Tag: The Knife (Page 4 of 4)

THE HORN THE HUNT Depressur Jolie

26 May 2011 /


Enigmatic Leeds duo THE HORN THE HUNT’s second album ‘Depressur Jolie’ is an intriguing listen.

Comprising of Clare Carter and Joseph Osborne, the pair have developed their own Nordic flavoured sound with added authenticity, courtesy of a quarter year spell of writing 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle on a tiny island next to the icecap.

Carter said of their sojourn: “Our time in Greenland was significant, artistically speaking. Being exposed to landscapes, the people and their history, their paganism. It made us realise why we had put ourselves in such an extreme environment”.

Writing in perpetual darkness has certainly had its effect on ‘Depressur Jolie’. Aurally disconcerting, the spectres of KATE BUSH, THE KNIFE and BJORK run throughout although industrial edges also permeate these musical pagan rituals.
The grandeur of ‘Raptor’ is simply tremendous; the sirens’ call provides a sonic chill while the brooding pitch shifting vocals take on several unsettling timbres.

‘Pleasureland’ is its more aggressive second cousin, further siren synths colouring the drumatics. Crossing FEVER RAY with NEW ORDER, ‘Henry’s Out’ is almost like tribal gothic disco while ‘Old Town Cow’ sees the synths all tuned to pentatonic scales while driven by the chattering sound of cowbells although HI-NRG this most certainly isnÍt!

The haunting title track features an interesting use of vocal samples for its booming heartbeat before the sequences kick in while ‘Harpoon’ could be the soundtrack to a Heathen ceremony. ‘Lava Dreams’ features sparse piano to drum machine accompaniment as Carter and Osborne pay homage to TALK TALK’s ‘Spirit Of Eden’ while the volcanic spectre of Karin Dreijer Andersson looms heavy.

The excellent ‘Follow You In There’ ends ‘Depressur Jolie’ on a comparatively optimistic note with exotic tones and strips of light poking through the Cimmerian shade.

Within all the inherent resignation though, there is ambition. “We wanted to make a big pop album… our ideal pop album… full of bold, aggressive songs that have no loyalty to any particular sound or style.” explains Carter. With guitars, drums and bass feeding the jagged dragon next to the futuristic sounds and beats, the downcast textures have a presence that will ultimately reward those who enjoy a challenging musical adventure.

Released on White Label Music which was co-founded by ADD N TO X’s Ann Shenton, ‘Depressur Jolie’ manages to be both mysterious and accessible.

Special Thanks to Alastair Neville at Charm Factory and Ann Shenton.

‘Depressur Jolie’ is released by White Label Music

THE HORN THE HUNT’s 2011 live dates include: Leeds Milo (Album Launch Party – 28th May), North Yorkshire Rough Beats Festival (10th June), Isle Of Man Laxey WMI (16th July), Isle Of Man Douglas Outback Bar (17th July), Skipton Beacons Festival (14th August), Lincolnshire Alchemy Festival (17th September), Winchester The Railway (7th October)

http://thehornthehunt.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
26th May 2011

AUSTRA Feel It Break

23 May 2011 /

Austra-feel it break

AUSTRA front woman Katie Stelmanis speaks her mind with a strong feminist agenda.

Together with Maya Postepski and Dorian Wolf , AUSTRA deliver a stark, baroque form of electronica fuelled by sexual tension. And after the strong singles ‘Beat & The Pulse’ and ‘Lose It’, one of this spring’s most anticipated full length albums is now finally here.

I had heard several tracks previously before the whole album and this only increased the expectations even further. This was going to be one of THE highlights of this year, but I was actually not quite prepared for how good the album actually is!

The album begins with the dark and mysterious ‘Darken Her Horse’, with an atmospheric and hypnotic rhythm that immediately grabs your attention. Then, ‘Lose It’… it is so magnificently beautiful that I totally surrendered when I heard the first time and it quickly became one of my all time favorite songs.

