Category: Reviews (Page 84 of 199)

FAKE TEAK Achmelvich 1 EP

8 August 2019 /


With diverse influences such as Krautrock, Afrobeat, funk, rock and electronica, FAKE TEAK released their self-titled debut album in 2018 with the quirky HOT CHIP influenced danecefloor friendly ‘No Shame’ being one of its highlights.

But for their latest release, the London-based quartet of Andrew Wyld, Alastair Nicholls Joanna Wyld and Andrea Adriano have taken a back-to-basics approach, journeying to a remote corner of the Scottish Highlands for inspiration in a road trip up past Inverness and north-west to a small settlement called Achmelvich.

FAKE TEAK have used the loch side location as a retreat free from the usual pressures of life to relax, write, rehearse and record. The fruits of these retreats form a series of EPs, the first of which is ‘Achmelvich 1’. With the practical and artistic restriction of just guitar, bass, drums and a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer as their only tools, in an interesting move, regular lead vocalist Andrew Wyld takes a back seat as his bandmates take to the mic. ‘Panel Beater’ sees Alastair Nicholls go first with a funk laden tune punctuated with burst of synth.

Although voiced by the choir girl soprano of Joanna Wyld, musically ‘Prufrock’ recalls the ballads of John Grant, an artist whose more recent output has partly been inspired by his relocation to Iceland. Lyrically, TS Eliot’s ’The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ is one of the sources of inspirations. There are hints too of earlier Jeff Lynne-led ELO like ‘One Summer Dream’, something that is also has a subtle omnipresence on ‘Carousel’; string synth driven but more gently lilting rhythmically, Andrea Adriano’s introspective lead voice is beautifully harmonised by Joanna Wyld.

The pared down nature of these very good songs however does leave the listener wanting more aesthetically; it’s not difficult to imagine them reworked with more synths and drum machines, and it’s interesting that drummer Andrea Adriano in his dual role producer utilises a Linn Drum snare type sound on ‘Panel Beater’.

With further EPs in the ‘Achmelvich’ series to come, this is certainly an adventurous experiment where the earthier honesty of the songs are the main focus rather than the instrumentation.

‘Achmelvich 1’ is available on the usual digital platforms including CD Baby at https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/FakeTeak

https://www.facebook.com/faketeak/

https://twitter.com/faketeak

https://www.instagram.com/faketeak/

https://soundcloud.com/faketeak

Text by Chi Ming Lai
8th August 2019

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP Love Girl

5 August 2019 /

In INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP’s world of academia, eccentric Northern electronic pop would be compulsory on the curriculum.

With a vibrant and impressive self-titled debut album featuring great songs such as ‘On Repeat’, ‘After Dark’, ‘The Ballad Of Remedy Nilsson’ and ‘Age Of The Train’, already under their belt and a darker second album promised featuring a collaboration with Jason Williamson of SLEAFORD MODS, the intelligent musical escapism of INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP has struck a chord with audiences.

In an amusing interview with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK earlier in the year, the band’s Adrian Flanagan said: “I guess we live in pretty miserable times, the news is miserable, the political climate is completely off its tits – and ‘mankind’ itself is being treated – on the whole – like a piece of sh*t!! We are all desperate to have a good time, to have a laugh, escape velocity and dance to some fun music – ITOP are that kind of night out… embrace it before you’re hit by a driverless bus!!”

The latest single released from the album is the bubbly ‘Love Girl’, a luscious cross between DUBSTAR and THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Directed and filmed by Adam Sinclair, the accompanying video sees frontwomen Leonore Wheatley and Katie Mason out on the town in the Trafford area of Manchester, on their skateboards and busting moves in a state of cosmicity. “Smile at the neon and the mirrorball” as Flanagan stated in one of the INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP manifesto declarations.

With Flanagan playing a dodgy dealer geezer and fourth member Dean Honer in a blink or you’ll miss it moment, the video concludes with a charming acapella rendition of ‘Love Girl’ performed by She Choir.

