Tag Archives: SynthPop

Jan 31 2013

[Audio] Bloodgroup’s ‘Fall’

Bloodgroup

You may, not may not, remember Icelandic Experimental ElectroPop outfit Bloodgroup from their 2007 début album Sticky Situation. At the time they ware completely unfairly dismissed by a lot of the music press as a poor-man’s The Knife, mostly by journalists completely uneducated in electronic music (they may as well have said “all this electronic stuff sounds the same”), but one listen to the follow up album, Dry Land, and tracks like the album’s lead single, My Arms, immediately displayed an avant-garde SynthPop identity of their own. The four piece are back for 2013 with a third album, Tracing Echoes, heralded by it’s inaugural single, Fall.

Fall is a beautiful piece of rousing tundra-Pop. A quiet manner and a build of intricate rhythms and gently tones belie quite an epic, anthemic, song. Warping synth pulses and icy pads form an interesting contrast to the heartfelt vocals giving you the best of two worlds in one track. Both experimental, and Poppy, Fall bodes well for the album.

♫ Bloodgroup – Fall

Bloodgroup’s Tracing Echoes is released in March.

Buy Bloodgroup’s music from:

    

Jan 31 2013

[Video] Ghost Capsules’ ‘Inside’

Ghost Capsules are a new ElectroPop quartet lead by Bomb The Bass main man Tim Simenon. Their début single, Inside, is an amazingly involving symphony of spikey synths, complex beats and razor sharp vocals.

Check the video, directed by Eni Brandner, setting the urban scene for Ghost Capsules music.

Ghost Capsules’ Inside is due out 29th March with an album to follow.

Buy Ghost Capsules’ music from:

 

Jan 30 2013

[Video] Goin’ Old School: Rational Youth & My Mine

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

Canadian SynthPop legends Rational Youth third single from 1982, Saturdays In Silesia.

And Italo trio My Mine’s début single. Blurring the line between Italo and SynthPop is Hypnotic Tango from 1983.

You can buy most of this  music from:

 

Jan 29 2013

[Video] Vanbot’s ‘Hold This Moment’

Here is the brand new video from our girl Vanbot for her forthcoming single Hold This Moment. We’ve been waiting for new Vanbot material for a while now and Hold This Moment doesn’t disappoint. It’s big, chilly, ScandiPop with tons of heart. Beautiful, melodic, SynthPop.

The video is the slickest clip Vanbot had done to date. It’s very Scandinavian, full of stark monochromes and tundra, but has an amazing personality too. This has made out day.

Vanbot’s Hold This Moment is released in February.

Buy Vanbot’s music from:

     

Jan 29 2013

[Audio] Miami Nights 1984 reMixes Sally Shapiro

sally-shapiro

Sally Shapiro’s, Electric Youth featuring, Starman is officially released today. Ever since we wrote about the track earlier this month we’ve been pretty excited about the release coming out, not least because it is backed with this track. A reMix from electronic rumors favourite and one of the leading lights of the SynthWave scene, Miami Nights 1984.

Sally Shapiro’s swirling, 60s inspired, cute ElectroPop and MN84’s driving Outrun and retro leads, how will that sound? As it turns out, amazing. Kicking things off with an Italo bassline and heavy, heavy, drums, MN84 creates a moody synthetic groove as we enter the song, but it’s the choruses where MN84 really let’s himself go. Taking advantage of the big vocals MN84 revels in the drama and throws all manner of big synth lines at the listener, and suddenly, Sally Shapiro is performing on Top Of The Pops circa the mid-80s. the other highlight of the tune, is MN84 introducing the SynthWave build, combine a big build with SynthWave soloing and something truly magical happens. just Listen.

♫ Sally Shapiro (Feat. Electric Youth) – Starman (Miami Nights 1984 reMix)

Starman is released today. Sally Shapiro’s Somewhere Else album is released next month on Paper Bag Recordings.

Buy Sally Shapiro’s music from:

Jan 29 2013

[Audio] Homework’s ‘The Edge Of Control Was Black’

Homework

It seems like Scotland is getting all the UK ElectroPop action right now. The next act that looks set for their fair share of media attention, after Glasgow’s Chvrches, appears to be Homework, who hail from Edinburgh. I smell an Electro city-based rivalry afoot. These guys are gearing up for the release of their début album, 13 Towers. Here’s the first track.

The Edge Of Control Was Black is something a bit different. Whilst it’s roots are definitely in ElectroPop and Minimal Synth, it;s essentially a rock song, made with Synths. A swirling cacophony of beautiful electronics set to a pile-driver Industrial beat. It’s exciting stuff, a melodic noise that is just the right kind of avant-garde that will appeal to those who like their music a little more ecclectic, but not so dark and grinding that it would stop them achieving mainstream attention. The cosmic garage band of the synth world, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Homework.

♫ Homework – The Edge Of Control Was Black

Homework’s début album, 13 Towers, is released 13th March, you can pre-order it here.

Check out more from Homework on SoundCloud.

Jan 21 2013

[Video] Mesh’s new single

Here’s the video for the new single from Bristolian SynthPoppers Mesh. Born To Lie is the first single taken from the soon to be released new album Automation Baby.

The clip features a load of live footage set to a track which, although you can hear hints on good-old Fragile Mesh in there (especially in the chorus), continues down the bands rockier path.

Buy Mesh’s music from:

    

Jan 18 2013

[Audio] Marsheaux’s ‘Alone’

Marsheaux

Greek ElectroPop queens Marsheaux have had one of the tracks from their forthcoming new album, Inhale, premièred on their label, Undo Records, soundcloud. Other than some demos of tracks which won;t be making the album, this is the first we’ve heard of the new material.

Alone, starts off worryingly nu-EBM, and for a brief second our hearts sank, but the track soon descends into a majestic Ladytron-esque verse followed by a lusciously epic-Pop chorus. Despite it’s reliance on a lacklustre arpeggio, Alone is a wonderfully charismatic track that sticks with you all day. Sweeping Pop songs suit Marsheaux well. It’s a fantastic song, only slightly marred by under-produced EBM beats, and bodes well for the new album. Also, we’d love to hear this reMixed.

♫ Marsheaux – Alone

Buy Marsheaux’s music from:

Jan 15 2013

[Video] Goin’ Old School: OMD

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

This week Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark announced their forthcoming new album, English Electric, which is due out 8th April. What better time, then, to drop a couple of classic OMD track, starting with their biggest single, 1980’s Enola Gay.

Followed by Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc), from 1982.

You can buy most of this  music from:

 

Jan 14 2013

[Video] Monarchy & Dita Von Teese’s ‘Disintegration’

ElectroPop heroes Monarchy have just premièred the video for their new single, the Dita Von Teese featuring Disintegration. The first track from their forthcoming second album, this has been pretty eagerly awaited.

The clip is directed by Roy Raz, and the track sets aside any fears we had about Monarchy’s new material, it’s a class tune.

Monarchy & Dita Von Teese’s Disintegration is released 15th January with reMixes from MiGHty mOUse and Mike Luck.

Buy Monarchy’s music from: