Category: Reviews (Page 85 of 199)

OLLIE WRIDE Thanks In Advance

22 July 2019 /

The stylish figure of Ollie Wride could become popwave’s own Bryan Ferry.

Just as Ferry had a parallel solo career alongside ROXY MUSIC, the suave lead vocalist for FM-84 on songs like ‘Wild Ones’ has been partying like it’s 1985 on his enjoyable debut long player ‘Thanks In Advance’. Co-produced by the Toronto based Scot Michael Oakley with guitars by Chris Huggett, Los Angeles based Englishman Wride uses the opportunity to channel his inner Lindsey Buckingham.

There are certainly flashes of FLEETWOOD MAC’s synth assisted ‘Tango In The Night’ album within opening song ‘Never Live Without You’, a number fashioned with a fine balance of synths, guitars and MTV friendly vocals that is better than anything which THE KILLERS have fashioned in the last ten years.

Rhythmically swung, ‘Overcome’ is rocky but avoids the dreaded AOR indulgences often found within synthwave circles. Meanwhile the muted funk guitar and sparking synthlines of ‘Back To Life’ offer sunny soulful pop, with Wride’s voice superbly anthemic and likely to induce swooning. Plus there’s even an unexpected key change and sax thrown in!

With gently percussive World Music overtones, ‘The Rising Tide’ offers a colourful ballad in the vein of Tom Lord-Alge’s work with Steve Winwood but with the threat of MR MISTER looming, this won’t necessarily be for everyone.

Offering some big love, it all gets back on track with ‘Miracle Mile’, the pulsing triplet providing the backbone to a wonderful open top driving number. The imagery conjured may be a cliché but the fact that the song produces pictures for the listener at all is a fine achievement for any artist.

Coming over like Richard Marx, Wride dons his balladeer hat again on the appropriately moonlit ‘Luna’, before the sun rises for the filmic bass synth laden cascade of ‘I’m A Believer’, which embraces the hypnotic Hollywood influence of Giorgio Moroder as well as utilising some rousing layers of vocals.

‘Hold On’ reimagines what a slowie for the soundtrack of ‘About Last Night’ would be like in the 21st Century, but ending ‘Thanks In Advance’ is ‘The Driver’.

Putting into dynamic realisation as to what SIMPLE MINDS might have sounded like had Moroder-graduate Keith Forsey produced the 1985 ‘Once Upon A Time’ album instead of Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain, the superb grouchy FM synth rock of ‘The Driver’ see Wride successfully cross Jim Kerr with Billy Idol!

So is this a synthwave album? Well no! Is it good accessible pop record with a melodic synth aesthetic that invokes memories of Brat Pack movies, aviator sunglasses and designer stubble? YES!

Ollie Wride has proved with ‘Thanks In Advance’ that he can cut it on his own outside of the FM-84 nest. While there might be too many power ballads for some listeners, this is an impressive debut long player that will be likely to gain further momentum once it is carried into the live arena by Wride’s charismatic stage presence.

‘Thanks In Advance’ is released by New Retro Wave, available in vinyl LP, cassette and digital formats direct from https://newretrowave.bandcamp.com/

https://olliewride.com/

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http://www.nrwrecords.com

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Portrait Photos by Randy Jacob
22nd July 2019, updated 20th March 2020

BRIAN ENO For All Mankind

16 July 2019 /

Released in 1983, ‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’ was recorded as a soundtrack to Al Reinert’s documentary film about the Apollo Missions.

A triumph in understatement to accompany one of the greatest achievements of mankind, ‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’ was possibly the most accessible of all of Brian Eno’s ambient works.

This was partly thanks thanks to its comparatively short tracks and use of conventional instruments like guitar and fretless bass alongside a newly acquired Yamaha DX7.

Working Daniel Lanois and his brother Roger (on what was to be his first recording project), Brian Eno wanted to convey the feelings of space travel by reacting against the uptempo, newsy manner of space travel presented by most TV programmes of the day with its fast cuts and speeded up images.

‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’ is perhaps best known for the hovering aural sedative of ‘Deep Blue Day’ which was used in the infamous toilet scene from ‘Trainspotting’. Other notable tracks included the cosmic Americana of ‘Weightless’ and ‘An Ending (Ascent)’ featuring a drifting but dramatic church organ-like passage that acted as the blueprint to the intro of U2’s ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. Meanwhile the tingling floatation of ‘Under Stars’ became a ubiquitous staple on a plethora of chill-out compilations.

Originally called ‘Apollo’, the film itself featured a collage of 35mm footage from all the Apollo missions to depict a single moon landing with real-time commentary but no narration. However audiences gave it a lukewarm response, so the film was revamped to include interviews conducted by Reinert with thirteen of the Apollo astronauts.

Sharing their recollections of the missions, there was additionally narration from Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins and Jim Lovell, commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13. For its 1989 release, the reworked film was titled ‘For All Mankind’.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, ‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’ is released as an extended edition with a bonus album containing appropriately 11 new instrumental compositions that reimagine the soundtrack to ‘For All Mankind’.

These new recordings see the two Enos and Lanois working collectively as a trio for the first time since 1983. Beginning with ‘The End Of A Thin Cord‘, it captures the movement of the moon around the earth in a gloriously spacey sound sculpture.

As can be expected, the Lanois directed ‘Capsule’ chimes with guitar alongside organic keys but at the other end of the cosmos, Roger Eno’s ‘Waking Up’ and ‘Under The Moon’ capture a beautiful simplicity in their gently treated reverberant rings.

While ‘At The Foot Of A Ladder’ drifts with mechanical percussion looming gently in the background, ‘Clear Desert Night’ is deeply rooted in ‘Under Stars’ as synthetic wafts merge with gentle three note signals. Then there’s the starkly minimal ‘Over The Canaries’ which recalls the sleepy hush of ‘Neroli’.

With the return of Lanois’ six string, ‘Last Step From The Surface’ captures the preparations for the journey back to earth in a melancholic yet joyous mood while ‘Fine-grained’ presents a surreal take on Country and Western.

The gorgeous ‘Strange Quiet’ does as the title suggests before the closing ‘Like I Was A Spectator’ appropriately reflects the feelings of being a lunar astronaut with modern classical overtones as heard in the John Foxx side-project GHOST HARMONIC.

‘For All Mankind’ offers a soothing disconnection into the unknown even without any visuals. Following the accessible but otherworldly ethos of its classic parent album, its dreamy soundscapes and aural clusters stand up on their own, providing an escape to help both relax and remember.

‘For All Mankind’ features on the extended edition of ‘Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks’ released on 19th July 2019 in double vinyl LP and 2CD formats

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photo by Shamil Tanna
16th July 2019

FEMMEPOP London EP

12 July 2019 /


FEMMEPOP aka Margaret O’Sullivan carries the baton of Irish electronic music rather proudly, alongside other Emerald Isle acts like CIRCUIT3, TINY MAGNETIC PETS, iEUROPEAN or EMBRACE THE CRISIS.

Having two albums under her belt as well as a poignant EP ‘CYM’, on which FEMMEPOP proved she can do non-nonsense synth music thanks to her sophisticated style and production precision, it is only expected for the following EP to be heading in the direction of further greatness.

O’Sullivan doesn’t like her music described as “synthwave”, not meaning the description to be derogatory, but her style is far too eclectic to be pigeon holed. While the previous offerings were utilising her main instrument, the voice, ‘London’ is devoid of any vocals.

“I wanted to create a body of work without using my voice. I realise this is taking a gamble with my listeners but artistically I must do what feels right at the time. I wanted to experiment and branch out as I feel I can do so much more than sticking to the one sound or genre.” she said.

‘London’ reflects FEMMEPOP’s continuing love affair with the city she’s living in, its sounds, tastes, looks and enormous diversity, which makes it the amazing place it is, saying: “I have always seen the beauty and felt the charm of this city and in the most mundane and ordinary occurrences. I have always loved its noisy and dirty underground, its tower blocks, green parks, Camden, its music, culture, people and accents. Its abundance of energy, its fire. The raw, the gritty, the polite, the angry, the urbanity – the general ebb and flow of the city.” Those notions are depicted on all three tracks on the EP, mostly with the pulsating ‘Gnarly’, which feels like a melting pot of cultures, cuisine and religions.

