Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Absolute Body Control- Surrender No Resistance

A brand new Absolute Body Control EP "Surrender No Resistance" with 6 tracks, including unreleased material and remixes from Covenant, Millimetric, Crash Course In Science and Amictric has been released on 27 May. Absolute Body Control will combine the "Sorrow" and "Surrender No Resistance" EPs for a special vinyl album release called "Mindless Intrusion", on the 'Minimal Maximal' label in a limited edition of 500 hand numbered copies and scheduled for July 2011.
ABC appears with the exclusive "Surrender No Resistance - MassDefect Remix" on Electro For Japan 2011 on Band Camp. All the money for each download is instantly transferred via PayPal to orders soundispatch com for the "Minakami Blue Monkey Rescue Fund". 

http://users.telenet.be/djwattie/dirk/ 


Monday, May 30, 2011

Bobby O- Social Contact Theory

The American record producer and dance music artist has released a new album this month on May 15, 2011. The album is entitled 'Social Contact Theory' and features addictive beats, catchy melodies, uplifting arrangements in Bobby O style. Even if there were no singles confirmed from the album, there is a whole series of songs streaming on Youtube. Here is one example.



Sunday, May 29, 2011

Blue Zoo 2011

Almost thirty years ago after the release of their biggest hit "Cry Boy Cry", Blue Zoo have reunited in the recent years to have fun, to perform together and they are also working on new material. During their recent gig at the Castle they were supported by Savage Furs who were recently featured here in an interview. Head over to Blue Zoo official to find more about the group or to recall old memories. Don't miss the live section with the recent live performance.

www.bluezoo.org.uk


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Featured: Talk Talk- Such a Shame

"Such A Shame" was one of Talk Talk's biggest hits in continental Europe and the second single from the the album It's My Life. The songs was written by Mark Hollis and he was inspired by Luke Rhinehart’s cult novel The Dice Man. The novel tells a story of psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. The song was reissued twice, in 1990, when it became a hit in the UK and in 2004.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Jean Michel Jarre- Essential and Rare

Jean Michel Jarre will release a two CD compilation album 'Essentials and Rarities' which will feature Jarre's most essential work as well as tracks made before his ground-breaking album 'Oxygène'. Most of the tracks on Rarities were never officially released on CD before. The album is released in memory of Francis Dreyfus, who was the founder of Jarre's first record label 'Disques Dreyfus' and who died in the previous year. The compilation is out on May 30, 2011.



Monday, May 23, 2011

May Singles Round-Up

Time to reveal the best singles released in the month of May. We begin with one of my favorite songs for this spring by the Swedish band Daybehavior who have just released a wonderful single "Silent Dawn". The band will release a new album during this summer and reveal more info about that in the upcoming interview. The French group Indochine have recorded a tribute song "Un Ange à ma Table" which is inspired by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Stranger Station have released their first single in thiry years, "Cynthia", a direct follow up to their only single "Minutes to Silence". Ladytron were all in the news with the first single from the new album entitled "White Elephant", the album is out later this year. Austra have released the second single "Lose It" from their much anticipated debut album 'Feel it Break' and Austin based Boy Friend make their debut with the dreamy "Lovedropper". Finally, the long awaited Blondie album is out this month as well as the title track and lead single "Mother".



Sunday, May 22, 2011

80's Duets: Sparks & Jane Wiedlin- Cool Places

As a big fan of Sparks in the early 80's Jane Wiedlin recorded a duet with Ron and Russel in 1983. The song "Cool Places" was taken form Sparks' album "In Outer Space" which remained their biggest hit in the USA. Wiedlin also helped promote the album on tour and appeared at a few gigs to perform the duets.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Next Wave: A Terrible Splendour

