Category: Reviews (Page 94 of 199)

LIZETTE LIZETTE Non

11 February 2019 /


LIZETTE LIZETTE is Lizette Nordahl, a gender neutral Swedish / Peruvian producer and performance artist whose first mini-album ‘Queerbody’ was released in January 2017.

Its co-producers were Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg, better known as KITE. Having started out in a more rave inclined environment, ‘Queerbody’ signalled LIZETTE LIZETTE’s entry into more synthy climes.

Like KITE, ‘Non’ follows the extended EP or mini-album format and features writing contributions from Stenemo and Berg, although the production is by Gabriel Wagnberg.

Opening with the euphoric house pop of ‘Junk’, the track is rich with vogue-friendly beats, hooks and melody. Dreamily laid around pizzicato and some spacey overtones, ‘Obey’ is like a synthetic bubble bath. It’s something which ‘Void’ also takes its lead from, but with the addition of some slightly weirder noises.

The beautifully sad Nordic synth ballad ‘Computer Game’ in tribute to a departed friend is a fine showcase to Nordahl’s emotive side, something that was not obviously apparent in previous LIZETTE LIZETTE recordings. Meanwhile, the punchy technopop of the ‘Non’ title song compliments Nordahl’s more typically assertive stance, a robust danceable jewel that is an “anthem for all non-binary worldwide”, proclaiming “You wanna call me a girl, you wanna call me a woman… I am NON.”

Accompanied by a selection of detuned metallics, ‘Moonland’ declares a return home where “brothers and sisters are waiting”, while ‘Soil’ earthily penetrates with vocally derived textures and hypnotic arpeggios for a tune which with Nordahl’s richly delivered tones, ROBYN wouldn’t have been unhappy with.

Ending with a dramatic widescreen waltz, ‘Beaches’ is glorious Scandipop, layered in multiple vocals, that comes over suitably nautical. A fine follow-up to ‘Queerbody’, ‘Non’ adds new colours and vibes to the expanding LIZETTE LIZETTE template.

‘Non’ is available as a download direct from https://lizettelizette.bandcamp.com/

http://lizettelizette.com/

https://www.facebook.com/lizettelizettequeer/

https://www.instagram.com/lizettelizette/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th February 2019

PET SHOP BOYS Agenda EP

8 February 2019 /


Never shying away from political matters, the British synthpop duo PET SHOP BOYS like to say it as it is, often with a sarcastic twist.

Having enjoyed years of successful record making and musically surviving many of their contemporaries, with ever a fresh approach, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are back with a tongue-in-cheek EP ‘Agenda’.

It’s 2019, so what’s on the agenda? This time not the gay anthems, not slinky love songs, not dance your feet off punches, but straight to the point observations of the world we face today.

Photo by Pelle Crepin

Of course, Tennant and Lowe always aimed high with well observed poignant statements, be it from the very beginnings of their career with ‘Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money)’, or later cryptic attacks on Tony Blair and George W Bush on ‘I’m With Stupid’.

Further traces of Tennant / Lowe’s world affairs know how surface on many other tracks, depicting flaws in both historical and current politics, while their gay rights hymns inspired many to champion the LGBT communities. So what have we got here? “It contains three satirical songs and one rather sad song” claims outspoken Tennant, “I think it’s because of the times we’re living through.”

He’s certainly not wrong; both of the earlier unveiled tracks don’t mince words. ‘Give Stupidity A Chance’ speaks for itself, mocking both Donald Trump in the middle eight, as well as Michael Gove , with his infamous pre-Brexit vote statement “people in this country have had enough of experts”. Perhaps we should “give stupidity a chance”, as “intelligent people have had their say. It’s time for the foolish to show the way … We’ve had quite enough of experts and their dealings. Why face the facts when you can just feel the feelings?”

Trump’s sexual harassment accusations, which started after his misogynistic comments about grabbing women “by their pussies” find their reflection here too: “Chicks are always up for it. You’ve got to grab whatever you can. We need a leader with an eye for a peach-perfect piece of ass”. All this veiled with a simple melody and demure vocals.

‘On Social Media’ picks up the tempo, driving a quality gay club piece like ‘Outside’ by George Michael. The song is a total mockery of living our lives on social platforms, where our lives appear fantastic, and if things don’t go right “console yourself with a selfie or two and post them on Social Media”. Are your tweets re-tweeted? Are your family holiday snaps uploaded? Because “it’s so nice when people like you, you’re feeling hashtag ‘blast’, you’re part of the conversation, it’s like you’ve passed the test!”.