‘Vice’ is über cool and urban, filled with delicious arpeggios and boundary bending sounds, while the closing ‘Night Procession’ is a demure, nostalgic walk alongside the meandering Thames with gritty textures and hidden energy awaiting to burst free.

FEMMEPOP took a risk with going “words free” but that move has certainly worked in her favour. Having the tracks laid bare with their cinematic qualities, the soundtrack to London’s life practically wrote itself and the result is meaningful and dear to O’Sullivan, and it certainly marks her progression to upper echelons of synth society.

‘London’ is available as a download direct from https://femmepop.bandcamp.com/

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Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
12th July 2019

TYCHO Weather

10 July 2019 /


The progression of San Francisco based TYCHO aka Scott Hansen through the years is nothing  short of admirable.

The artist, who is also an internationally well-known graphic designer under the name of ISO50, started small with a side solo project, which has finally developed into ‘Weather’.

Accompanied by long term collaborators, Zac Brown (bass + guitar) and Rory O’Connor (drums), Hansen’s musical story bears all the markings of a true artist.

“With each TYCHO album, my goal is to evolve and broaden the sound” he said, “After ‘The Science of Patterns’ and ‘Past is Prologue’ – two primarily electronic solo efforts, I began incorporating more organic sounds and instrumentation. ‘Dive’ saw the addition of guitar and bass guitar while ‘Awake’ took it a step further with guitars pushed to the forefront and the use of live drum performances for the first time. ‘Epoch’ honed that sound further balancing the electronic and organic components that defined TYCHO.”

It was indeed ‘Epoch’ that topped the Billboard charts and gained the artist his first Grammy nomination. ‘Weather’ introduces vocals for the first time and to achieve the desired effect, Hansen brought Hannah Cottrell aka SAINT SINNER on board, who eagerly took the reins of vocal sorcery to elevate the tracks to another level.

On ‘Pink & Blue’, the velvety voice describes a deeply personal affair: “It originally stemmed from when I was romantically involved with a man and a woman simultaneously, for the first time in my life” muses Cottrell, “It was a defining moment for me. I went from being a young religious kid who thought she would marry a man to a young woman who realised her love for women. ‘Pink & Blue’ is a love song to no one, to everyone, and to myself. It’s a sweet reminder to all lovers to hold onto their love with open arms; to be fearless about any type of love and to be fearless about losing their love. Love is never lost.” The song is lusciously easy listening with strong underlining synth lines and plenty of percussion.

SAINT SINNER’s vocal inclusion stretches well beyond ‘Pink & Blue’; on the relaxed album opener ‘Easy’, she merely hums and produces various other sounds, bringing a tropical jungle feel to the track. ‘Japan’ sustains the modern pop patterns, both with Cottrell’s endeavours and Hansen’s musicality, where an eclectic classic has been created.

The mollifying guitar riffs on ‘Into The Woods’ create a kaleidoscopic effect with the inclusion of synth and percussion. Full of various samples and punctuated vocal inserts, this number is a bossa nova for the modern age. Birds, nature, sounds of the jungle and gentle melody all together release an effect of a relaxing holiday break.

‘Skate’ along the winding sidewalks running along the coastal California in the setting sun, is what SAINT SINNER portrays with her gentle rendition of the ballad-like gem.

Keeping in with the forlorn mood, ‘For How Long’ meanders through a number of feelings and experiences into ‘No Stress’.

Vocally practically indistinguishable from Dua Lipa’s style, this chilled out lullaby strokes the senses with gentile emotions and luxurious melodies, leading onto the opus’ eponymous track.

Here, all the freshest elements that TYCHO introduced throughout ‘Weather’ are laid bare, all with a newly found intensity. Keeping it low key and on the ambient side, Hansen broadens his distinctive expansive soundscapes into a burst of humanity experienced from up above.

‘Weather’ certainly is a culmination of Scott Hansen’s musical career as a whole. His landing on the new and exciting creative grounds has been a success and the inclusion of a singer and lyricist surely broadens the spectrum further.

SAINT SINNER brings a modern feel to the music and delivers what TYCHO set out to achieve: “When setting out to record ‘Weather’, I wanted to finally fulfil what had been a vision of mine since the beginning: to incorporate the most organic instrument of all, the human voice. Her vision folded effortlessly into mine and her voice integrated seamlessly into the sonic landscape, opening new spaces for me as a songwriter and producer.”