A Terrible Splendour are a New Romantic Synthesiser Cabaret outfit from London. Their songs weave tales of blackmail and despair, of cruelty and of heartbreak. They draw their inspiration from the drama of faded silver screen stars, imprisoned dissidents and espionage. Having built a following around their blood and cake stained live performance, ATS are set to release their debut single "The Russians" / "Slaves to the City" on June 17th, whilst continuing to work on their debut album 'An Evening in the Company of A Terrible Splendour'. 
Check out their Facebook band page to listen to their latest single. 

http://www.aterriblesplendour.com/


Instant Hit: Dhuo- Walkin'

Italian producer Bruno Bergonzi and Mike Logan recorded several songs and one album under the name Dhuo in the first half of the 80's. "Walking" was the first single which was released from their only album Overflow in 1984. The band released two more singles in 1985 before disbanding.


Friday, May 20, 2011

In Conversation: Sensual Harassment

 The Reptilian Humanoid alliance is back! The New York based trio Sensual Harassment have released their debut album in April and have stopped by for an interview in which they tell us more about their influences, live music, their future plans and how they developed their specific music style.  


Sensual Harassment Q-A

WAW: Blondie- Mother

Blondie have recorded an official video for the first single "Mother" from the album 'Panic of Girls'. Both, the single and the album are set to be released this month. The video for the song "Mother" was recorded by Laurent Rejto.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Psyche- Insomnia Theatre Box Set

This month VOD Records will release 'Insomnia Theatre' - the original Canadian Edition of Psyche's 1985 debut. Now as a beautifully redesigned and remastered 3 LP Boxset including the recordings from "Tales From The Darkside" & early vintage tracks from '83 - '86. Added to the package are a 7" single with extended mixes of "Misery" & "Goodbye Horses". Plus a bonus DVD including the complete "Beyond Sensation" videos and a few more extra surprises!




Spoons- Static in Transmission

The Canadian band Spoons have returned with a new album this year. Their new album 'Static in Transmission' was released in March on Fontana North/Universal Music Canada and it is their first album after 'Vertigo Tango' from 1988. "Static In Transmission" CD release party will be held on June 1, 2011 at the Revival 783 College Street in Toronto. To promote their new album they will also be doing few live shows. More info about that via Spoons official.


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

WAW: John Maus- Believer

The release date of John Maus' long awaited third album 'We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves' is approaching, it is set to be released on June 28, 2011. In the meantime here is an official video for a song "Believer", to be taken from the album. The video was created using a mixture of rare vintage video equipment and experimental techniques reflecting the often blurry yet always determined world of John Maus.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Mark Hollis and Talk Talk

Talk Talk is an English band which was formed in the early 80’s consisting of Mark Hollis (vocals), Simon Brenner (keyboards), Lee Harris (drums) and Paul Webb (bass guitar). The group released five brilliant studio albums and several hit singles during their ten year existence. In the early years, they were generally associated with the New Romantic movement and their music was mainly based on synthesizer sound. Due to some line-up changes, the band managed to transform their music into the authentic Talk Talk and to serve more complex and organic sound. On both tracks, the band remains as one of the most influential bands in the music history.


The group was formed around a nucleus of drummer Lee Harris, bassist Paul Webb, and singer and chief songwriter Mark Hollis. Previously Mark had been in the band the Reaction until its disintegration in 1979. Mark Hollis continued to write music and he was offered some studio time to demo his song writing in 1981. Rehearsals with Hollis's new material went well, Simon Brenner was introduced on keyboards and the band officially became a four–piece group Talk Talk. The band's demo material and a couple of gigs secured them a session on Radio One, and a subsequent deal with EMI.