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP really are what the school nurse ordered for these unsettled times, with luscious vintage synth sounds, witty observant lyrics and catchy danceable tunes, perfect for the summer holidays.

‘Love Girl’ is from the album ‘International Teachers Of Pop’ released by Desolate Spools in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats

INTERNATIONAL TEACHERS OF POP play The Lexington in London on Saturday 12th October 2019

https://www.facebook.com/internationalteachersofpop/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
5th August 2019

HEAVEN Truth Or Dare

3 August 2019 /

With fresh blood and new tears, the mysterious HEAVEN first came to wider attention with the release of the ‘Lonesome Town’ EP featuring the hauntingly breathy ‘It’s Not Enough’ as its lead track.

Meanwhile, caked in reverb and virtually unrecognisable, the funereal paced title song cover of the Ricky Nelson ballad chillingly captured the fragility of the broken heart.

Issued by Italians Do It Better, home of CHROMATICS, closer scrutiny revealed that HEAVEN was another project helmed by the ubiquitous musician and producer Johnny Jewel.

Fronted by the enigmatic allure of singer and keyboardist Aja, the brilliant new single ‘Truth Or Dare’ perhaps unsurprisingly sounds like CHROMATICS but with more synths and drum machine. Less intense than any of the ‘Lonesome Town’ EP, it is still no less melancholic.

Directing the visual accompaniment to ‘Truth Or Dare’, Johnny Jewel positions Aja seductively operating a Korg 770 while she is sumptuously captured in a vintage split screen while filmed by Rene Hallen, the cinematographer on previous CHROMATICS videos ‘Black Walls’ and ‘Blue Girl’.

As Aja ponders to her lover that “Your lips won’t tell me…”, she realises the truth hurts but accepts that with “Dreams in my head, I still keep them hidden”.

Although not appearing as HEAVEN, Aja has been on stage with Johnny Jewel as the live keyboardist of DESIRE who have been opening for CHROMATICS on their ‘Double Exposure’ 2019 world tour which arrives in the UK this October.

‘Truth Or Dare’ is released by Italians Do It Better via the usual digital outlets

https://italiansdoitbetter.com/heaven/

https://twitter.com/Heaven_idib

https://www.instagram.com/heaven_idib/

https://www.facebook.com/ITALIANSDOITBETTER/

https://twitter.com/IDIB

https://www.instagram.com/italiansdoitbetter

Text by Chi Ming Lai
3rd August 2019

The Best Of FAD GADGET

1 August 2019 /

Although originally released 18 years ago on CD, this compilation of Frank Tovey’s singles-based material as FAD GADGET is now debuting on vinyl for the first time with an identical track listing spread over four sides.

Looking back retrospectively, one can see how Tovey’s incarnation as FAD GADGET provided a perfect middle ground between DEPECHE MODE’s early synthpop and the darker Industrial (and often verging on the unlistenable) experimentation of acts such as THROBBING GRISTLE.

Born 1956 in London, Tovey was the first artist to work with Daniel Miller at his fledgling Mute Records and quickly gained notoriety not just for his recorded work. Tovey’s live performances often saw him (literally) suffering for his art, precariously climbing to the top of venue stages or balconies during ‘Back to Nature’ and ripping out his pubic hair and throwing it into the audience.

Tovey was never afraid to explore the darker side of life and ‘The Best Of’ rounds up the 1979-1985 A + B sides released as FAD GADGET and one ‘Luxury’ which was released under his own name.

FAD GADGET’s debut single ‘Back To Nature’ was primarily constructed using his own primitive electronic set-up of an early Korg Minipops drum machine and Crumar electric piano fed through a distortion unit, plus Daniel Miller’s soon to become iconic ARP2600 semi-modular synthesizer.