‘What Are We Going To Do About The Rich?’ is a further dig, this time “we’re talking about extreme rich – oligarchs and that kind of thing. The super-rich” says Tennant, with Lowe adding “The ones that don’t pay any tax.”

Tennant further describes it as “a sort of mock-protest song”, with the emphasis being more on the lyrical content as opposed to the melody, which, fortified by trumpets acts as a perfect canvas for the clever lyrics.

The fourth and final song from ‘Agenda’ is ‘The Forgotten Child’ and it represents “the sad song”. The demure, crying strings open up the tale about a missing girl, which is also political but in a more veiled manner, “where is the child? The child is lost”. The middle eight opens into a beautifully crafted section which PET SHOP BOYS are famous for, just to float away quietly.

All the four tracks were produced by Tim Powell with the duo themselves, and recorded at the end of last year. Stuart Price is due to produce the pair’s next album, which will follow 2016’s ‘Super’, and is due for release in the autumn.

Will it contain further political plug-ins? Let’s hope so, it is PET SHOP BOYS after all…

‘Agenda’ is available now via x2 Recordings in digital formats, please visit http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/ for information on CD and vinyl EP formats which will be released on 12th April 2019

https://www.facebook.com/petshopboys/

https://twitter.com/petshopboys

https://www.instagram.com/petshopboys/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
8th February 2019

LADYTRON Ladytron

4 February 2019 /


“LADYTRON are, for me, the best of English pop music. They’re the kind of band that really only appears in England, with this funny mixture of eccentric art-school dicking around and dressing up, with a full awareness of what’s happening everywhere musically, which is kind of knitted together and woven into something quite new…”

That what Brian Eno, the one-time member of ROXY MUSIC, whose first album featured a skilfully splendid and rather bizarre song ‘Ladytron’, said of the electronic quartet who named themselves after it.

Inherently joined by their passion for music, Bulgarian-born Mira Aroyo, Glaswegian Helen Marnie and Liverpudlians Danny Hunt and Reuben Wu create an eclectic mix of four strong personalities with four separate ideas that meet to create one sound.

The foursome performed for Brian Eno in Sydney Opera House, as well as in some obscure places not usually freely accessible to artists, like China or Colombia. Having had five successful albums over the years, this diverse group of musicians have gained massive audiences in Europe, Canada, the US, as well as South America.

As it’s been seven years since the group’s last offering of ‘Gravity The Seducer’, which presented atmospheric textures and sedate longing melodies, it was difficult to “predict the day” of LADYTRON’s comeback, but not creating another album “was never a possibility” according to Danny Hunt, “We knew we were going to do it eventually, but various things made it not come together as early as we imagined. Huge changes in our personal lives, and our locations – two of us moved across hemispheres. In mid-2016, we felt ready to move ahead and began writing and planning”.

In the meantime, Helen Marnie released two solo albums, with the second ‘Strange Words And Weird Wars’ seeing her adopt a very dreamy style, Hunt co-wrote and produced various artists, Wu dedicated himself to photography and Aroyo fuelled her passion for documentaries.

Now comes the long awaited ‘Ladytron’; suggesting quintessential LADYTRON as per the eponymous title, the long player was introduced by ‘The Animals’. Marnie described the track as “the first new song we had, and with it we went immediately into the studio with Jim Abbiss. He’s the producer who has really understood us the most.” Reminiscent of the more intense creations from ‘Velocifero’ and ‘Witching Hour’, the punchy number was remixed by Vince Clarke and offers a ubiquitous mix of continuous sound attack from the ever present synth, guitar and fast flowing vocal.

But ‘Until The Fire’ opens the album with a promise of fast pacing, forward pushing mixtures of electronic shoe gazing punchiness, creating urgency and need to return to the very sound LADYTRON was first known and loved for. ‘The Island’, however, reduces the momentum to a romantic, dreamy and very Marnie gem, which is a clear nod towards the more and more popular synthwave movement, of which “we are savages, we are savages”.

Enter the guitar on ‘Tower Of Glass’, providing a pop electronic anthem of tomorrow. This is what Eurovision should aspire for. ‘Far From Home’ is deliciously synthetic, dreamily hypnotic and comfortably “safe and sound”, even if lost somewhere beneath the stars; it’s the perfect electronic blanket to get wrapped up in, in order to feel secure.

