Oct 7 2015

[Audio] Keep Shelly In Athens’ ‘Silent Rain’

Keep Shelly In Athens? Keep us on our toes more like. Amirite? we honestly weren’t sure, or indeed confident, about the future of the Greek chiller cabinet ElectroPoppers when the voice of KSiA, Sarah P, departed the duo to follow her own musical path. When her final track with the outfit, Old Time Glory, dropped we we’re slightly pessimistic that this was the last we’d hear of the group. So often, even with the best intentions to carry on, a bad breakup can spell the end of even the most committed musicians; and even when the music keeps flowing, sometimes it’s just not the same.

With a change of line-up, new singer Myrtha, replaces Sarah P and a new label; the baton being passed from purveyors of good taste Cascine (who released Keep Shelly In Athens début official full lengther At Home) to L.A. based tastemakers Friends Of Friends, there could quite easily be a confusion of direction. It could feel like a whole new band, and as Keep Shelly In Athens unleash some brand new material it’s time to find out if they are still a band we dig.

So it was with some trepidation that we met the recent news of Keep Shelly In Athens sophomore (proper) album, titled Now I’m Ready and due out later this month, and it’s lead single, Fractals. If we’re honest, we were on the fence with Fractals, it was very guitar heavy and very shoegazy; it was nice enough but we missed the waves of hazy synths that made us love KSiA. The album’s second single though, Silent Rain, is more up our street.

We can’t help but feel like Silent Rain is Keep Shelly In Athens with a Post-Punk injection. It’s that The Sisters Of Mercy bassline, chugging away amid a sea of lush Dreamwave style synths, that gives the track a mid-80s Indie urgency. This is more of a ‘live’ sounding KSiA than we have been used to, Even Myrtha’s vocals, as they flit from Shoegaze ethereal to early Indie chants, add to the synthesized floppy haired nostalgia. This whole record could go either way, it could be an exciting excursion in electronic soundscapes that draws it’s influences from the wealth of independent records released in the last three decades, or it could be a Goth-Rock record with a few synths here and there. Silent Rain, thankfully, makes us think it will be the former. If the whole album is filled with similar moments of vintage leaning beauty then we will be happy.

Think Electric Youth meets March Violets meets early Lush meets mid-70s Jean Michel-Jarre. If you can.

♫ Keep Shelly In Athens – Silent Rain

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Sep 7 2015

[Audio] Chad Valley’s ‘Seventeen’

Oxford’s Hugo Manuel A.K.A. Chad Valley is not a go-to artist for us. Which is an odd way to start talking about him, we know. We absolutely love pretty much everything he’s released, we happily fork out the cash for lovely Chad Valley vinyl (we’ve even pre-ordered the new album) and spent hours and hours chilling with his début full album, still a killer after a couple of years. But whenever we’re sat around thinking ‘what to listen to?’ we never go straight got Chad Valley. Which is a shame as whenever Chad Valley pops into our head (and subsequently our speakers) we’re always like “oh shit! fuck yeah! Chad Valley!” Too much music, too little time we guess.

Chad Valley is the shining light of the label that other labels wish they were, Cascine. Since releasing his first EP back in 2010, at the height of the birth of Chillwave, he has steadily offered up a plethora of sunkissed and deeply emotional synth music that draws on everything from Shoegazing Indie to Funk fuelled R&B to weave his densely layered musical tapestry. Haunting and enigmatic at the same times as irresistibly groovy, all the time Hugo’s soft, heartfelt vocals never letting us forget that he wears his heart on his sleeve. His first full length record, 2012’s Young Hunger was a well rounded slice of intricately crafted left-field Pop that really showed off how much Chad Valley’s sound had matured.

This emotionality and sonic maturity is set to continue on his recently announce sophomore record. To be titled Entirely New Blue, the new album is due out in October and sees Joel Ford, of Ford & Lopatin, alongside Yung Ejecta on co-production duties. Largely produced during the break-up of a long-term relationship, we’re likely to see Hugo’s passionate lament taken to the next level. In-fact, Hugo himself calls the album’s second single, Seventeen, “the most deeply personal song I have even written”.

