Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
Up first today, the mighty Cabaret Voltaire with 1980’ ‘Nag Nag Nag’, laying foundation for all electronic music that came after it.
Late ‘80’s Pet Shop Boys now with ‘Domino Dancing’ from 1988, with that post-Italo NRG bassline.
Oh, go on then. Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ from 1982.
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So, we here at electronic rumors have been on-board with Welsh ElectroPop maestro Rod Thomas, A.K.A. Bright Light Bright Light, for a few years now. I think we first wrote about him back in early 2012 and have consistently followed his career ever since, so we are so happy for him that his début album his the stores (as we used to say) next month. ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ work on two levels, both as a fresh new album and as a collection of Rod’s hits for long term fans.
About half of the records is the best of the past two years of Bright Light X2’s output, and it;s really nice to have them all collected together here. ‘A New Word To Say’ & ‘Cry At Films’, the tracks that introduced us to Rod’s works are present, the immense (and still our favourite) single ‘Love Part II’ is here alongside newer releases such as ‘Disco Moment’ and ‘Waiting For The Feeling’, and bundled together like this these tracks really show Rod’s decent into all things ‘90’s. Unashamedly a ‘90’s lover, Bright Light X2 has been slowly working a big ‘90’s dance sound into in songs and the progression from the almost Indie-Electro ‘New Word’ to pure 1996 DancePop of ‘Waiting’ is a an enjoyable ride. Whit a body of work together like this, it really is evident just how good a songwriter Rod is, I honestly think there are few people working as independent artists that can match his ability to pen a clean, catchy and emotionally resonant Pop song, and with his crisp SynthPop production, ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ is a masterclass in how to make an electronic Pop album. So, how is the other half of the album, the new tracks? Well, the more than live up to the expectations raised by the singles. Rod revels in his love of the ‘90’s and you can just tell he’s having fun with the music, a rarity these days. The album’s opener ‘Immature’ is upbeat, infectious and epic, and sucks you straight into the record while the likes of ‘Feel It’ and ‘Moves’ are classic ElectroPop. There are even moments where Rod breaks the mould, like the ballad ‘Debris’, or ‘Grace’ with it’s shuffling industrial rhythms. ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ is the kind of début album that people will take note of. SynthPop tends to be a genre outside of time anyway, but I can definitely see this being an album that will be listened to , and enjoyed, in 10 years time, or 20.
♫ Bright Light Bright Light – A New Word To Say
♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Love Part II
♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Disco Moment
♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Waiting For The Feeling
While we’re here, lets announce the lucky winners of our Bright Light Bright Light competition. These lucky folks have won guest list spaces for them and a +1 to the Bright Light X” album launch party in London.
Twitterers @benfromparis and @TheAndyEff take the prize.
Unlucky, don’t worry, you can go anyway, here are all the details.
Bright Light Bright Light’s début album, ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ is released 4th June via The Blue Team.
Buy Bright Light Bright Light’s music from:
after a string of classy videos, Queen Of Hearts has seriously outdone herself with her new one.
The clip for ‘Neon’, directed by Between Man and Beast, is pretty a stunning journey though light and shade. it;s moody and beautiful and awesome stuff.
Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out 14th May. Out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.
Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:
Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
One of the best synth riffs in existence, from 1988, Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s ‘Push It’.
Austrian Pop maverick Falco‘s ‘Rock Me Amadeus’ was an unexpected runaway hit in 1985.
In 1984 Mr. Billy Ocean released one of the smoothest songs of all time, ‘Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)’. Performed here on TOTP.
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Now this is what you need to ease yourself into the week after the long bank holiday weekend (if you’re UK reader, my stats tell me a good deal of you are from the US, sorry guys, I feel your pain), the second part of Queen Of Hearts’ seemingly BladeRunner themed new single. This flipside to ‘Neon’, ‘Tears In The Rain’.