Talk Talk's first line-up released a self-titled debut EP in 1982 which was quickly expanded into a full-length album entitled ‘The Party's Over’ which was produced by Colin Thurston who was also producing albums for label mates Duran Duran. The album itself was not a huge success upon release and reached 21 after the single “Today” topped the charts. ‘The Party’s Over’ remained the only album on which writing credits were shared by the entire band.
In 1983 Simon Brenner left the band, just after the non-LP single “My foolish Friend” was released as a single. Later he was replaced by Tim Fries-Greene who became Talk Talk’ unofficial fourth member, Hollis frequent songwriting partner and a major contributor to the band’s studio output. Friese-Greene did not regularly play with the band during live shows or appear in publicity material and the band was officially a trio.
Nothing further was released for a year and Mark Hollis spend the whole year writing new material and assembling musicians to record a follow-up. Talk Talk became a looser more flexible creative unit and abandoned synthesizer s as the main instrument of the band. Their second album ‘It’s my Life’ was released in 1984 and two songs from the album, "It’s my Life" and "Such a Shame" became top ten hits around Europe, but were largely ignored in their native UK. Their new sound featured more melodic arrangements and guitars for the first time. Things went quiet after the third single release and Talk Talk came up with a mini LP release which featured extended and remixed versions of the previously released singles.


The band started recording again throughout 1985 and their first result was the stunning new single “Life’s What You Make It”, released in 1986. The album was released a month later. Instead of synthesizers the, ‘The Colours of Spring’ was a record of rich textures and featured natural instruments and more organic sound. The album went gold and became their biggest studio album success in the UK. Talk Talk launched a major world tour to promote it. Most notable among those concerts was the one at the 'Montreaux Jazz Festival'.


The success of ‘The Colour of Spring’ afforded the band a bigger budget and schedule for the recording of their next album. Their next record ‘Spirit of Eden’ was released in 1988, on EMI's Parlophone label. The album was assembled from many hours of improvised instrumentation that Hollis and Friese-Greene had edited and arranged using digital equipment. The result was a mix of rock, jazz, classical, and ambient music. Although the album made the UK Top 20 upon release, the band declared they would not tour in support of it. During the making of ‘Spirit of Eden’, Talk Talk manager Keith Aspden had attempted to free the band from their recording contract with EMI, and after many months of litigation, the band ultimately succeeded in extracting themselves from the contract. EMI then sued the band, claiming that 'Spirit of Eden' was not "commercially satisfactory", but the case was thrown out of court.


With the band now released from EMI, the label released the retrospective compilation ‘Natural History’ in 1990. It peaked at number 3 on the UK album chart and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000 copies, and eventually went on to sell more than 1 million copies worldwide. The 1984 single "It's My Life" was also re-released, and this time became the band's highest charting single in their native country, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release of the single "Life's What You Make It" also reached the Top 30. Following up on this renewed popular interest in the band, the label then released ‘History Revisited’ in 1991, a compilation of 12 inch singles and alternative versions which made the Top 40, an unusually high placing for what was effectively a remixes album. The band sued EMI for releasing the remixed material without their permission.
In 1990, Talk Talk signed a two-album contract with Polydor Records. They released ‘Laughing Stock’ on Polydor's Verve Records imprint in 1991. The album crystallized the experimental sound the band started with ‘Spirit of Eden’ and adopted an even more minimalist style than its predecessor.


Note:The artist James Marsh designed the first cover image for It's My Life based on the band's name. He followed the theme for subsequent singles, remaining the band's artistic frontman and creating all their covers and posters throughout their career.

After Laughing Stock, Talk Talk disbanded in 1992. Paul Webb rejoined Lee Harris, and the two went on to form the band .O.rang, while Tim Friese-Greene started recording under the name Heligoland. In 1998, Mark Hollis released his self-titled solo début 'Mark Hollis', which was very much in keeping with the minimalist post-rock sound of 'Spirit of Eden' and 'Laughing Stock'. Hollis retired from the music industry shortly afterwards.
Twenty years after Talk Talk disbanded, EMI has reissued a double CD compilation which features the group’s most successful albums to date, ‘It’s My Life and ‘The Colour of Spring’. In his recent blog entry Alan Wilder announced that he has recorded a cover track for the upcoming Talk Talk tribute album. Full updates will be up as the project is confirmed.
On February 24th, it was reported on social media that the lead singer and the creative mastermind of Talk Talk has passed away. The news was confirmed the next day. His former manager confirmed that his death after two days saying that Hollis died  after "a short illness from which he never recovered"


