days but it’s all exciting.
People are still discovering your work. For anyone reading here about you for the first time, which five tracks would you suggest they check out to understand you as an artist in your various guises and collaborations?
Hmmm that’s hard I guess in order to go on the same journey I have, maybe listen in chronological order…
DAILY PLANET came into being when two Swedes, Jarmo Ollila and Johan Baeckström decided to form a synthpop band in 1994.
Having released two noteworthy singles and a long player two years later, the band stopped with few promises of albums never quite materialising. Surprisingly eighteen years on in 2014, the duo brought out an excellent comeback with ‘Two’, released by Progress Productions, home of the highly acclaimed KITE.
Neither of the two gents rested on their laurels however, with Baeckström bringing out his debut solo outing ‘Like Before’ shortly after. With the very obvious connotations to ERASURE and their sweetly synthesised gems, ‘Like Before’ sounded grown up and optimistic, proving that he could hold the notes as well as Ollila, sounding like Andy Bell himself in places.
But now DAILY PLANET are back with another surprising opus, which will turn heads and make folk reach for their dancing shoes. ‘Play Rewind Repeat’ hits straight up with ‘Goodbye Late Nights’, which doesn’t shy from using Clarke / Bell sound signatures, but as James Nice of the prestigious Belgian record label Les Disques du Crépuscule once put it: “I have no problem at all with something new being imitative, as long as it’s good”.
More thought provoking is ‘Grains Of Sand’ with its immaculate tempo changes and ‘Fire In Me’, which is reminiscent of the early works of DEPECHE MODE. The title ‘Set Me Free’ to any self-respecting DEPECHE MODE fan will bring back memories of the B-Side to ‘Master And Servant’, but here it is faster and happier. And no, it’s not a cover. The mindful ‘Drown’ calms things down with elaborate synth masterdom and almost filigree textures in the production.
Cult British New Romantic act WHITE DOOR make an appearance on ‘Heaven’, with Mac Austin lending his vocal. The singer himself expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, saying that he was “so honoured to sing for my talented friends on this wonderful track”. Musically, this is an eclectic mix of the best of what the synth era has achieved; uncomplicated but very poignant, very DURAN DURAN.
‘Why’ is a bit A-HA, and with that, rather superb. No need for the time machine to go back thirty years. It’s ERASURE meets early DM, with an amazing amalgamation of analogue. The sweetest ‘Over Water’ exhibits elements of CAMOUFLAGE and the shine of ‘Silver Moon’ expands itself with wonderfully warm vocals and lovely musicality.
While ‘Tranquility’ isn’t tranquil at all, ‘Vicious Circle’ alludes to “going backwards in time”, which is a very fitting statement for the entire album. The long player is closed with the dreamy ‘Weeping’, which sits supremely between PET SHOP BOYS and DM, and it wraps up the “time machine experience” beautifully. Time to rewind…
‘Play Rewind Repeat’ is simply what it says in the tin; you’ll play, you’ll rewind and you’ll certainly repeat, with the moods lifted and your feet sore. So what if it reminds you of certain ERASURE, DM or YAZOO tracks? Johan Baeckström certainly doesn’t mind the comparisons.
Chatting to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK last year, he said that “In my book, the two YAZOO albums are the pinnacle of electronic pop. It can’t get any more perfect than that”, adding “I can still remember exactly where I was when I first heard ‘Nobody’s Diary’, which was the song that opened a whole new world of synthpop for me. I think it’s only natural that this reflects in my own music and it is, by far, the most common comparison people make, which of course is flattering”.
The good memories are continuing, with new ones being built upon this capable production. DAILY PLANET, we are loving having you back!
2014 saw ERASURE celebrate yet another success with ‘The Violet Flame’, where according to Andy Bell, he and Vince Clarke “definitely found (their) mojo again with this record”.
Following their thirtieth anniversary, the synthpop kings now return with the seventeenth studio album entitled ‘World Be Gone’. This time, self-produced by ERASURE and mixed by Matty Green, the long player sees Vince and Andy in a more pensive mood.
Joining their electronic colleagues PET SHOP BOYS and DEPECHE MODE who have both released politically charged opuses, the band reflects on the current political situation. However, ERASURE do it with an expression of faith in the future, as Bell explains: “I think there’s an under swell of opinion, and people are slowly waking up. I’m hoping that people will take the album in a positive way, that they’ll use it as optimistic rabble-rousing music.”
‘Love You To The Sky’ heralds the ten track outing. While it’s a pleasant sounding melody with Andy’s angelic voice and a rather captivating verse, the track struggles to lift to the heights which ERASURE are celebrated for. The beautifulness of the verses disperses with the repetitive chorus, making ‘Elevation’ from ‘The Violet Flame’ the winner in the battle of the first singles hands down. Still, judging by the efforts by their contemporaries, ‘Love You To The Sky’ is a charming and well-written song.
The slower paced ‘Still It’s Not Over’ searches the soul with gentle sounding musicality and simple melody, conveying a hopeful message of the continuation of everyday fights, against all odds, even though we were “left (us) to the sheer attack, and still it’s not over”.
