Here’s the video for Clocktower from New York DreamPop outfit Noosa. It comes from their wonderful new album Wonderland. Prepare some some seriously sweet and hazy beat driven ElectroPop.
The video was directed by Jessie Hill and fits the music perfectly. A soft focus, magical journey.
Noosa’s Wonderland is out now.
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The latest addition to the ecclectic Cascine stable comes in the form of Brooklyn based trio Lemonade. Two years on from the release of their last record, Diver, these guys are set to release their third album; to be titled Minus Tide, in September. Before then you can have a taste of what to expect from Lemonade in the form of Stepping. A quick search on Discogs.com revels that there is indeed an artist called ‘Vodka’, we smell a collaboration coming on, we’d like a taste of that too!
The track combines the rugged and the sweet, with cascading rhythms that hit almost a tribal point with their undulating kicks, contrasting with airy pads and distant, gentle, vocals. Taking reference points of everything from 90s House to 80s soundtrack material, Stepping feels like a chaotic affair, but it’s really not. There’s order to the madness and some incredibly catchy hooks set adrift on a sea of nostalgic keys and Acidic burbling. It should be a vey interesting album.
♫ Lemonade – Stepping
Lemonade’s Minus Tide is released 9th September.
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It’s not often that we get sent non-music promo items, occasionally there will be booze, or gadgets, and there was that time Chromeo sent us a phone, but generally it’s Records and CDs. Last week, though, we got sent a book. That book was Mad World: An Oral History Of New Wave Artists And Songs That Defined The 1980s. It was was written by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein, both long time music journalists with a vested interest int he 80s. I’m a big reader, but I can barely string two words together to write a music review, let along tackle a book review.
So here is a book review.
Music books are notoriously hit or miss, more often being disappointingly miss. The last great music book I read was Last Night A DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton (which is an amazing history of DJing which is well worth the read), 80s music books in particular, usually make me annoyed with their generalizations of superficial coverage of the topic so I delved into the book with trepidation. However, the way Mad World is constructed is both fun and pretty in depth. What you have is each chapter being dedicated to a particular classic song from the 80s and it’s content being an interview with one or more of the creators. So, for example, the chapter on Yazoo’s Only You features Vince and Alison talking about their relationship and making the record. This is a great format that allows you to pick up and put down the book when you’ve got a spare minute and learn something genuinely insightful about a handful of SynthPop hits and a brief look into the mind of some of the biggest names of the 80s. Those present and correct include The Human League, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, Kim Wilde, The Normal, Duran Duran, ABC, Devo, A-Ha, Thompson Twins, OMD, Ultravox and many more.
So, yeah, book review. I really enjoyed it. Even though it’s a ‘dip in’ type volume, I read the thing from cover to cover. The fact that it’s 99% the voices of the artists who made these records makes it both more interesting, and accurate, than if a third party has just written about the tracks.
Also, there’s tons of photos, and photos from the 80s are a good thing.
One tiny niggle I did have with the book; being an American publication it has these translations for English terms throughout that tends to be a bit patronising and jarring a little. It’s an annoyance that pulls you out of the book. I know much of the books audience will be American, but I’m sure they have enough common sense to realise a “bin man” is what they would call a “garbage man”, context is a wonderful thing.
That aside though, It’s really good read, I would definitely be interested in a Volume Two being released, there’s tons of songs I would love to read about in this format.
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There a new video fro amazing New York based producer Computer Magic’s All I Ever Wanted, a raw ElectroPop tune taken from her A Million Years release.
Directed and edited by Danz herself, the clip is part lyric video, part visual cues.
Computer Magic’s A Million Years is out now.
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Australian Indie-Electro champs Cut Copy recently released this video for Meet Me In A House Of Love, taken from their storming album of last year, Free Your Mind.
It’s a pretty carefree clip, which fits with the bands music well. Nicely tongue-in-cheek.
Cut Copy release the deluxe version of Free Your Mind on 22nd July.