Seventeen takes it’s time to get started, spending over a minute purely on a gentle piano and Hugo’s sincere and regretful croon. Just when you think the tension will never break, Seventeen splits to reveal a shuffling beat and warm, swelling keys. The track build a musical and vocal mantra, undulating sounds tumbling around each other as Hugo’s effect laden voice swings from an narratively emotional centrepiece to another instrument in the tracks swirling finale. We were quite excited about Entirely New Blue when it was announced last month, Seventeen has assured us that our excitement is justified. Hugo truly is a master at his craft, we can’t think of anyone who serves up this kind of hazy, sentimental synth music as well as he does. Just sink into this one, put it in your headphones and lie back. Stay in that warm place until Entirely New Blue drops next month.

Hopefully we can remember lo listen to Chad Valley from now on.

♫ Chad Valley – Seventeen

Chad Valley’s Entirely New Blue is released 2nd October.

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Aug 27 2015

[Audio] Liskka’s self-titled EP

When last we checked Liskka were an all girl trio, now we’re not so sure. Formed from the ashes of Boy/Girl swirly Indie-Electro outfit Happy Hunting, Jana Tyrell enlisted Susie Wedderburn and Hannah Ashman to form her new group, launching with the effervescent As It Goes (I Give). Now, however, it appears that Liskka are, well, a Boy/Girl Indie-Electro outfit (again). The giveaways being copious amounts of male vocals on the new tracks and a Mr. Rick David listed as Jana’s other band member. Anyway, whatever the make up of Jana Tyrell’s band of troubadours; Liskka have just released their début proper EP via Pink Bird Records, a five track affair loaded with experimental Popisms and a wealth of influences.

You’ll find As It Goes (I Give) squeezed onto the end of the EP, a cacophonous Future R&B track wrapped in Chillwave duvet. Eclectic percussion meeting girl harmonies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. As with most of the EP, the track battles with chaos and brings the charm out of the noise; at once alarming and enchanting, the track kinda’ gets under your skin.

Of the new tunes present Cold really stood out for us on the EP, a symphony of broken samples, reverb washed chords and ethereal vocals. Still keeping an R&B swing, but pushing it to it’s most unrecognizable limits as Liskka’s sonic experimentalism layer the organic with the synthetic to haunting effect. The enigmatic arrangement and obscure instrumentation made human by Jana’s versatile voice. Far From Us is more traditionally Shoegaze, a tad to guitary for our tastes and features male vocals prominently; as does the EP’s opener Night Terrors, a perfectly pleasant IndiePop anthem but we do feel Liskka works best with an intangible female voice at the fore.

The self-titled EP’s remaining track, Ghost In The Machine, certainly delivered on everything we love about Liskka and was the other stand out new track in our humble opinion. Building it’s own majesty on an multiform swing groove and a mystical sound pallet. Switching things up a little, Liskka play around with breakbeats and fuller synths as the song builds, resulting in the most powerful track on the EP. Disjointed and dissonant elements coming together in Liskka’s talented hands to create a beautiful whole. Which is much like Liskka in general actually, and the EP in total. Sometimes it doesn’t work, more often it does; and when it does it delivers something truly captivating.

♫ Liskka – Ghost In The Machine

♫ Liskka – Cold

♫ Liskka – As It Goes (I Give)

Liskka’ Liskka EP is out now.

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Jun 15 2015

[Audio] TVÅ’s ‘Always Be’

CSCN, Casine’s singles label, is going from strength to strength. It’s a really good idea for a sub label; keeping the artist development with Cascine and letting CSCN just be a celebration of songs that they love. This time it’s Swedish duo TVÅ who get some CSCN love. Their single, Always Be (backed with Keep Me A Secret) gets a single release. Prepare for some ScandiPop goodness.

This brother and sister pairing have come up with a couple of beautiful and lush SynthPop tunes. Always Be is a glistening, gentle array of tundra synths. Turning icy elements into a warm and inviting whole, TVÅ deliver a tune that swirls around you and wraps you in it;s emotional depths. Incredibly understated, Always Be incorporates sparse drums and distant keys into a track that sounds full as the biggest production. Sublime stuff.

♫ TVÅ – Always Be

TVÅ’s Always Be is out now.

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Jun 1 2015

[Audio] Leeuw’s ‘Waters’

OK; first things first. Leeuw is pronounced “Lay-U” (apparently Dutch for ‘lion’). I know, I know, it’s hard to get used to, but it’s best that you start saying it right now because you’ll probably be saying it a lot in the future. The reason you’ll be saying it a lot in the future is because it’s only a matter of time before Leeuw become huge. That’s just a fact. Leeuw is otherwise knows as Californian Laura Maus (ex-of an indie-folk duo called Sense Motive) who is making some of the most compelling ElectroPop we’ve heard for a while (and that’s saying something, being the website that we are). She’s teamed up with producer Wolves for her début single. It’s called Waters, press play below.

