Category: Reviews (Page 82 of 199)

SUI ZHEN Losing, Linda

24 September 2019 /

“A humanistic document of our ever-changing world”, ‘Losing, Linda’ follows up Melbourne-based experimental electronic musician and performance artist SUI ZHEN’s ‘Secretly Susan’ album from 2015.

“It’s an album about missing people after they are gone and trying to pre-empt loss – not only loss of life, but memory and information” SUI ZHEN explained, “I see it mirrored in our increasing need for data storage. Why are we collecting and documenting so much, anyway? It’s also a simple ghost story about being haunted by our other versions and our past selves…”

‘Losing, Linda’ is understandably an introspective listen, the genesis of it came under the trauma of her mother’s critical illness and eventual passing. Opening with ‘Another Life’, the ghostly track is held around a melancholic electric piano and unsettling eerie vocal chants; these elements loom heavily in the realisation that “all I see are things I could be missing, all I know are things from another life”.

The effectively spoken word ‘Natural Progression’ exploits the use of drum machines and haunting voice treatments as sombre detuned synths in the vein of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ soundtrack evoke isolation. But ‘Matsudo City Life’ offers more classic synthpop in its throbbing electronic bass synths before bringing NEW ORDER styled guitar into play, coming together like SAINT ETIENNE with an Antipodean twist.

Talking a diversion for a night out at Ronnie Scott’s, the jazzier moods of Astrud Gilberto make themselves heard on ‘I Could Be There’, mixing synths and brass. Continuing the theme, ‘Mountain Song’ brings the bedsit jazz-inflected resignation of EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL into the room. ‘Being A Woman’ furthers those jazzy inclinations, but that odyssey comes to a halt with the space reggae of ‘Different Places’.

While that quartet might confuse electronic music enthusiasts, the album’s best two tracks are saved until last. The best and most immediately accessible song is ‘Perfect Place’, a delightfully odd but wonderful slice of pentatonic avant pop, with eerie spoken passages and bursts of delightful melodica offset by hypnotic arpeggios and danceable rhythms.

Closing proceedings and not dissimilar in vein, ‘Night River Rider’ is a superbly quirky instrumental with beautiful whistling passages and exotic textures that offer lighter relief to end ‘Losing, Linda’ on a more optimistic note.

‘Losing, Linda’ is not an easy listen and a dedicated focussed mood is a must to appreciate its very personal craft.

But it is a thoughtful art pop record with enough synthy elements to sustain its surreal melodic quality to provoke existential questions on the human condition in the modern world.

‘Losing, Linda’ is released by Cascine in North America and Dot Dash in Australia / New Zealand on 27th September 2019 in the usual formats

http://www.suizhen.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/suizhen/

https://twitter.com/BeckySuiZhen

https://www.instagram.com/sui_zhen/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Agnieszka Chabros
24th September 2019

JORJA CHALMERS Human Again

16 September 2019 /


Australian multi-instrumentalist Jorja Chalmers was first spotted within the London music scene as a member of HOTEL MOTEL, a stylish new wave pop trio with shades of BERLIN who were described by DJ Mark Moore of S-EXPRESS fame as like a ROXY MUSIC album cover come to life.

So it was quite fitting in 2009 when Chalmers was recruited as a sax and keys player for Bryan Ferry; she has more or less been there ever since and that would kind of explain why her debut LP ‘Human Again’ has been a long-time coming.

Primarily instrumental and recorded in her boss’ studio while later co-mixed by Johnny Jewel, head honcho for the Italians Do It Better stable, the home to CHROMATICS, DESIRE and HEAVEN, ‘Human Again’ is a conceptual observation on the human condition.

Conceived and sketched in hotel rooms during the come down from playing songs like ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’ to packed theatres around the world, ‘Human Again’ succeeds in capturing those feelings of emptiness and alienation that can often arise from living the dream.

As the opening album title song asks “Hello, are you breathing? Can you make me Human Again?”, a mountainous aural art piece acts as a cathartic expression in a collage of voice, synth and sax, like Enya wandering into ‘Twin Peaks’ but discovering it is full of ‘Subterraneans’…

The following ‘Red Light’ is brilliant and sinister with sharp rhythmic passages and cascading keys combining for a claustrophobic Cold War atmosphere. Laced with abstract whispers and chilling off-key organ, the European tension recalls Chalmers’ French label mates DOUBLE MIXTE and even the haunted dancehall of THE SABRES OF PARADISE. ‘Black Shadow’ maintains that air of mystery, tainted with desolation.

Meanwhile, of a more sombre synthy disposition, ‘She Made Him Love Again’ is a song where Chalmers’ breathy vocals possess a gorgeous forlorn allure, so when the icy string machine and deep sax join in, proceedings rise to another level.

The sinister pulsing arpeggios on ‘Copper Bells’ are simplistic but effective, while ‘No Words’ presents an eerie ambience. More sax based, ‘Our Love In A Glass So Thin’ gets smothered in reverb while detuned electronics add to the moody ‘Low’ before ‘Suburban Pastel’ offers a cautious rumbling sound sculpture.

But the sax returns on ‘This Is Where The Sky Begins’ where it is rich and expressive over a spacey soundscape, with a strangely soothing feeling compared some of the more unsettling pieces that are collected on ‘Human Again’.

As the haunting string ensemble, church organ and bursts of bass synth recall Klaus Schulze on ‘The Sum Of Our Sins’, the ghostly closer ‘Ship In The Sky’ is swathed in drifting melancholy like Arvo Part’s solemn ‘Fratres’.

Capturing the emotion of a stranger in a strange land after the artifice of adulation only hours earlier, ‘Human Again’ is a back-down-to-earth reality check in musical form, to indeed get back to being human again.

This is a rather captivating record that is well worth the time and space, exuding quality in abundance.

‘Human Again’ is released by Italians Do it Better in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats, available from https://italiansdoitbetter.com/product/jorja-chalmers-human-again/

https://www.instagram.com/jorjachalmers/

https://twitter.com/IDIB

Text by Chi Ming Lai
16th September 2019

DAYBEHAVIOR There’s Nothing Else

12 September 2019 /


Swedish synth trio DAYBEHAVIOR finally follow-up their previous single ‘Change’ with the airy moods of ‘There’s Nothing Else’.

From Carl Hammar, Tommy Arell and Paulinda Crescentini’s long awaited fourth album ‘Based on a true story’, the Nordic melancholy of ‘There’s Nothing Else’ at times,  ventures into A-HA territory.

However, this is offset by Crescentini’s coolly alluring Nouvelle Vague vocals, affirming that “There is nothing else to do but walk away, I could drown this very moment if I stay…”

‘There’s Nothing Else’ exploits their cinematic sound to the max with a glorious dramatic solo while subtle guitars adding the tone of a spy drama soundtrack. The accompanying visual presentation follows the lyric video format, with series of stark monochromatic images illustrating the widescreen backdrop counterpointed by moving colour images.

In an interview with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK in 2017, Tommy Arell said “The new album will have many of the classic DAYBEHAVIOR elements, but it will not sound like the previous albums. Some songs are harder to finish than others, but we will only include songs we all are happy with.”

DAYBEHAVIOR were invited to open for OMD on selected Scandinavian dates in 2018 and it was a shame that the trio were unable to fulfil those commitments, as their sound would have fitted in nicely with the aesthetic of previous openers like TINY MAGNETIC PETS, VILE ELECTRODES, MIRRORS and VILLA NAH.

‘There’s Nothing Else’ is available now as a download and is from the forthcoming album ‘Based on a true story’ released by Graplur

http://www.daybehavior.com

https://www.facebook.com/DayBehavior

https://twitter.com/DaybehaviorBand

https://www.instagram.com/daybehavior_band/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
12th September 2019

KANGA Eternal Daughter

10 September 2019 /

With the mix of the airy feel of MARSHEAUX and darker connotations of ZOLA JESUS, California based KANGA is no stranger to insidious sounds, having worked on the music for horror movies such as ‘Nightmare’, ‘The Devils Carnival II’, ‘Insidious III’, and ‘The Conjuring II’.

Kanga Duchamp creates an unforgettable symbiosis of hard and ethereal, wrapped in electronic soundscapes of Los Angeles.

She likes mixing pop into her darker electro roots, not because pop sells but because the good hooks make a good song.

Her 2016 self-titled album, featuring SKINNY PUPPY guitarist Matthew Setzer and mixed by Rhys Fulber of FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, created a buzz that continues to fuel the energy pushing the Santa Ana artist out into the open with her new mini album ‘Eternal Daughter’.