Source:
Wikipedia (edit)
Mark Hollis Unofficial (edit)
News about Talk Talk Tribute Album


Rational Youth- New EP Series

Rational Youth will release a series of EP's of new re-recordings of some of their classic songs through their re-launched record label YUL Records. Their new EP is based on their 1982 hit "Dancing On The Berlin Wall" which contains six new tracks: two different versions in each of English and German, as well as an extended mix in English. The EP was mixed by Jean-Pierre Isaac. All the tracks are available for downoad from iTunes.

More info: www.rationalyouth.net


Monday, May 16, 2011

WAW: Kate Bush- Deeper Understanding 2011

The video for Kate Bush's remake of the song "Deeper Understanding" has been released and it is available on Youtube. The brand new Kate Bush official site is now available under the name "Fish People- The official site of Kate Bush", be sure to check it out.

Led Er Est - May EP

Following up their excellent Wierd Records debut LP "Dust on Common" and a limited European split-12", Led Er Est return with a new 12" EP, named "May", their second release on C/T. The trio describe the record as a ".. collection of theme-based songs, almost like a dark sci fi film soundtrack..." The songs were written at various points some were written on the long drives over their last European tour. "May" is available for digital and vinyl release and is a precursor to their forthcoming LP on the brilliant Sacred Bones label.

http://lederest.com


Thursday, May 12, 2011

Dave Gahan- Among Godfathers of Glam

The March 13th, 2011 edition of the New York Times ran a photo spread called "Ballad Of A Thin Man - Godfathers Of Glam". Dave was featured among artists as Bryan Ferry, Iggy Pop and Michael Stipe.
Earlier this month, he participated at this year's MusiCares MAP concert on May 6th. He received the "Stevie Ray Vaughan Award" from the Recording Academy's charitable arm for his support of the MAP Fund. During the Music Cares concert, he performed the Joy Division's classic "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

http://www.nytimes.com



Wednesday, May 11, 2011

B.E.F. & Heaven 17's 'The Luxury Gap' Live

Following the success of Heaven 17’s 'Penthouse and Pavement 30th Anniversary Tour' in 2010, Martyn Ware’s production project, ‘British Electric Foundation’ (B.E.F.) is proud to present ‘Music of Quality and Distinction Live’, a 2-day festival at London’s prestigious Roundhouse from October 14-15th, celebrating 30 years of seminal electronic music and unique collaborations.


Heaven 17 will perform the world premiere of their 1983 album ‘The Luxury Gap’ on Friday October 14t husing 3D soundscape composition techniques pioneered by Martyn Ware and Vince Clarke followed by B.E.F.’s first ever live performance featuring tracks from the albums ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol. 1 & 2’ on Saturday October 15th. Guest vocalists confirmed for the Music of Quality and Distinction concert include Elly Jackson (LaRoux), Boy George (Culture Club), Green Gartside (Scritti Politti), Sandie Shaw, Kim Wilde, Andy Bell (Erasure), Shingai Shoniwa (Noisettes), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17) and Polly Scattergood (more names to be confirmed shortly).

Tickets go on sale Thursday April 12th at 10am. Ticket hotline: 0844 844 0444. Book online: www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Day tickets: £23.50. Weekend tickets: £42.50.

http://www.heaven17.com/index.html

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

The Cars- Move This Way

The Cars have released a new album. The album will be their first since 1987's 'Door to Door' and features all of the original band members except for bassist and vocalist Benjamin Orr. The album is released by 'Concord Music Group' and it was produced by Jacknife Lee. The band has also recorded a video for their first single from the album "Sad Song" which was previewed earlier this year via Facebook.

www.thecars.org


Monday, May 9, 2011

Instant Hit: The Twins- Ballet Dancer

The German group the Twins has had several hits during the first half of the 80's mostly in Italy with their synth pop driven Italo disco tunes. "Ballet Dancer" was one of their biggest hits charting not only in Italy, but also in their home country. Very up-to-date, it was released in 1983 and appeared on their album A Wild Romance.


