Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Instant Hit: O'Gar- Playback Fantasy

"Playback Fantasy" was a first single release for the Italian singer and producer Marco Ongaro who recorded a couple of songs and one album during the 80's under a name O'Gar. "Playback Fantasy" was a hit in Europe and it was released in several European countries. The single was released in 1983 and it was issued as both 7" and 12" inch record with the instrumental version of the song as a b-side. It was also featured on O'Gar's only album Gimmick from the year 1985.


Monday, February 27, 2012

WAW: Bear in Heaven- Reflection of You

While waiting for the new Bear in Heaven album which is going to be released in April, here is a brand new video for the song "Reflection Of You" that has been revealed on Youtube today. The video was directed by John Lee of the infamous art collective PFFR (of Wonder Showzen fame). Beware of Motion sickness!

 

China Crisis- 'Ultimate Crisis'

China Crisis will release a 34-track double CD compilation entitled 'Ultimate Crisis'. This is their first compilation since 1998 when they released 'The Best of China Crisis'. 'Ultimate Crisis' follows the China Crisis story from 1982's "African And White", the first release on the local 'Inevitable' label that caught the attention of Virgin Records, throughout their singles chart career. The compilation album is out on March 12, 2012 on Virgin Records. Available on Amazon and all the big online music stores.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Crisis-China/dp/B006ZGDC0I



Out This Week: School of Seven Bells- Ghostory

School Of Seven Bells are back with their third album release this week. The album is entitled 'Ghostory' and it is their first album to be released without founding member Claudia Deheza who left the band in October 2010. The album features familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones surrounded by layers of influences from 80's pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds. The first single from the album, "Lafaye", was released in January and the album is out tomorrow, February 28, 2012 through Vagrant Records/Ghostly International. 

www.sviib.com

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Gemma Ray Sings Sparks with Sparks

Gemma Ray has teamed up with Sparks for a collaboration. The British singer takes on two Sparks songs in her own noir style, but in true maverick fashion Ron & Russell Mael have taken these two Ray-styled interpretations, and re-built them Sparks-style! Over the next weeks these songs will be revealed while a video for “How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?” is already streaming on Youtube. The single is now available to buy on 7″ and digital download.

http://gemmaray.tv


Friday, February 24, 2012

WAW: School of Seven Bells- Lafaye

School of Seven Bells have revealed a brand new video for their single "Lafaye". The video was directed by David Lowery and Toby Halbrooks and it was shot in an old house in south Dallas. It features lingering shots of singer Alejandra Deheza with lighting effects that mirror the song's slow shift from a steady, grim electronic beat to an ethereal, soaring chorus.

Via: www.rollingstone.com

February Singles Round-Up

February singles round up is here. We start with the second EP for Vince Clark and Martin Gore who record together under a name VCMG. Their second single is called "Single Blip" it is out on Mute and features four remixes of the song. Amanda Mair has released "Sense", the third singe from her self titled debut album out on Labrador. Zola Jesus and Kasabian have both released fourth singles from their albums which were released last year. Kasabian are back with "Goodbye Kiss" and Zola Jesus with "In Your Nature". Now some elctronic dream pop; M83 have issued "Reunion", a second single from their so much anticipated 2012 album 'Hurry Up, We're Dreaming' and Mauro Remidi aka Porcelain Raft has released "Unless You Speak From Your Heart" which is included on his recent album 'Strange Weekend'. Last but not least, Ladyhawke is back with "Black, White & Blue" which announces her new album coming this spring. Not so impressive as we expected it would be, but lets wait for the album and see.



Thursday, February 23, 2012

Retrovision: ABC- Poison Arrow

ABC released one of their biggest hits "Poison Arrow" thirty years ago. The song reached #6 in the UK charts and it was also included on their debut album The Lexicon of Love which was issued during the same year. The video features the lead singer Martin Fry in three roles, as a haughty upper-class opera patron, as a messenger boy at the opera, and as a bandleader at a 1960s-style swinging nightspot, in all three roles, unsuccessfully attempting to woo the leading lady, played by Lisa Vanderpump.