As all good things come in small packages, and EPs as well as mini albums seem to capture the listeners’ attention more readily, KANGA decided to release a bite size provision, full of punchy tunes, which are leading her all the way to the Numan support slots.

‘Burn’ doesn’t disappoint from the onset, weaving in the elements of vintage LADYTRON alongside layered vocals a la Greek goddesses MARSHEAUX. All that wrapped around gritty synth, melodic hooks and a fast paced musicality.

None of that stops, with the Persian inspired sounds of ‘Daughter’. Here the bass is heavy, with cinematic progressions and very cleverly inserted metallic elements. The outcome is rather Numan-esque but somehow fresher and readier.

‘Run’ resembles the achievements of KANGA’s LA colleagues NIGHT CLUB, with the vocal similar of that of Emily Kavanaugh’s while ‘Cocaine’ fuels the electronic fire further with inspiration from the artist she often mentions in interviews and clearly takes a lot of musical advice from, NINE INCH NAILS. Their sound magician has clearly had a massive impact of KANGA’s musical direction, with many describing her as a “female Trent Reznor”.

The closing ‘Control’ is a coagulation of rough and ready eclectic mix of sounds, punctuated by melodic inserts, driven vocals and immediate femininity, bursting with energy and wielding the power of objectification.

With total musical freedom and steering clear from constricting pigeon holes, KANGA’s style is difficult to classify; it is supposed to be a darker electronica with popular music elements, but the outcome is so much more than that. She’s contemporary, unconventional and current, without being too quirky and audience limiting, self-indulgent to the point of becoming too niche.

KANGA is your new mainstream alternative and simply superb.

‘Eternal Daughter’ is available as a digital mini-album direct from https://kanga.bandcamp.com/

KANGA opens for Gary Numan on his (R)Evolution 40th Anniversary UK tour, further details can be found at https://garynuman.com/tours2/

https://www.facebook.com/kangakullt/

https://twitter.com/KANGAkult

https://www.instagram.com/k.a.n.g.a/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
10th September 2019

RELIEF Futureproof

8 September 2019 /

RELIEF is the project by Swedish instrumentalist Staffan Ericson who has most recently been a member of the mysteriously named LANDMARK 4:11.

While that project features vocals, RELIEF is retro-futuristic instrumental synthpop that uses samples from 50s commercials and Sci-Fi movies.

Recorded in Gothenburg over a three year period, ‘Futureproof’ falls into the current vogue for instrumental electronica, thanks to the popularity of Synthwave. But this is no Synthwave album, as it is far too dynamic, catchy and melodic to fall into that category.

The brilliant opener ‘Trough The Wires’, which originally premiered on the ‘Romo Night Records Vol 1: A Collection Of The New Brat’ compilation, sums up the album’s intentions as a melodic instrumental work which even throws in an unexpected key change. The following track ‘Say My Name’ with its harder bass arpeggio is like Jean-Michel Jarre with nothing to fear, while ‘The Gathering’ keeps the synthpop alive with a squelching rumble and the reminiscent air of LADYTRON and ‘Turn It On’ in particular.

‘Modern Life’ seems moodier but doesn’t let up with percussive magnetic overtones before ‘Shades and Light’ literally provides sparkly relief alongside the atmospheric electro-disco bounce of ‘In the Air’. ‘The Mercury Effect’ has a spikier cinematic drama while also in the filmic vein is ‘The Polygon’.

But ‘!= TheEnd’ is slightly more doom laden as per the title but is constructed with a lattice of electronic hypnotism. The more frantic ‘Arise’ veers towards proggier textures as the throbbing legacy of Giorgio Moroder looms on ‘Seconds of Eternity’. Ending on a dystopian note with understated vocoder, ‘Einbrush Aus Mintropstrasse’ can be seen as something of a KRAFTWERK tribute, ending in a barrage of sirens.

‘Futureproof’ shows itself as a well-produced album that focusses on melody and hooks rather than mood. Very immediate, it acts as a fine Nordic companion to Eric Random and his ‘Wire Me Up’ long player with some of the best instrumental electronic music released this year.

‘Futureproof’ is released by Plastic Men Records, available now as a download from https://relief-gbg.bandcamp.com/

https://open.spotify.com/album/5CNlrkkY4tRi7ufgmT9a7f?si=XZVyYJsGQp-sbSx0t_niAA

Text by Chi Ming Lai
8th September 2019

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