Sunday, May 8, 2011

Welcome to Talk Talk May!

Erasure Reissues

Erasure have announced that on July 4th EMI will be reissuing the first two Erasure albums - 'Wonderland' and 'The Circus' - in special expanded 3-disc editions, each featuring two CDs and an all-regions NTSC DVD. Both releases will feature remastered versions of the original albums, each supplemented by single remixes, b-sides and radio session tracks across the two CD discs, plus a DVD containing the promotional videos for the singles from each album, plus a live concert.

www.erasureinfo.com/news/index



Friday, May 6, 2011

In Conversation: Savage Furs

Savage Furs is a London based trio consisting of Del Jae(Vocals), JJD and Chris Flatline. Their music displays the image of shadowy eroticism melting with the music’s synthpop vanguard and industrial tones. In the recent interview for the Burning Flame Blog Del Jae, JJD and Chris told us more about the band, their influences , favorite music and their plans for the future.

1. What is the origin of your band name and what did you inspire to take this name?

JJD: There isn't really a specific story behind the origin of the band name so much as a lot of time hanging out in an inconveniently located, attached townhouse in East London and late nights with questionable beverages trying to distill the essence of the band down into a name that was simple yet visually representative. At the time we were looking for something a bit psychedelic and perhaps influenced slightly by science fiction. I think the name initially had a very Kenneth Anger vibe. It was really just one of those things that "clicked".

DEL JAE: It also had connotations of life from death which we also enjoyed the notion of. It's just a name though.

2. How did you guys meet and what did inspire you to make music together?

JJD: Savage Furs initially just started out with Del and myself late 2009. Back in 2004 I was living in Vancouver BC (Canada) and he in Northampton. We were in bands at the time that were signed to a promising start-up label in the UK. We corresponded with each other based on that as we had mutual tastes and although those bands broke up within a year or so after that, we kept in touch and with me moving over here a few years ago, we finally met in person at the start of an exciting creative vortex and we've been good friends and bandmates since.

DEL JAE: It seemed natural considering our tastes in music and aesthetics, we both liked 'outsider' music yet appreciated pop. Not to mention an array of films and literature that play a part in our music. We just needed another person to get it up and running live, hence Chris.

CHRIS: I knew Del and Jack vaguely from the East London 'wave' music scene but hadn't really talked until they gave me a demo at Endurance, a clubnight that I run, I've been given demos CDs before and generally they're a bit shit but I was totally blown away by this. They were referencing bands and themes that no one else on the planet is right now, let alone anyone in London!

3. Who do you consider as a major influence at the start of your musical career?

DEL JAE: The things that have had the largest influence has to be related to the pop music that shaped me as a child, a lot of which I still love now, and some of which make their way into our music in some shape or form. My dads Roxy Music albums I suppose as well...I enjoy clever pop and certainly see the merits in having universally appreciated music, as long as its from a skilled source. I also think my companion to that is the post-punk era, and the mind set that eventually could be traced into several streams of genres too long a list to mention. I don't personally think either are mutually exclusive necessarily, for example Bauhaus were on the cover of Smash Hits, growing up around their hometown of Northampton I didn't really understand that there was a difference between mainstream music and avant garde because there was a point when bands could be both.