Where the quintessential ERASURE sound comes to play, is on ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’. This excellently led tune sublimely meanders itself around a plethora of Andy Bell’s vocals. The dreamy lyrics are challenging and endearing, and the whole song is just beautifully executed.
Following on, there ushers the album’s title track, which is equally peaceful and gracefully powerful. Reminiscent of the vintage ballads by Clarke, ‘World Be Gone’ ties together with the band’s history in a seamless manner.
‘A Bitter Parting’ tells the story of a failed relationship over African inspired choirs a la ‘The Kodo Song’ by KID KASIO, elegantly penetrated by marvellous synth and added nostalgia in the lyrical content.
‘Take Me Out Of Myself’ is a gentile plea for being treated with deserved consideration, like a demure version of Otis Redding’s ‘Respect’, while ‘Sweet Summer Loving’ introduces a change in tempo with a mid-paced love song.
‘Oh What A World’ superbly escorts a twist in ERASURE’s notion; different sounds, different feels to the vocals and altogether a rather big departure from what we have come to know and love the duo for, but this is where Vince Clarke proves, yet again, that he’s an unparalleled synth magician. It’s possibly the best piece from the Bell / Clarke stable in years.
‘Lousy Sum Of Nothing’ continues the delicate theme, leading to the closing ‘Just A Little Love’. Here is where the lovers of the dancier tracks get their money’s worth. It’s a rather unassuming, yet solid piece to wrap up this wonderfully gracious offering.
As set out, Bell and Clarke bring us more than hope. ‘World Be Gone’ will probably be as commercially successful as its predecessor, and unlikely to follow the fate of the very unloved and misunderstood ‘Tomorrow’s World’.
A few will wonder as to why the production wasn’t delegated out and some will criticise. But every now and then, an easy listening piece is needed to level out the vast material ERASURE have brought us over the years.
Is it their finest? It’s different, more grown-up and maturely executed; still, it will undoubtedly be one of the best things synthpop enthusiasts will hear this year.
‘World Be Gone’ is released by Mute Artists in a variety of formats including CD, vinyl LP, cassette and digital
ERASURE 2017 live dates include Glasgow O2 Academy (27th May), Manchester Albert Hall (28th May), London Roundhouse (29th May)
They also open for ROBBIE WILLIAMS in the UK and Europe throughout July and August, see press for details
Impressing recently at Synth Wave Live with a very engaging performance were Danish duo SOFTWAVE.
The Herlev couple of singer Catrine Christensen and music producer Jerry Olsen released their first EP ‘Together Alone’ in Summer 2016.
A six track collection of appealing Nordic synthpop, it includes their debut single ‘Follow You’ and the solid live favourite ‘Awake But Still Asleep’. With debut releases often being like dress rehearsals in public, SOFTWAVE have learnt very quickly.
A few months on, they have actually managed to improve on the EP’s best number ‘On & On & On’ with a throbbing alternate reworking by Olsen for a remix version of the EP. As the video illustrates, it is a hope filled electronic tune with the positivity mantra: “In a world of circles, she goes on and on and on…”
‘Together Alone – The Remixes’ features five of the original EP’s tracks over nine remixes and while these vary in accomplishment, ‘The Light Behind My Eyes’ in particular benefits from a remix courtesy of David Burdick which adds a chirpier paced Europop groove.
Like their Scandinavian neighbours TRAIN TO SPAIN who they could be most compared to, SOFTWAVE are greatly inspired by the sequenced superpop of Vince Clarke. Their optimistic outlook is to “make sense of today’s relationships, while exhibiting strength and patience when it comes to fighting for it and the one you love”.
As well as working on their debut album, SOFTWAVE will be featuring on ‘Electropop.12’ released by Conzoom Records and are planning to open for some bigger artists.
SOFTWAVE’s promising synth laden sound is another sign that in some parts of the music world, it’s like acid house never happened and for this, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is extremely grateful 😉
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Released in the Autumn on Vince Clarke’s Very Records, ‘The Colour of Terrible Crystal’ is the third album release by ALKA.
‘Wrong Side Up’ adds some percussive noise to the palette before the closing oddball number ‘We Are Free Forms’ does what it says on the tin with warbles of hypnotic synthbass incongruously combined with an angelic soprano.
in 2013 featuring the electro-COCTEAU TWINS twist of ‘Wanderlust’ that she was able to indulge in some of her more technological aspirations, while ‘Cocoon’ exposed her enticing vulnerability over an eerie soundscape.
is released as a download single by Gramophone Records
, released by Progress Productions, home of the highly acclaimed 
shortly after. With the very obvious connotations to ERASURE and their sweetly synthesised gems, ‘Like Before’ sounded grown up and optimistic, proving that he could hold the notes as well as Ollila, sounding like 
hits straight up with ‘Goodbye Late Nights’, which doesn’t shy from using Clarke / Bell sound signatures, but as 
. This time, self-produced by ERASURE and mixed by Matty Green, the long player sees 
in Summer 2016.
features five of the original EP’s tracks over nine remixes and while these vary in accomplishment, ‘The Light Behind My Eyes’ in particular benefits from a remix courtesy of David Burdick which adds a chirpier paced Europop groove.
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