  

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Next Wave: Porcelain Raft

Porcelain Raft is a stage name for Mauro Remidi who has recently joined Secretly Canadian. Prior to this, back in 1999 he played his own composition at La Mama Theatre in New York as part of the tap dance show 'Vaudeville 2000' and in 2008, he collaborated with Filthy Dukes, singing on the track "Somewhere at Sea". His debut album 'Strange Weekend' reflects Mauro's new musical formula. Even if it has been made in a small place, it is hypnotizing dream-pop, with melodies and synths billowing out in all directions. The music of Porcelain Raft stands confidently on a high hill between the sounds of M83 and Beach House. 'Strange Weekend' is out now and good news is the Porcelain raft will support M83 during the European tour.

http://porcelainraft.com
http://www.facebook.com/porcelainraft


Monday, February 20, 2012

Reissue: Hard Coprs- Clean Tables Have To Be Burnt

Minimal Wave Records will release a full length LP release entitled Clean Tables Have To Be Burnt by UK legends Hard Corps. This the first time ever that rare unreleased versions of Hard Corps tracks from the 1980s have been remastered and are being made available. The album comes as a 180 gram vinyl pressing limited to 999 copies with double sided inner sleeve featuring a beautiful group shot and all of Regine’s lyrics. The album will be available in early April. More Hard Corps news to come in March. Stay tuned for that.   

http://minimalwave.com/hard-corps

Lost Videos: Act- Snobbery and Decay

"Snobbery and Decay" was the first single for Act, a short lived collaboration between Propaganda vocalist, Claudia Brücken and cult favourite Electro pioneer, Thomas Leer. The single also featured a cover of "I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You" from the musical Evita. The song was released by ZTT Records and it also appeared on their only album Laughter Tears & Rage from the year 1988.

   

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Steve Strange Has A New Formation

New Romantic vocalist Steve Strange of 'Visage' and 'Blitz Kids' fame is back with a new project called Detroit Starrzz. The collective includes artists, producers and remixers such as Patrick Ruane from chart-topping dance duo 'The Nightstylers', amazing remixstress producer and guitar virtuoso Rachel Ellektra and the highly talented and charismatic DJ Little Andy (TOTP Star Bar). They have launched their unique brand of breaks and beats-inspired synth-pop. Their new album is expected to be released soon.
www.facebook.com/pages/Detroit-Starrzz


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Reissue: Die Doraus und die Marinas First Two Albums

The first two albums by Andreas Dorau's very own Die Doraus and Marinas have been reissued for the first time on CD and Vinyl. Their debut album 'Blumen und Narzissen' was originally released in 1981 and featured their huge hit "Fred From Jupiter" which Andreas wrote when he was 16. It also remained an all time NDW classic. The second album 'Die Doraus Und Die Marinas Geben Offenherzige Antworten Auf Brennende Fragen' was released two years later in 1983 and on this album Andres carried on where he left off with "Blumen und Narzissen": Pop hits in quick succession, but this time professionally produced and radio-friendly. Both albums were released in January on Bureau B. 

www.bureau-b.com

Friday, February 17, 2012

Instant Hit: Spectral Display- There's A Virus Going Round

"There's a Virus Going Round" was a first release for a Dutch group Spectral Display in 1982. This smooth synth pop gem which featured Arianne Kraak on vocals was released as 7" and 12" with "Hang Ups" as a B-side. Both songs were also included on their self titled debut album released in the same year. Their biggest hit "It Takes a Muscle to Fall in Love" was covered by M.I.A. on her last album. 


Thursday, February 16, 2012

WAW: Azure Blue- Seasons

Azure Blue are back with a new single this month. It is a double A-sided single which features the songs 'Season' and 'Dreamy Eyes' both taken from Azure Blue's debut Rule of Thirds which was released last year in November. There is also a brand new video for the song 'Season' which was directed by Mattias Erik Johansson.