JJD: It's a bit tricky to distill that down to one instance but to pick one thing sort of specific as a reference point. It was this one and only album called "Nervous Circuits" by a group called The VSS back in 1997. When I was young I was really involved in the punk and hardcore scene on the West Coast (Canada/US); going to shows, playing in a few bands, etc. As I neared the end of my teens in the mid/late 1990s that scene at the time started to feel a bit conservative and self-policing, as well as just emotionally and artistically limiting to me. I was starting a self-engaged mission of unearthing a lot of classic post-punk and synth/new wave stuff and there were some bands from the scene at the time that were starting to amalgamate that sound into their music, The VSS being one of them. That record, as well as a few others, appeared at the same time I getting into that stuff so it sort of all just clicked and all of those factors informed the direction I would sort of continue with from thereon in.

CHRIS: Personally my main influences have always been electronic sounds, starting with the Doctor Who theme when I was a child. Later it was ambient/electronic bands in the 90s like Orbital and The Future Sound of London through to industrial music and more recently a mix of old and current minimal wave, italo disco and cosmic / prog type stuff. I'm not so much into the actual technology  used to create the music (synths etc) it's more the ability to create environments and atmospheres with sound that are ... not of this world, I suppose !

4. What genre of music do you consider your work to be?  Main themes and topics of your songs…

DEL JAE: Genres don't really mean anything to us, but unfortunately you always have to use them to get other people to like you, which most of time is just ends up being a vicious circle. The main themes lyrically and aesthetically I suppose lie a juxtapose of influences from science fiction, fantasy, pop and art. Most of the lyrics have a simple theme running through them, but I prefer them to have an extra depth or a 'visual' element when reading or hearing them. By painting a more cinematic image with the words i think it entices the listener in on an different level, treating each song as though it were a movie of its own. The tone of the songs perhaps has an overall vibe you may get from watching a John Hughes film that had been directed by Kenneth Anger. I think perhaps the songs musically almost sit well with that description.  
JJD: I'm finding more and more, especially in the last few years, that the driving influences and inspirations in the music I'm involved in writing is less focused on music but incorporating other things as well: film, pop culture, art, mathematics, philosophy, humour, etc. Sounds a bit pretentious but it's true. When we started out we were more gearing up the sound based on moving forward with what we had observed each other doing in past projects; so it was a bit more aggressive and going for a more psychedelic angle. As we started getting to know one another our material is starting to get more synthesiser based so I guess "post-punk" or "new wave" apply.

CHRIS: This is an interesting one because I think you have to have a decent knowledge of a wide range of music to try and pinpoint what we're trying to do, or you fall into the trap of just calling it '80s'. The 80s label is complete rubbish, that's just the starting era of electronic pop, you wouldn't call all rock music '50s' just because that's when people started using electric guitars. But anyway, it's clearly a mix of genres but overall I have always thought of it as a form of space rock.

5. How do you promote your live shows and your music? What do you expect from your fits live shows?

JJD: All of our efforts have been a do-it-yourself thing and we as a band have been putting a lot of legwork into this early stage of what Savage Furs is. We've put organising and promoting shows with friends, DJs and musicians in East London that swirl together to create a general scene that's got some good things going on with promoters like Brave Exhibitions, Reeperbahn, Deus Ex Machina and many more. There's a lot of tweaking and getting things just right especially when you've got some complex mixes and instrumentation, live segues between the tracks and of course, a lot of sequenced lights and smoke. It seems to set the mood and engulfs other senses than just one's ears.

6. Who are you trying to address and entertain with your music?

DEL JAE: Marlene Dietrich's ghost.

CHRIS: The cosmos.

7. What do you miss in today’s music the most?

JJD: That's opening up a big can of worms for me so I'll just keep it sort as I can. But it might be harder to find something you like because there's a lot more people doing music and exponentially more connections from the artist to the listener due to the internet. There's lots of hybrids, genres within genres and scenes so it seems daunting really find something or a sound to latch onto when a lot of people have grown up with more classic artists from the past, in a time that seems a lot more simpler to understand where things were developing and moving forward. 