That very security disappears with the harsher ‘Paper Highways’; a much dirtier, messier and hedonistically destructive product, it breaks down with unexpected shifts and dangerously edgy hooks. A modern protest song, perhaps?

Maybe it’s the time to ‘Run’ … and hide … and run… nothing is certain here; an amalgamation of strange sounds, unexpected entries and production à la GRIMES meets ZOLA JESUS at its finest. Maybe that’s no coincidence, because we are entering the ‘Deadzone’. Oh how scrumptious this one is; eastern inspired, forward-driving, mouth-wateringly poppy, synthyliciously gritty and hitting the spot with the right dose of melodic elements intertwined with haunting drivers.

‘Figurine’ coalesces the signature LADYTRON vocals and a new approach to synth; it’s futuristic yet vintage, soothing yet grippingly uncertain, a modern lullaby. In many ways LADYTRON ‘You’ve Changed’, in many you haven’t. You are certainly showing new, exciting directions; quite sexy in this case, like a veiled BLACK NAIL CABARET turned girly. ‘Horoscope’ spooks, while ‘The Mountain’ slows things down, with a more demure pace and downbeat tempo.

‘Ladytron’ is wrapped up with eloquently designed ‘Tomorrow Is Another Day’, which sustains the more consolidated reticent rhythm, PET SHOP BOYS ballad worthy, with another nod towards modernised synthwave. The sweet is mixed with sour, the fast mingles with slow and the gentle meets rough, what’s not to love?

Seven years it may have been, but LADYTRON certainly come back with a punch. Amongst tracks which could be described as quintessential work from the foursome, and at times sounding like lost tracks from ‘Velocifero’, there are hidden gems which sound modern and are quite superb.

Uniform? No…

Boring? Never…

Brilliant? Mostly…

LADYTRON-like? Oh yes…

All in all, a fantastic comeback, and a worthy entry into 2019.

‘Ladytron’ is released by !K7 in Vinyl LP, CD and digital formats on 15th February 2019

http://www.ladytron.com

https://www.facebook.com/ladytron/

https://twitter.com/LadytronMusic

https://www.instagram.com/ladytronmusic/

Text by Monika Izabela Trigwell
Photos by Maria Louceiro
4th February 2019

ULTRAMARINE Signals Into Space

29 January 2019 /


Essex duo ULTRAMARINE are probably best known for their 1991 album ‘Every Man & Woman is a Star’.

Arguably Paul Hammond and Ian Cooper pioneered the Folktronica genre including an eventual collaboration with SOFT MACHINE’s Robert Wyatt on their 1993 ‘United Kingdoms’ album. ‘Every Man & Woman Is A Star’ melded a disparate mix of  lo-fi drum machines, electric piano, jazz inflections and squelchy Roland 303s. It was a sound that on paper shouldn’t have really worked, but when it hit its peak, comfortably matched acts like THE ORB at their finest, albeit less self-indulgently.

After a fourteen year hiatus, the duo returned with a pair of singles in 2011 and this has led to ULTRAMARINE’s ‘Signals Into Space’, their first full length album since 2013’s ‘This Time Last Year’. This time around there are collaborations with vocalist Anna Domino who contributes to four tracks, plus percussionist Ric Elsworth and sax player Iain Ballamy from LOOSE TUBES.

Album opener ‘Elsewhere’ provides a dark electronic opener with an eclectic mix of twittering bird song, echoed TANGERINE DREAM-influenced sequencer part and retro analogue drum machine which has its lo-fi congas pitched up and down through the track. Ambient guitar and Juno-style synth layers work brilliantly on the piece; the only criticism is that the track ends too soon and could have quite comfortably been extended by another couple of minutes.

‘Spark from Flint to Clay’ is the first song to feature the vocals of Anna Domino and is the kind of piece that fans of AIR’s ‘Moon Safari’ and ZERO 7 will really get excited by; a Kaoss Pad manipulated 303 makes its first appearance alongside another retro 808-style drum machine and echoed guitars and vibes create a beautiful, drifting and luxuriant soundscape.

‘Breathing’ stretches to an epic 7 minutes and is the first track on the album to feature a combination of trademark off-kilter ULTRAMARINE sounds, improvisation and a far jazzier aesthetic.