Starting with simulated electronic animal sounds, octave synth bass and a lyric which is based around a caravan holiday in Canvey Sands, ‘Back To Nature’ brilliantly set the template for Tovey’s work as FAD GADGET; exploring similar themes of alienation as his contemporary GARY NUMAN, but from a far more bitter, world-weary standpoint rather than a dystopian Sci-Fi based one.

Second single ‘Ricky’s Hand’ pushed lyrical themes to a far darker place, being a cautionary tale warning of the perils of drink driving. Notable for the use of a Black & Decker V8 electric drill as a jarring percussive instrument and secondly the still stunning moment where the vocal by BJ Frost (Tovey’s girlfriend) dissolved seamlessly into a screaming modulated synth line at the climax of the track. ‘Ricky’s Hand’ also featured some truly wonderful sequencer work by Miller and an early appearance from the ARP2600 generated kick drum which would eventually become a mainstay on the debut DEPECHE MODE and YAZOO albums.

Of the B-sides featured here, both ‘Insecticide’ and ‘Lady Shave’ showcase Tovey’s experimentation with vocal dynamics and effects, becoming a fly in the former and screaming “shave it!” throughout the latter with added tape delay to enhance the effect.

FAD GADGET peaked commercially with the ‘Under The Flag’ album which is represented here by three tracks. The album saw a shift up in production quality and the appearance of Blackwing Studio’s newly acquired Roland MC4 Microcomposer which allowed for the multiple sequencing of parts at the same time. The tracks ‘Love Parasite’ with its proto funk-based synth bassline and ‘For Whom The Bells Toll’ (featuring a certain Alison Moyet on backing vocals) both remain highpoints in the FAD GADGET back catalogue.

However, if ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK could pick out a FAD GADGET Desert Island Disc, then it would have to be ‘Life On The Line’; starkly emotive and written under the shadow of the Falklands War, the addition of live piano to Tovey’s electronics helps to humanise the piece and make it an all-time electronic classic.

Photo by Peter Gruchot

Once Mute started to invest in sampling technology, it was only natural that Tovey would begin to gravitate towards using it, eventually collaborating with German industrial metal-bashers EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBATEN on the single ‘Collapsing New People’ which featured a sample of a printing press as a rhythmic backbone for the track. This era provided a turning point for Tovey as he started to move away from electronics and towards a far more acoustic aesthetic, eventually culminating in the jettisoning of the FAD GADGET name.

Tovey would then take a complete U-turn in 1989 with a cover of the English folk song ‘Sam Hall’ and recording primarily acoustically with the albums ‘Tyranny & The Hired Hand’ and ‘Grand Union’, the latter featuring his new backing group of Irish musicians called THE PYROS. In 1993, Tovey withdrew from the music business, but a comeback which started with a high profile support slot on DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Exciter’ tour was tragically cut short when he suffered a fatal heart attack in 2002 at the age of 45.

2020 will see a new career-spanning box set of FAD GADGET material to tie in with the 40th anniversary of the ‘Fireside Favourites’ album, but in the meantime, vinyl lovers of darker electronic music would be foolish not to invest in this superb collection of one of the true innovators of synthetic music.

‘The Best of FAD GADGET’ is still available on CD but is reissued as a double silver vinyl LP as part of the MUTE 4.0 (1978>TOMORROW) series on 6th September 2019, pre-order from https://mutebank.co.uk/products/fad-gadget-the-best-of-fad-gadget-silver-double-vinyl

http://www.fadgadget.co.uk/

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Text by Paul Boddy
1st August 2019

LLOYD COLE Guesswork

27 July 2019 /

 

It was Maurice Ravel who once said: “Whatever sauce you put around the melody is a matter of taste. What is important is the melodic line”.

What Lloyd Cole has always managed within his songs throughout his career, be it ‘Perfect Skin’, ‘Rattlesnakes’, ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?, ‘Brand New Friend’ or ‘Like Lovers Do’ is strong melodic lines. Coupled with his bittersweet lyricism, he has been one of the UK’s leading exponents of masterful glum rock. But for ‘Guesswork’, he has put synthesizers and drum machines into his textural palette.