Riding over skippy, almost Trap-y beats, Waters serves up layers upon layers of crystal clear synths for Leeuw’s heartfelt vocal delivery to glide over like silk. Kinda’ like an L.A. version of Avec Sans, there’s similarities of sound between the two, with Leeuw adding a west coast Funk quality to the mix. Managing to be both uplifting and haunting at the same time, Waters’ stacked soundscape is loaded with mystery while Laura’s introspective vocals feel very close and personal. After this kind of assured début, we’ll definitely be keeping an ear our for more from Leeuw.

♫ Leeuw – Waters (Prod. By Wolves)

Leeuw’s Waters is out now.

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May 27 2015

[Audio] Orthy’s ‘Listen To Her Heart’

Just dropped is the new single from Austin based smooth Disco producer Orthy. Their second release for New York’s Dither Down label. The tune’s called Listen To Her Heart and the release comes backed with a host of reMixes of tracks from Orthy’s E.M.I.L.Y. EP of last year from the likes of AIMES and Cosmic Kids. The track is actually a reworking of the Tom Petty song of the same name; give it a listen.

Listen To Her Heart sees Orthy mix-up laid back breezy Indie-DiscoPop with Chillwave. Experimenting with sounds and effects, Orthy’s sonic landscape is enigmatic and occasionally abrasive, but he wraps everything up in a warm, reverb washed, groove for his smoky vocals to drift over. With a generous helping of nostalgia, Orthy serves up something to drift off to.

♫ Orthy – Listen To Her Heart

Orthy’s Listen To Her Heart is out now on Dither Down.

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May 21 2015

[Audio] Goldroom’s ‘Embrace’…again.

Oh I don’t know what’s going on anymore. The man Goldroom’s Embrace, with Ariela Jacobs on vocals was one of our top tracks of 2013, and now the track is back, Jack. This time around Embrace features the vocals of original co-songwriter George Maple, and is the lead track on Goldroom’s freshly released new EP; It’s Like You Never Went Away (which has also got the Chela featuring stunner Fifteen on again). As we’re just pulling into Summer (fingers crossed!) it seems like the prefect time to dust off the old Embrace and give it another spin.

Like a fine wine Embrace seems to have got better with age. And more alcoholic; in the sense that everything feels like it’s been honed and refined and made, for want of a better word, richer. The new production sheen and slight tweak of arrangement seem to make the track more focused with Maples vocals a hair’s breadth more soulful. Other than that it’s nice to have a track that ruled our summer two years ago return to the top of the playlist pile.

♫ Goldroom (Feat. George Maple) – Embrace

Goldroom’s It’s Like You Never Went Away EP is out now.

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May 18 2015

[Video] LIGHTS’ ‘Same Sea’

Same Sea is the latest single to be taken from Canadian keytar warrior LIGHTS third album, Little Machines. It’s now available in music video form, as slick as the tune itself.

Directed by Amit Dabrai, the clip sees a far future LIGHTS scanning for various LIGHTS throughout her history. It’s a shiny and clean Sci-Fi epic.

LIGHTS’ Little Machines is out now.

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May 6 2015

[Audio] Colleagues’ ‘Talk It Out’

We’re a week or so away from the release of Swedish ElectroPop outfit Colleagues forthcoming EP; Visits. We’ve already had a gander at a couple of the tracks from the release; Tears back in march followed by Somewhere early last month. Both of which have been floating our boat. Now, in the final furlong before their début release, we can take a listen to another glorious slice of chill Pop from Visits; Talk It Out.

Were treated to more of the same dreamy SynthPop with this one. A euphoric track, Talk It Out comes filled to the brim with lush synths and energetic beats. Another heartfelt and passionate vocal performance flow over a tumbling and kinetic synthesizer symphony, resulting in a massively anthemic powerhouse. A future live favourite.

♫ Colleagues – Talk It Out

Colleagues’ Visits EP is out 18th May.

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Apr 22 2015

[Video] Korallreven’s ‘Limitless’

As it turns out, death wasn’t for Korallreven as they are back with a brand new video, This is for Limitless, the third single to be taken from their pretty special sophomore album, Second Coming.

Sweedish director André Jofré, the clip is a hauntingly beautiful (punch me for saying that, it is tho!) night-time excursion with it’s tongue firmly planted in it’s cheek.