 

The Spirit of Talk Talk Updates

New updates on the Talk Talk tribute project! "The Spirit of Talk Talk" will be the name of this pompous new project which will mark Talk Talk's 30th anniversary. It will feature 30 artists and acts and personalities including King Creosote, Alan Wilder, Jason Lytle, Zero 7, Crispin Hunt, Linton Kwesi Johnson, White Belt Yellow Tag, Electric Soft Parade, Joan As Policewoman, White Lies, Goldheart Assembly and many, many more guesting cats from Bon Iver to Arcade Fire covering 30 Talk Talk tunes from 'Today' to ‘Life’s What You Make It’ to ‘After The Flood’ in their own inimitable style. 
The album is slated for release on September 3rd, 2012 on double CD and download and as part of the whole tribute-themed narrative arc the record will be accompanied by a lavish book, also called 'Spirit Of Talk Talk' which features eulogies from, among others, the smitten likes of Guy Garvey, Richard Wright (Pink Floyd), Karl Hyde (Underworld), Wild Beasts and James Lavelle from UNKLE. The artwork for both artefacts is by original Talk Talk illustrator James Marsh and the book features all manner of Mark Hollis-related delights for music lovers old and new alike to swoon over such as lost photos and handwritten lyric sheets. 

Source:
http://fiercepanda.co.uk

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Kraftwerk Eight Day Stand in New York

Kraftwerk will give a series of eight performances, each devoted to one of its albums, as part of a Museum of Modern Art retrospective of the electronic music pioneers in April, museum officials said. The performances during “Kraftwerk-Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8,” on consecutive evenings starting April 10, will not only feature tracks from one of Kraftwerk’s albums, but also other original compositions intended to showcase the group’s influence on contemporary culture. Projected images, including 3-D ones, will accompany the music. The albums will be performed in chronological order, one each night, starting with “Autobahn” from 1974 and working up through “Tour de France” from 2003. 

Source:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com
http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1257

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

LP Covers Bricked Up

The British artist Aaron Savage with experience in Photography, Print, Web and Logo design came to the idea to reconstruct a host of music’s finest album covers using only Lego. The collection includes album cover from all decades throughout the music history from Elvis to lily Allen, all bricked up in Lego.

Artist info:

Monday, February 13, 2012

Reissue: Twilight Ritual- The Factory Scream

Ten years after the CD release Twilight Ritual will release their album 'The Factory Scream' on LP. This will be a limited edition 16 track LP released through the Belgian label Onderstroom Records on February 21, 2012. All tracks on the album were written and produced by Geert Coppens and Peter Bonne. More details soon!

Retrovision: Depeche Mode- See You

"See You" was released on this date 30 years ago. It was the fourth single release for Depeche Mode which reached #6 in the UK Charts. The song was included on the band's second album 'A Broken Frame'. Martin Gore debuted here as a songwriter and Alan Wildler appeared for the first time in a DM video. The video was directed by Julien Temple. The band did not like, and it did not show up on the 1985 video compilation 'Some Great Videos', which included the band's videos up to 1985 except the 'A Broken Frame' singles and "Get the Balance Right".


Out This Week: Islands- A Sleep and A Forgetting

Island are releasing their fourth studio album this week. The album is entitled 'A Sleep & a Forgetting', lifted from a William Wordsworth poem. The lead singer Nicholas Thorburn explained that the this album is far more personal than any he has made before and added that it deals with loss, with memory and forgetting and with dreaming. The album is out on ANTI-, tomorrow, on Valentine's Day. 

