Following the release of the fierce guitar driven excursion of ‘Howl’ in 2020, John Foxx returns to more sedate relief of minimal ambient.
In the aural lineage of ‘Transluscence’, ‘Drift Music’ and ‘Nighthawks’, ‘The Arcades Project’ can be seen as a John Foxx’s tribute to the late Harold Budd. The sumptuous earlier trilogy saw two artists, who had working with Brian Eno in common, placing tinkling ivories into tranquil soundscapes. This new work is the first ever John Foxx solo piano album although subtle electronics play their part.
Inspired by Walter Benjamin’s ‘The Arcades Project’ which gathered new ideas emerging from Paris in the 19th and early 20th century, its city focus recalls Foxx’s 2015 ambient released ‘London Overgrown’ although that imagined a future in a derelict capital where vines and shrubbery grew unhindered.
‘A Formal Arrangement’ sets that spacious glistening scene and in places hints at the haunting air of Estonian composer Avro Pärt’s ‘Frates’. ‘Floral Arithmetic’ cascades its ivories over sustained synth shimmers while ‘Daylight Ghost’ pays homage to the Harold Budd collaboration with Brian Eno ‘Plateaux Of Mirror’ via its sumptuous soft pedal. ‘In All Your Glory’ has lullaby qualities but the synthy ambience of ‘Last Golden Light’ sees its piano set to almost zero.
Across its ethereal backdrop, ‘Momentary Paris’ provides windy sweeps while ‘Forgotten In Manhattan’ is a cool reminder of the magnificence of the ‘Transluscence’ album along with ‘The Sea Inside’. The filmic ‘Lovers And Strangers’ adds some drama to proceedings although ‘Starlit Summer Night’ keeps up the soothing atmospheres to provide its own dose of tingles. More reminiscent of ‘London Overgrown’, the notes of ‘Coincidentalism’ are sparing but immersed in reverb, the minimal ‘This Evening’ provides a fitting closer.
Benjamin’s book offered Parisians a chance to “meander, dream, gather impressions” through rows of shops and elegant apartments, so Foxx has responded with “immediate, often imperfect, gestural fragments of music and atmosphere that might allude to some momentary experience – a chance meeting, a glimpse into a garden, a coincidence, a life behind a window revealed at twilight, someone indistinct. And it all comes from walking.”
The end result is that ‘The Arcades Project’ is an immensely satisfying listen to assist an escape from all the self-serving modern day madness. “With the piano and the help of some old electronics”, this is another beautiful addition to the thoughtful corridor of the John Foxx tradition.
After several years of travel restrictions, it is time to be passengers again.
For Belgium’s favourite passengers METROLAND, not only is there a new album ‘0’ but simultaneously, their Passenger S presents his second solo record as 808 DOT POP entitled ‘Pop Radio’. While not quite the same as when all four KISS members issued solo albums on the same day in September 1978, with the online music world saturated with product, one release has the potential to fall into the cracks of the listening sofa.
While METROLAND have gone for the countdown concept, 808 DOT POP celebrates the joy of the airwaves with three different radio band variants with ‘AM 1350’ and ‘FM 88.2’ in continuous compact disc formats and ‘MW 720’ as a digital download with tracks as separate entities. So welcome to 808 pop radio…
With a celebration of radio reminiscent of KRAFTWERK and OMD, the sound is naturally vintage electronic music with key analogue melodies. The ‘Pop Radio’ show idea was seeded when Passenger S sought permission from Andy McCluskey to cover ‘Radio Waves’ from OMD’s ‘Dazzle Ships’; but the reworking was dropped in favour of material inspired by it. Among the themes are crystal radios, noted radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, Heinrich Hertz who discovered radio waves and the voice of Radio België, Jan Moedwil.
All formats begin with variants of ‘Pop Radio’, a call sign à la ‘Radio Prague’ off ‘Dazzle Ships’ but across the concept, ‘Marconi’, a girly techpop excursion courtesy of Lis van den Akker hails the joy of transmission via melodies and morse in radioland.