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Glen Check are a South Korean duo who have had a pretty successful career in that particularly East-Asian brand of sweet Indie-Electro-y Nu-Disco that that part of the world does so well. The guys have just released the second collection of reMixes of tracks from their Youth! album, this time focusing on the tracks Pacific; and on that release is this joyous four minutes from German synth-Disco master, Mr. Justin Faust.
OK, first up, ignore the rest of the track for a second, just listen to that bassline. Pure boogie. As soon as that punchy, retro synth bass kicked in Faust has us hook, line and sinker; conjuring the best mid-80s dancefloor hits to mind. Add to this some lush keys, Glen Check’s buoyant, optimistic vocals and cool summer-pop swing; and you’re left with a track that just puts a smile of your face, whatever the weather. Stick around for a mind-warping solo at the track’s finale. Groove on!
♫ Glen Check – Pacific (Justin Faust reMix)
Glen Check’s Pacific – reMixes From Youth! is out now.
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Now this is a very interesting combination. Carefree New York ElectroPoppers HAERTS being reMixed by out favourite London based duo Avec Sans. Not only are both acts superb, but they are almost trans-Atlantic twins. Avec Sans are a little more cerebral that HAERTS, but they both occupy a similar space on the music spectrum. Although HAERTS are distinctly Brooklyn sounding and Avec Sans are incredible British in their SynthPop they are almost counterparts. And both amazing. So this is bound to be awesome.
Taking on the lead track of HAERTS recent EP, Hemiplegia, Avec Sans gruff things up a bit with a relentless dance beat and growling synth bass. Avec Sans take the bouncy 80s-esque chorus and run with it, stripping it of it’s Indie pretensions and allowing it to fulfil it’s nostalgic SynthPop destiny. The soundtrack to our weekend, Avec Sans have delivered another stunning slice of ElectroPop that further cements their position as one of the UK’s brightest rising stars.
♫ HAERTS – Hemiplegia (Avec Sans reMix)
HAERTS’ Hemiplegia EP is out now.
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Indie-Electro juggernaut We Have Band released their new single Modulate last month. Taken from the British three-piece’s recent album Movements, the track, and it’s video, have already been hyped as hell. Now here comes our favourite French Londoners The Penelopes to deliver a storming retro Electro remix of the track that we are proud to première right here.
The Penelopes turn in a big chugging ElectroPop tune. Verging on Electro-Rock in places, the track is a powerhouse of driving synth bass and growling riffs. When the chorus hits, The Penelopes lighten things up a little with airy melodies and lush pads, before diving headfirst back into the B-Boy beats and relentless apreggios. The Penelopes are really expanding their sonic pallet recently; producing some awesome results. This ecclectic mix is just another feather in their cap.
♫ We Have Band – Modulate (The Penelopes reMix)
We Have Band’s Modulate is out now.
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Here we have some new music from L.A.’s Moderns. Moderns is the new project from our very own Let Em Riot who is bringing a breezy Indie flavour to his emotional Dreamwave style. Following their début of last month, Sub Urban, their latest release is Liar and it continues their journey thought deeply personal and relatable SynthPop tunes and once again proves that Alan Oakes is one of the finest songwriters in the genre.
Liar shows off more of Moderns’ sweeping and nostalgic Pop music. Exquisitely produced, the track sounds like it’s cut straight from an 80s teen movie and then remastered for 2014. Spacious and washed with reverb, the track is densely layered but never sounds crowded. Even Alan’s vocals are given room to breather amongst the airy pads and snapping snares. While you’re here check out the duo’s cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s 1985 single Bring On The Dancing Horses which let’s these guys really revel in their 80s Indie side.
♫ Moderns – Liar
♫ Moderns – Bring On The Dancing Horses (Echo & The Bunnymen Cover)
Check out more from Moderns on SoundCloud.
Devon’s Indie-ElectroPopsters Metronomy’s new video is Reservoir, a cute SynthPop tune taken from their recently released new album Love Letters.
Daniel Brereton directs the animated videos, that is just a quaint as the track itself.
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