Cole actually first experimented with synthesizers and songs on 1993’s ‘Bad Vibes’, but considering it an artistic failure, it led to the songsmith keeping his future electronic interests purely instrumental and his songwriting traditional, and “never the twain shall meet”.

Cole eventually recorded an experimental album ‘Selected Studies Volume 1’ with German legend Hans-Joachim Roedelius of CLUSTER in 2013. Released by Bureau B, custodians of the iconic Sky Records back catalogue, there was also a solo instrumental collection entitled ‘1D Electronics 2012-2014’.

Self-produced in Massachusetts and mixed by German producer Olaf Opal, despite reuniting with two former Commotions bandmates Neil Clark and Blair Cowan for the first time since 1987’s ‘Mainstream’, ‘Guesswork’ focusses on synthesizers and programming. Referencing CHINA CRISIS and PREFAB SPROUT, Cole has also expressed a love of SUICIDE, ULTRAVOX, PET SHOP BOYS and LCD SOUNDSYSYTEM.

Certainly the application of his synthesizer knowhow became fully realised for the album’s wonderful first single ‘Violins’. On first impression, Cole appears to have turned into OMD, but the man himself cites Robert Palmer’s cult electronic pop favourite ‘Johnny & Mary’ as its main inspiration, especially in its incessant synthbass and Motorik backbone. The violin is often seen as a symbol of self-pity and while the move might have surprised his regular fanbase, ‘Violins’ did include a hefty guitar solo at its conclusion to not totally alienate them.

Not in a dissimilar vein to ‘Violins’, the shimmering ‘Moments & Whatnots’ is the most KRAFTWERK-esque of the eight tracks on ‘Guesswork’, with its simplistic electronic percussion and synthetic sparkles recalling ‘Neon Lights’. But as a song and in its afflicted delivery, it couldn’t really be anyone else but Lloyd Cole.

However, the biggest surprise comes with ‘When I Came Down From The Mountain’, a bouncy drumbox driven synthpop number. With jazzier electronic inflections that Thomas Dolby would have been proud of, its chorus even nods towards the era of Dolby-produced PREFAB SPROUT.

Meanwhile with some kosmische modular sequencing, ‘Night Sweats’ utilises a pentatonic aesthetic that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on an early CHINA CRISIS record, although some eagle-eared listeners will point a finger towards THE CLASH’s ‘Straight To Hell’.

But ‘Guesswork’ begins with an almost silent ambient drone; while in ‘Stranger Things’, they fear ‘The Upside Down’, Cole muses hauntingly about the aura of ‘The Over Under’.

Meanwhile on the cinematic ‘Remains’, synths beautifully substitute for orchestrations and brass arrangements in the manner of THE BLUE NILE. These songs cleverly offer the new electronic direction without being too threatening, a subtle change of sauce without ruining anyone’s appetite.

Decorated with some great E-bowed six string, the solemn swinging overtures of ‘The Afterlife’ show that Cole has learnt from John Grant, probably the best known modern day defector from the traditional to the electronic, while ‘The Loudness Wars’ provides a relatable metaphor to the breakdown of a relationship in a fine hybrid synth and guitar closer, swathed in glorious midlife angst.

Yes, his poetic melancholy does remain, but as Lloyd Cole recently said: “Now I’m starting to think that old age could be a lot more fun. Because really what have we got to lose?”

After all, how many veteran singer-songwriter guitarists decide that electronics are the way to go? Whether long-standing enthusiasts or new admirers, many will find a lot of joy within Lloyd Cole’s sophisticated artistic diversion on ‘Guesswork’.

‘Guesswork’ is released by earMUSIC in CD, vinyl LP and digital formats

http://www.lloydcole.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Lloyd.Cole.1961

https://twitter.com/Lloyd_Cole

https://open.spotify.com/album/5lyyYxXn40x0f7ODFVgzS3

Text by Chi Ming Lai
27th July 2019

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