Not a KRAFTWERK cover, ‘Antenna’ bases itself around sparse circular structures and vox humana synthesis although an extended uptempo motorik passage provides a nice surprise. Celebrating the ‘Cat’s Whisker’ semi-conductor diode in crystal radios, this track similarly plays with pulsing tempo variation over a lengthy excursion with echoes of the late Klaus Schulze and his ‘Crystal Lake’ on its conclusion.
In ‘Modulation’, there is a touching homage to ‘Europa Endlos’ reworked with ‘Expo 2000’ in mind while danceable hypnotic resonances and retro-futuristic votrax colour ‘Syntonic Telegraphy’. ‘Shumann Resonanz’ rumbles across many frequencies but there’s a pulsating Open University lecture in ‘Crystal Radio’ that requires “no batteries or amplifier”.
‘Capacitor’ sparkles in its arpeggios at the start before a darker speedy mutation segues into the bubbling Industrielle Volksmusik of ‘Distant Voices’ earthily voiced by Lis van den Akker. Dealing with noise and interference, ‘Sinpo’ takes a more sombre tone with gothic choirs in evidence alongside the sparkles.
A highlight of ‘Pop Radio’ but exclusive to the ‘AM 1350’ set, the infectious ‘AM/FM’ gets the robo-funk on to an electro beat while also only available in AM, ‘Radio Waves’ comes over like DIE KRUPPS offshoot and Alfa Matrix label mates DIE ROBO SAPIENS in places. There’s also the propulsive ‘Jan Moedwil (Radio België)’ but ‘The Detector’ sees another honest and delivery from Lis van den Akker while the track itself recalls the YAZOO inspired Swedish duo ALISON.
Exclusive to ‘FM 88.2’, the photoelectric ‘Heinrich Hertz’ is from a similar lineage to METROLAND’s ‘Harry Beck’ but countering it, ‘Österreich 3’ has more eerie atmospheres to accompany its beats. There is certainly a lot of music to get through on ‘Pop Radio’ and with a METROLAND album too, enthusiasts of Passenger S have got themselves a boxed set in all but name this Spring.
When artists are mutually fans of each other, it can lead to a happy union, collaborative possibilities and even ‘Lust’.
For the LA-based Elena Charbila whose most recent solo album ‘Better Than Electric’ under her nom de théâtre KID MOXIE was released in 2022, she fell in love with NINA’s ‘Synthian’, the title track from the Berliner’s second album. Meanwhile, the German adored the Athens-born songstress’ cover of ‘Big In Japan’, the 1984 international breakthrough of fellow Germans ALPHAVILLE. Despite being thousands of miles apart, KID MOXIE & NINA bonded online over ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Drive’.
Then crucially, the pair met for real in Berlin, Athens and Los Angeles, using the limited time together on each occasion to fuel their creative urgency. The end result is a 5 track EP entitled ‘Lust’ that captures a seductive film-noir tension with a fantasy world that provokes a cool air of mystery.
Released on Italians Do It Better, the first track to be premiered was a cover of ‘Waiting For Tonight’ on the label’s ‘After Dark 4’ collection in 2022; originally recorded by 3RD PARTY, an American girl trio fronted by the song’s co-writer Maria Christensen but made famous by Jennifer Lopez with added Latino dance vibes, this downtempo cover of a cover exudes a sensual anticipation of consummation with accentuation of the main melody.
The ‘Lust’ title song takes things further in a lengthy retrowave excursion into excess and passion, a cyclical feel to point to an affair that lingers unfinished but continues purely on chemistry regardless on consequences. As our heroines conclude that “lust is a crime”, ‘Crime’ provided some saxy drive from Skylar Funk as the ‘Blade Runner: The Erotic Cut’ approach adds arousing spoken word for an inviting “one night with you” to make your dreams come true to a backdrop of warped bass notes, cut-up voices and lush six string from Oliver Blair aka RADIO WOLF.
The paciest track on the EP, ‘Electric Kiss’ makes further use of Blair’s guitars for a dreamy carefree drive into the sunset. Counterpointing that mood, ‘Devotion’ is much more sinister with bendy synth sounds and Theremin swoops acting as aural metaphors into a forbidden relationship while mixing more spoken word mixing with sensual vocals to heighten anticipation.