This slice of ElectroPop beauty was produced by the awesome Mr. Stefan Storm from The Sound Of Arrows. Whist retaining the majestic quality of ‘Neon’ and shot through with the Queen Of Hearts particular band of melancholy, ‘Tears In The Rain’ is a rich and gentle track that envelops you in it’s warm musical embrace. Stefan’s twisting, hypnotic synths shows that signature The Sound Of Arrows’ optimism-against-adversity that perfectly mirrors The Queens’ smokey beckoning delivery, the combination of the two elevating the listener out of the darkness. Atmospherically layering the track with a hint of storm (the weather, not the dude) is genius, giving such a laid back track a sense of urgency adds to the drama of the song, giving ‘neon and ‘Tears In The Rain’ a appearance of narrative. There’s no doubt really that Queen Of Hearts is going to be a massive Pop star, that’s a given, but we believe she will constantly surprise her audience with how deep, how un-throwaway her Pop will be, and that’s what always makes a proper, true Pop star, one that sticks around. The video for the single A-Side, ‘Neon’, is coming soon, can’t wait for that!
♫ Queen Of Hearts – Tears In The Rain (Produced By Stefan Storm)
Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out 14th May. Out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.
Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:
The crushing electronic Power Pop of Dragonette’s new single ‘Let It Go’ is now available in video form.
Drew Lightfoot directs this series of medical experiments and Falshdance montages. This single is gonna’ be huge.
Buy Dragonette’s music from:
Bluebell are a London based duo who loads of different Pop influences into a big old musical mixing pot and come up with a ElectroIndieBedroomPop epics that seriously grow on you. They are releasing their début double A-Side single next month.
Of the two tracks ‘Normal Heights’ is the more impressive, seeming to swing from intimate, introspective Pop to giant, majestic, aria with ease. Verses laden with subtle synths and and the gentle lament of the vocal flow naturally into the tribal bombast and impassioned cries of the chorus. That;s not to say the flip side, ‘Cinderella’ is lacking, if fact it’s probably the better bet for a hit between the two, it;s relentless synthetic chugging grind juxtaposed with Annabel Jones’ fragile, and incredibly catchy, lyrics make for a compelling combination. ‘Normal Heights’ and ‘Cinderella’ make an impressive début, and one that’s bound to see Bluebell getting a lot more attention.
♫ Bluebell – Normal Heights
♫ Bluebell – Cinderella
‘Normal Heights’/‘Cinderella’ is released 11th June on Killing Moon.
Check out more from Bluebell on SoundCloud.
Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
Simon Harris’ ‘Bass (How Low Can You Go)’ video from 1988 was like who’s who of UK Hip Hop in the ‘80’s, some US pioneers too…and Dave Pearce.
From 1989, Lil’ Louis’ groaning ‘French Kiss’ terrified old people at the time. Hypnotic Sex House will do that.
Neneh Cherry’s 1989 follow up to ‘Buffalo Stance’, ‘’Manchild’ was a more personal affair.
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Here’s the video for Little Boots’ current track, ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ and in keeping with the ‘90’s House influence on the track, the video rocks the ‘90’s hard.
Zaiba Jabbar directs this clip which makes stark use of contrasting black and whites for a simple but striking visual style.
Buy Little Boots’ music from:
When electronic music legend and all round nice guy Mark Reeder asked me to hook him up with the future ruler of all things ElectroPop, Queen Of Hearts, I was like ”hell yeah!, that can only end well”. A man who has been instrumental in shaping electronic and dance music spanning four decades from Manchester to Berlin and a woman with a passion for electronic Pop music and a voice that could melt stone. What more can you ask for, really?
‘Mark Reeder’s Electrically Excited reMix’ of Queen Of Hearts new single ‘Neon’ is a pulsating, synthetic, floorfiller that marries Reeder’s trademark Berlin TechPop with The Queen’s husky delivery. It’s actually quite interesting to hear Queen If Hearts set amongst the cold robotic arpeggios and moody pads of Berlin Techno and Reeder perfectly finds the balance between the two, creating something robotic, but with a soul. Which, considering forthcoming double A-side the single is rife with BladeRunner references (whether accidental or not) is a pretty fitting sound. There’s a dark machine beauty to the track, and an epic cinematic quality which makes the whopping seven minutes feel like a flowing musical narrative. This is the hopefulness on rain soaked, neon lit, dystopian city streets.
♫ Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Mark Reeder’s Electrically Excited reMix)
Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out 14th May, out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.
Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:
electronic rumors 