CHRIS: Nothing, I hate the idea that the only good music came from some point in the past, the 60s or the 70s or the 80s. I am someone who largely listens to music from 25-30 years ago but I realised the other day that my current favourite bands are all brand new. If you don't like new music then you just haven't looked hard enough yet.

DEL JAE: My favourite bands are undisputedly from the past so for me to say I don't miss aspects of what they did would be a lie. I suppose I miss how music has become a file and not a physical product which i'm hoping will change - I miss spending all my time in record stores rather than sitting on the internet being bombarded by audio, I miss having allegiance to a band to the point where it felt like a gang mentality. I even miss MTV as it were. I also think to a degree bands were far more skilled as musicians - even the bands that at the time were considered 'throw away pop' or misunderstood and passed off as 'experimental'. I miss how bands adapted to the newly emerging technology, which has since seemed to have leveled. I think because so many bands right now have just adopted a genre that has been tried and tested they lack the edge those original bands had, it does at times become just pastiche which I don't mind as long as its as good as the original source which unfortunately most of it isn't. That said there are good bands out there that deserve support, it's just become harder for them to get heard or at least make a career from music because the industry is afraid to take risks.
8. What is your all time favorite record, song, album?

CHRIS: I don't think I could name something as specific as a song but I usually name Throbbing Gristle, not necessarily as my favourite band but at least the band that affected the music I listen to the most, although I don't listen to them much anymore. 'Metamatic' by John Foxx is an album I've always been able to listen to through from start to finish with no distractions... I think the old length, 40 minutes for an album is perfect.

JJD: I probably should have some all-time favourite song, album or whatever but it really changes pending on what sort of wave I'm riding at the time. Given that, I have a number of favourite albums across a few of the genres I listen to most. We've got a few albums we as members of Savage Furs like across the board: Metamatic as Chris mentioned, 'Red Exposure' and 'Half Machine Lip Moves' by Chrome are a group like as well. 

DEL JAE: It's no secret 'Songs From The Big Chair' by Tears For Fears is one my favourite pop albums of all time, but as Jack just mentioned there are several bands we as a whole all appreciate, Chrome, Japan, DAF and Depeche Mode to name a few.
9. What do you listen to these days?

DEL JAE: In the last week all I have really been listened to is Psychic TV and The Psychedelic Furs. The last record I bought was Wild In Wildlife by Ulterior which was long overdue album but still good.

JJD: To be honest the main thing I've been listening to is Savage Furs as I'm constantly playing tracks back in progress I work on them! Other than that a lot of everything really. The new White Car and latest Xeno & Oaklander are quite good. The first few Girls Against Boys albums have gotten some play recently. Tangerine Dream soundtracks and 'Consumed' by Plastikman get a lot of late night play as well. I do happen listen to a lot of music when going to sleep and it usually tends to be more of the soundtrack-y, filmic drone kind. Some of that music ends up in mixes that I put up online once in a while through my softriot.com website.

CHRIS: I think I've already answered this but as well as the electronic styles I listen to quite a bit of doom metal, basically Black Sabbath and newer bands who follow that kind of model. I think it all links in with the same kind of prog / space vibe.

10. Any plans of further single releases, maybe an album?

JJD: The 12" EP that we just released was something to document the first stage of the band; picking tracks from two different sets of recordings we did in late 2009 through to summer 2010. We've actually got a lot of newer material that we're tuning up to fit into our future live performances as well as producing them into demos. When we first started writing we had barely known each other and were sort of using various directions we were into trying, as well as output from previous projects as a starting point. As you get to know each other as people and start seeing that certain things work better than others, you start to distill that into more focused tracks. I'd definitely like to get another EP out for sure, and perhaps an album of around eight tracks or something. We'll have to see how it all pans out over the next little while.

11. How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with sample songs or a demo CD?

JJD: Well, the most surefire way to connect with our music would be through http://www.savagefurs.com/, where you can listen to tracks and purchase the EP in digital or vinyl format. Listeners in certain countries may find our music through the convenience of Spotify. It's not too difficult these days, especially once one finds how a inputting couple of search terms goes a long way!