And a great thing has certainly been achieved…

‘Weather’ is released on 12th July 2019 by Ninja Tune in vinyl LP and digital formats, pre-order direct from https://tycho.bandcamp.com/

https://tychomusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/tychomusic/

https://twitter.com/ISO50

https://www.instagram.com/tychomusic

http://blog.iso50.com/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
10th July 2019

THE GOLDEN FILTER Autonomy

8 July 2019 /


Who does mysterious Scandinavian flavoured electronica well, having swapped their respective countries for the gloominess of London’s Peckham? THE GOLDEN FILTER…

Vocalist Penelope Trappes, originally from Australia, joined Ohio-born synth programmer Stephen Hindman in New York before relocating to London.

Their first album ‘Voluspa’ showed some integral songwriting knowledge, with well-placed singles such as ‘Solid Gold’, ‘Thunderbird’ and ‘Hide Me’.

The second long player proper ‘Still // Alone’ showed further potential with its undiluted grown up timeless synthscapes and this summer celebrates ten years of the couple’s musical endeavours with ‘Autonomy’.

Fiercely independent; with writing, producing, mixing, video shooting and self-releasing, THE GOLDEN FILTER certainly need no-one to tell them what direction to take. They do it in their own time, their own way with no outside interactions.

Dismayed, as is most of the UK population, with the politics, the seemingly never ending Brexit saga, people’s apparent disconnection from reality and the growing socio-economic gap, the duo draw strength from their relationship and wish to impart some positivity into the otherwise darkening landscape.

‘Autonomy’ bears a resemblance to their previous works with the metallic eponymous title track, which is raw and tribal, minimalistically sparse and containing only a pinch of vocal. Meanwhile ‘Infinity’ bears all the characteristics of the duo’s well known sound, with a nod to THE PRODIGY laced throughout. ‘U OK’ though explores nature sounds and positive vibes, before being rudely interrupted and cut short.

The very retro feel of ‘Electric Light’ brings to mind the early works by THE HUMAN LEAGUE or NEW ORDER with Siouxie-esque vocals and old school sounds. The question of “are you ok?” seems to prevail throughout the album, with a calling to be open minded and kind hearted to the fellow human beings.

‘Downturn’ is dark and cinematic, very David Lynch style; weird on the surface, but meaningful deep beneath. But a new kind of diluted pop manifests itself on ‘Coercion’, which brings the works of Toyah and co to mind. Here is where Trappes sings her sorrow away and Hindman showcases his capable musicality, painting a backdrop to the mournful lyrical content. ‘We Are The Prey’ returns to the minimalistic interplay, with experimental escapades à la Björk meeting MOLOKO.

Further ‘Wisdom’ is imparted via the medium of arpeggiated sounds, systematically enhanced by sampled elements, leading into a messy plethora of sound waves, pulsating in and out of reality leading to the force of ‘New Politik’. Even more minimalistic if that can be imagined, the number is pretty much lead by the vocal and scantily added pulses, which become more and more flowering into a semi-conscious, independently floating wall of sound.

The closing ‘All The Queens’ imagine a brand new world, led by divine femininity, yearning for a change in perceptions and shift in mindsets. Musically, this is one of the more approachable tracks on the long player, perfectly enticing with ethereal vocal and the rise and fall of the delicate melody.

Undoubtedly, one of the more ambitious and well-adjusted projects from THE GOLDEN FILTER, ‘Autonomy’ is an eclectic mix of genres, defying the pigeon holes and bending the genres to achieve a diverse and unparalleled soundtrack of the duo’s lives.

“Penelope and Stephen set about on a mission of self-searching and solipsism drawing influence from their love and unity that sternly defies the damage caused by the ever-growing daily trauma of capitalism and politics”... something they certainly managed to achieve.

‘Autonomy’ is released by 4GN3S on 19th July 2019 in red vinyl LP and download formats, pre-order from https://thegoldenfilter.bandcamp.com/album/autonomy

http://www.thegoldenfilter.com/

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Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
Photo by Chloe Trappes
8th July 2019

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