‘Breathing’ is not a foreground piece, but it would provide a superb ambient accompaniment to drift along to with Ballamy’s sax providing the main musical content.

‘Arithmetic’ ups the tempo and could quite easily have appeared on ‘Every Man & Woman is a Star’; live percussion, electric piano and another 7 minute running time allows it to ebb and flow with a combo of electronics and live elements drifting in and out. Again, Anna Domino provides the main vocal hook for a song that wonderfully conjures images of far-off beaches and tropical climates.

‘If Not Now When?’ indirectly take its cues from JON & VANGELIS’ ‘State of Independence’ with a modulated Yamaha CS80-style bassline whilst ‘Equatorial Calms’ (could there be a more ULTRAMARINE song title?) evokes some distant arid and dusty landscape with heart-rate slowing sounds and cross delayed drum sounds. The album closer and title track finishes with another Anna Domino vocalled-piece; combining found sound ambience and a heartbeat pulse.

The fact that only a third of ‘Signals into Space’ feature vocals means that the album works best as “put on, zone out” work and it accomplishes that exceedingly well; once you become locked into it, it does a superb job of transporting the listener to a variety of sonic-inspired landscapes.

For those that have previously delved into the world of ULTRAMARINE, there are no radical departures, reinventions or surprises here; over 30 years Hammond and Cooper have carefully cultivated their own sound that combines their source material beautifully.

For this reason there appears no motive to deviate too far from a tried tested template and fans of the duo will welcome ‘Signals into Space’ with open arms.

‘Signals Into Space’ is released by Les Disques du Crépuscule, available in CD, double vinyl LP and download formats from https://www.lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/signals_into_space_twi1236.html

https://ultramarine.uk.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Ultramarine-356138807807022/

https://twitter.com/um_ultramarine

Text by Paul Boddy
Photos by Emily Bowling
29th January 2019

AFTER THE RAIN Black Is The Colour EP

26 January 2019 /

Despite B-MOVIE having released their debut EP ‘Take Three’ back in 1980, their guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Paul Statham is now possibly busier than ever musically.

As well as releasing B-MOVIE new material in the shape of the excellent three song ‘Repetition’ EP featuring the superb ‘Stalingrad’, his experimental solo ambient work and the avant Americana adventure of THE DARK FLOWERS, Paul Statham has now unveiled his DJ Shadow-inspired sample-based electronica soundscape project AFTER THE RAIN.

Statham’s career has included the electropop trio PEACH who had a US Top20 hit with ‘On My Own’ in 1997, as well as collaborations with people as diverse as Peter Murphy, Jim Kerr, Billy Mackenzie, Dido, Dot Alison, Sarah Nixey, Kylie Minogue and Rachel Stevens.

Now while AFTER THE RAIN does feature vocals, the tracks are not in the conventional song vein which saw Statham become one of the quieter success stories of ‘Some Bizarre Album’.

With Moby as a ubiquitous reference point, lead track ‘Gospel Train’ uses an emotive four line sample of ‘The Gospel Train’ sung by Belleville A Cappella Choir taken from a collection entitled ‘Southern Journey Vol. 1: Voices from the American South’. Offset against a propulsive electronic framework, the two contrasting elements hauntingly and successfully combine to recall the work of not just the one-time Richard Melville Hall, but also that of Alan Wilder in RECOIL.

Also cut within a gospel backdrop, the strangely vibey ‘Black Is The Colour’ uses phrases from the traditional standard of the same name made famous by Nina Simone, vocalised for AFTER THE RAIN by London soul jazz artist Billie Black. Punctuated by atmospheric and big beat sections, it offers a rather cerebral listening experience.

Beginning with acoustic six string, ‘Waterfront’ is less synthetic, its country roots flavour providing a nod towards THE DARK FLOWERS. Given an alien outlook by vocodered phrases borrowed from the similarly titled John Lee Hooker number, the brooding combination is unusual if nothing else, coming over like some of the Brian Eno song based album ‘Another Day On Earth’ from 2005.

Constructing new music around decades old archive material can be a thorny subject, but in his introductory offer for AFTER THE RAIN, Statham does it well and respectfully. Mysterious, yet hopeful and familiar at the same time, he adds yet another string to his talented bow.

‘Black Is The Colour’ is released as a download EP by Loki Records, available direct from https://aftertherain1.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/aftertherain.london/

https://www.lokirecords.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
26th January 2019

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