In fact, many of the songs like ‘The Future’, ‘The Villain’ and ‘Spellwork’ give me such strong feelings of joy that I hardly could keep the tears back. ‘Beat & The Pulse’, ‘The Choke’ and ‘Shoot the Water’ are also quite brilliant. Great melodies; an innovative, cohesive and highly atmospheric soundscape (which successfully blends light and darkness, fragility and power); powerful, hypnotic and danceable rhythms; and finally Katie Stelmanis’ great singing voice on top of that: brilliant! Totally brilliant!

Actually, in many respects, it is Katie’s very personal voice that carries the songs and that makes AUSTRA unique. Her voice is crystalline; clear, strong, powerful, crisp, ethereal and incredibly beautiful all at the same time.

This talent may be explained by the fact that she has been singing opera since the age of ten. Sure you can hear some influences from other artists in AUSTRA’s music such as FEVER RAY and DEPECHE MODE. Spellwork, for example, has some of ‘Precious’ in it. But in the end, I still think this sounds new and very authentic.

Katie and drummer Maya are open about their sexuality and this is reflected in many of the lyrics. As Alan Wilder once said, you can get away with anything if you give it a good tune.

Most of the songs on this album are the highest form of aural pleasure, although personally I think that the song ‘Hate Crime’ is too ordinary indie compared with the other tracks – a bit too much guitar and cymbals for my taste. But it is still a great song that grows when you listen to it a few times. And that you will do.

Overall, this is easily the best albums this year so far, albeit in strong competition with MIRRORS. One last tip: the bonus track ‘Energy’ from the single Lose It is also amazing and definitely worth trying to get hold of.

‘Feel It Break’ is released by Domino/Paper Bag Records

AUSTRA will play live in the British Isles this summer as well as dates in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and Scandinavia. Please check your local press for details:

Cardiff Undertone (1st July), Dublin Crawdaddy (2nd July), Cork Cypress Avenue (3rd July), Galway Roisin Dubh (4th July), London Cargo (7th July), Brighton The Haunt (8th July)

www.austramusic.com

The original Swedish version of this article is published at www.synth.nu

Text by Johan Wejedal
Additional Input by Chi Ming Lai
23rd May 2011

Introducing THE HORN THE HUNT

1 February 2011 /


THE HORN THE HUNT are enigmatic Leeds based pop duo Clare Carter and Joseph Osborne.

They have an intriguing Nordic tinged sound which has added authenticity following a three-month spell writing on location in Greenland and spending half the time in perpetual darkness.

They released their self-titled debut album ndependently in 2009 but in early 2010 were signed by Ann Shenton of ADD N TO X’s White Label Music.

The grandiose ‘Raptor’ is the first single to be taken from their forthcoming second album ‘Depressur Jolie’. The vintage synths whirr like sirens, while the brooding bass compliments the multi-timbre vocals as they hit several octaves. Aurally disconcerting, the spectre of THE KNIFE runs throughout although the sinister edge of dark Teutonic industrialists RAMMSTEIN also lingers.

Of THE HORN THE HUNT’s other recent material, ‘Henry’s Out’ is percussively spooky with echoes of NEW ORDER fronted by Karin Dreijer Andersson while ‘Old Town Cow’ adds a Far Eastern flavour to some chattering cowbells. With additional inspiration from artists such as KATE BUSH, BJORK and ANGELO BADALAMENTI, Clare Carter says: “The darkness of the human mind and our difficult relationship with nature, these are the things that became apparent, and the most therapeutic way to deal with them, in all cultures, is through art.”

THE HORN THE HUNT’s music is mysterious but accessible. Sourced from futuristic sounds, stark beats and Pagan mythology, their sonic chill provides challenging but rewarding listening.

‘Depressur Jolie’ is scheduled to be released by White Label Music in May 2011

http://thehornthehunt.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thehornthehunt

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd February 2011, updated 12th October 2013

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