A perfect match, ‘Lust’ is a sexy and sultry concoction that explores themes of erotica with a dark yet playful demeanour that provides a wondrous escape. Embrace this seductive partnership as you see fit, but the perusal is all part of the excitement.
“We’re creating a fantasy world cinematically, sexually speaking” said Charbila to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK, “People can think whatever they want about ‘this’. Are we singing this to each other? Are we singing it to your man, my woman? It’s up for your interpretation; we’re not going to feed it to you. It’s just going to be a warm dish, you can eat it however you want.”
The DEPECHE MODE album that many thought would never be made following the sudden passing of co-founder member Andy Fletcher is here. Entitled ‘Memento Mori’, a Latin phrase meaning “Remember That You Must Die!”, the 12 songs on this latest opus are naturally not cheerful affairs and that internal grief expectedly looms.
Fletch was considered by Devotees to be the glue that kept DEPECHE MODE together, the peacemaker between the diametrically opposed Martin Gore and Dave Gahan. Today, the remaining two have had to mix their own epoxy, but who is the resin and who is the hardener is debatable.
Gore of course is the shy songwriting talent who didn’t enjoy spending time crafting and embellishing his compositions in the studio despite a vast collection of synths, preferring to leave that role to others, be it Alan Wilder, Daniel Miller or Tim Simenon. Meanwhile Gahan is the one-time juvenile delinquent who got lucky but was never grateful of his good fortune, possessed of no real musical talent of his own and with a penchant for rock ‘n’ roll antics.
DEPECHE MODE’s albums since 2001 have been largely underwhelming, rather like their arena shows plonked into stadiums. ‘Exciter’ was anything but while ‘Playing The Angel’ in 2005 got a free pass for its “pain and suffering in various tempos”. ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ from 2009 was unbelievably drab with ‘Peace’ more likely to harm diplomatic relations while 2013’s ‘Delta Machine’ offered some spark in more immediate material such as ‘Soothe My Soul’ and ‘Broken’ although that could have been because of their similarities to respective past glories ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘A Question Of Time’.
The undoubted runt of the litter was 2017’s politically charged and lamentable ‘Spirit’. Devotees got excited about ‘So Much Love’ but that was because it was fast and hid the fact that as a song, it wasn’t much cop. The conclusion was that Side D on the double vinyl edition was the best part of the release.
On the subsequent ‘Global Spirit’ tour, Gahan and Gore really made it obvious that they couldn’t be bothered, from just running up and down the catwalk instead of performing on it, to not putting on a spectacle at the vast locations that the Devotees had gathered, the events being more fan rallies rather than concerts. RAMMSTEIN they were not and certainly in recent interviews, Gahan has expressed his disillusionment and usual ungratefulness during that period.
Returning after working on ‘Spirit’ to helm ‘Memento Mori’ is James Ford, the former member of SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO best known for producing posh boy farm folkies and Gahan faves MUMFORD & SONS, while engineer Marta Salogni (whose credits include Björk) acts co-producer and provides the final mix.
So, what of the music? To tell the truth, ‘Ghosts Again’ was a better opening salvo than many were expecting and is a standout. Scrutiny of its background though reveals that it was co-written by Gore with Richard Butler of THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS, thus highlighting what many had suspected for years… that an external kick up the backside was needed as his own solo composing methods had gone stale. ‘Ghosts Again’ though sounded all so familiar and when a mash-up with NEW ORDER’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ appeared on YouTube, it became wholly clear why…
Traditionally over the past few tours, the opening song on a new DEPECHE MODE album is also the opening song of the show; ‘My Cosmos Is Mine’ certainly continues the tradition of dreary openers such as ‘Going Backwards’ and ‘In Chains’… and these numbers are meant to set the scene for what is supposed to be a live concert…
Since ‘Oh Well’, the superb bonus song from ‘Sounds Of The Universe’, there have been calls for Gore and Gahan to co-write again. Nevertheless, the funereal ‘Wagging Tongue’ is nowhere near of that standard despite the Kling Kling inspired patterns with the quality of vocal delivery questionable from both parties.
With a swung arthouse chill that wouldn’t be out of place on an IAMX record, ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ isn’t bad and is tellingly another Richard Butler co-write while on ‘Soul With Me’, Gore gets to articulate that four letter word again while doing swaying finger pincer movements.