WAW: Cold Cave- Villains of the Moon

Cold Cave have recorded a first video for a song from their latest album 'Cherish The Light Years'. The video for "Villains of the Moon" was directed and photographed by Sebastian Mlynarski and the song was released in April.

Kraftwerk- A New Publication

"Kraftwerk: Publikation" is a new and major biography of the first-ever all-electronic pop group and one of the most influential bands in popular music history. David Buckley examines the cult enigma that is Kraftwerk, including their beginnings in the avant-garde musical terrain of late-Sixties Germany and their Anglo-American breakthrough with "Autobahn" in 1975, as well as their astonishingly prescient work, which drew the musical template for techno, ambient, dance and all manner of electronic pop.


The inner workings of this most secretive of bands are revealed through interviews with friends and close associates, whilst the story of their incredible impact on modern music is traced up to the present day using interviews with a host of musicians, from original electro pioneers such as Gary Numan, the Human League, OMD and John Foxx, to contemporary acts still in awe of the original Man Machines.

Source info

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Howard Jones ReWorked Project

Howard Jones has launched a new project called 'ReWork Howard Jones' which will give music producers, both rising stars and old hands alike, the chance to rework some of Howard Jones' finest records. The project has been launched on April 18th with the release of remix parts for "Automaton", a track taken from his 1985 platinum selling album, 'Dream Into Action'.Beyond April 18th, Howard and his team will continue to release ‘sets’ of remix parts for a number of past classics; tracks picked from a music repertoire spanning in-excess of 25 years.

http://www.reworkhowardjones.info


Stevie Nicks- 'In Your Dreams'

Earlier this week (May 3, 2011) Stevie Nicks has released her seventh studio album and her first in ten years. The albums is entitled 'In Your Dreams' and it was co-produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and features 13 tracks. The first single from the album "Secret Love" was already release in January this year and the video for the song followed in April.

http://rockalittle.com

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

WAW: Shriekback- The Flowers of Angst

Shriekback have recorded a video for the song "The Flowers of Angst" which is taken from their eleventh studio album 'Life in A Loading Bay' which was released last year. Check out their blog entry for a video description and what inspired them to record such floral music video.

http://shriekback.com

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Next Wave: Principe Valiente

Principe Valiente is a Stockholm based indie rock band consisting of Fernando Honorato, Alexander Lehto and Joakim Janthe. Their music is frequently labeled as dark pop and their sound may partly be the result of a variety of elements inspired by the minimalism of certain post punk acts and the lushness of shoegaze, but is primarily characterized by an ambition to break new sonic ground. The group has released their promising self titled debut album earlier this year and they have announced "Into My Arms" as the new new single.

PRINCIPE VALIENTE "In My Arms" by Hidden-Treasure-Music

www.principevaliente.com


Monday, May 2, 2011

Minimal Compact- Raging and Dancing- The Anthology

Minimal Compact will return with their first career spanning anthology in this month. The Anthology is entitled 'Raging and Dancing' and it features an interview with founder member Samy Birnbach and recording material from 1981 to 1987, when the band called it a day. The Anthology is out on May 23, 2011 through Cherry Red Records.

http://www.cherryred.co.uk


Clan of Xymox- Darkest Hour

Clan of Xymox will return with a new album this May. Their 13th studio album is as they say: "An enthralling journey through the past, present and future of gloomy Goth/Dark Wave sounds". The album contains ten tracks and its relase date is scheduled for May 20, 2011. Visit the band's home page for more details.

www.clanofxymox.com


Instant Hit: He Said- Could You?

He Said was the stage name Graham Lewis of Wire was using for his solo releases during the 1980s. He released two albums and several singles between 1985 and 1989 for 'Mute' including this song which seems, has remained as the last single release entitled "Could You?".


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