Although there are less bluesy excursions on ‘Memento Mori’ than recent records and more attempts to bring metallic and electronic elements into the spectrum, the sound is not easy on the ears and muddied in many places. Of the better realised attempts, ‘People Are Good’ plays at being KRAFTWERK yet the chorus lets it down, along with the unwarranted distortion.
Despite borrowing a bassline from BLANCMANGE, ‘Caroline’s Monkey’ doesn’t really go anywhere although the Gahan co-write ‘Before We Drown’ fares slightly better. On the home stretch, ‘Never Let Me Go’ attempts to ape ‘John The Revelator’ while co-written with the two producers and The Drumhead, ‘Speak To Me’ is dreary as hell but it is an apt closer which the Devotees will love it as a climax to their collective misery.
‘Memento Mori’ is business as usual for DEPECHE MODE, with “business” being the operative word… better than ‘Spirit’, this will be considered a return to form by many Devotees. However for those who have already departed the camp, it is too little too late and not enticing enough to prompt a return, especially when there are other acts in the electronic world who are so much more worthy of attention now.
‘Memento Mori’ is released by Sony Music on 24th March 2023 in assorted formats
DEPECHE MODE play London Twickenham Stadium on 17th June 2023
‘Walking In Their Shoes: A DEPECHE MODE Fan’s Unofficial Guide To London’ by Simon Helm is available as an e-book from https://walkingintheirshoes.info/
Having released her debut song-based album ‘Moving Spaces’ in Summer 2021, German Filipino musician and producer Laura Dre swiftly followed it up by the end of the year with an ambitious radio play presentation entitled ‘Kyoto Dreams’ which comprised of Citypop instrumentals and spoken word.
Fast forward to 2022 and Laura Dre is back with another album and yet another direction; ‘Akari LD-01’ showcases her love of retro-futuristic cyberpunk and sci-fi, combining the music of ‘Blade Runner’ with trance and techno in collaboration with concept artist and illustrator Tida Kietsungden.
Soundtracking an imaginary Sci-Fi movie, this synth instrumental collection presents an immersive cyberpunk universe in the 23rd century. Standing for “Art Defines Zero One”, the story imagines life in a futureworld on a planet named Hellcore IV. There, the tech is so advanced that humans can’t distinguish between humans, augmented humans and androids made by the Xetashell Corporation who are run an evil lady named Ms Dre who despite being human, possesses special cybernetic augmentations…
Setting the scene, ‘Eternal’ comes with ominous sweeps, electronic percussion and strident themes, although ‘Hellcore IV’ is even more imposing yet hook laden. Beating with a heavy triplet that maintains a powerful presence, ‘Chimera’ conjures a desolate vision but ‘Akari’ ups the tempo and plays with pitched up voices and sequenced koto textures for a driving club friendly highlight.
Complete with drops and ribbon controlled effects, even more dance friendly is the mighty and glorious ‘Resistance’ with its own synthetic battle of wits.
With no let up, ‘Shinjuku 2.0’ exotically gatecrashes into full-on trance vibes. Meanwhile, ‘Habitat 5’ enters DEPECHE MODE meets Perfecto territory… and yes, as a song which Dre covered, you can even sing ‘Strangelove’ to it!
No less lacking in the power department is the excellent ‘L1thium’ which still glistens amongst the dystopian moods. Taking down the pace slightly while still maintaining an addictive rhythmic hold, ‘Division 3184’ continues the apocalyptic tension.
Then as the androids become almost indestructible and ready themselves for combat, the album closes as it started with ominous tones swathing the spacey ‘Xetashell Corporation’. After the alluring popwave of ‘Moving Spaces’ and prettier keys in some musical sections of ‘Kyoto Dreams’, the starker gritty futurism of ‘Akari LD-01’ will come as a surprise, although ‘Superficial Cyberlove’ from the former had pointed to those possibilities.
But ‘Akari LD-01’ displays yet another facet in Laura Dre’s musical armoury. This independently-produced club friendly opus is a compelling listen with its mix of fast and midtempo tracks revealing more layers on each listen.
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