More info:
 www.anti.com


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Next Wave: TRUST

TRUST is a Toronto based duo consisting of Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski. The duo was formed in 2009 when Robert and Maya began writing songs and working on their first recording material. As a result came the first singles which were released in 2011 by Sacred Bones Records. Their musical style combines dark synth waves with heavy drum beats and tends to techno at some points. TRUST have already begun to draw huge support in their home-town of Toronto where they have opened for Glass Candy, Hercules & Love Affair, Washed Out, and Zola Jesus. Their debut album which includes singles "Bulbform" and "Candy Walls" is due to be released on February 28, 2012.

http://www.ttrustt.com
http://www.facebook.com


Whitney Houston Dead at age 48

Whitney Houston, winner of multiple music awards, singer of 11 chart-topping hits on the Hot 100 and one of the biggest superstars to emerge from the 1980s, has died at the age of 48, it has been reported. No cause of death has been announced yet. Houston will mostly be remembered for her unique voice and her hits "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "I Will Always Love You". RIP Whitney.


WAW: Chromatics- Into the Black

Chromatic have announced a new single, their second from the upcoming album 'Kill For Love'. The single is called "Into The Black" and it was written and performed by Neil Young. The video for it was directed by Alberto Rossini in Gemini Vision for 'Italian do it better' films.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Dalis Car- In Glad Aloness

The long awaited Dalis Car EP entitled "In Glad Aloneness" which was recorded during the last five months Mick Karn's life in the late 2010 will be released this spring. Initiated by Peter Murphy, Karn's final work during his lifetime saw the unexpected resurrection of the duo's cult mid-1980s project, Dali's Car. The five track EP recalls the exotic Eastern-tinged Art Pop sensibility of Dali's Car's fondly remembered 1984 album 'The Waking Hour'. The album features significant contributions from friends and regular musical collaborators Steve Jansen, Jakko M Jakszyk and Theo Travis. The album will be released on April 4, 2012 and it is now available on pre-order via Burningshed. 

 www.burningshed.com/store/mickkarn

The Jesus and Mary Chain New Tour Dates

Jesus and the Mary Chain have reunited for a four dates tour in the USA. The tour will kick off in March and it will include an appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas. This will be the first time since 2008 that the band has performed in North America. 
 The revitalized Jesus And Mary Chain are then something of a miracle – a perfect combination of their earliest incendiary nihilism, and their later musical perfection. Underpinning the Reid brothers’ three-chord assault on these 2012 dates will be (sometimes drummer and guitarist from the Psychocandy and Darklands tours) John Moore on guitar, Phil King on bass and a drummer to be announced. Go to the tour dates page for venue and date info.


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Instant Hit: League of Nations- Fade

League of Nations was a Los Angeles based synth pop duo consisting of David Sinfield and Laurie Jean. They released one single and EP between 1982 and 1984. "Fade" was the title track of the only single release from 1982. Two years later, it was also included in the compilation Music For The New Depression with five other songs. 


VCMG- 'Ssss' Release Announced

Vince Clark and Martin L Gore who have recently reunited for a musical project VCMG and who are one of the most anticipated musical collaborations of 2012 will release their debut album in March. Their album is entitled 'Ssss' and it was written and produced by Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore mixed by Timothy “Q” Wiles, recorded and engineered by Sie Medway Smith and Vince Clarke and mastered by Stefan Betke (aka Pole). The album includes the recent 12” EP "Spock" plus the forthcoming EP 2 / Single "Blip". The album is out on Mute March 13, 2012. 

  http://mute.com/vcmg

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mute Presents Fad Gadget Exhibition in New York

Envoy enterprises, in collaboration with NP Contemporary Art Center and Mute, is pleased to present FGFt, a three-part project series in homage to Frank Tovey – founder of the 1970's/1980's British electronic group Fad Gadget, marking the 10 year anniversary of the pioneer’s death. Summoning a diverse group of artists and musicians who have been both directly and indirectly influenced by Tovey, the series will take place from March 1st through to April 8th, 2012 featuring a group exhibition, live music performances, and a film screening.


The group exhibition, on view at envoy enterprises from March 1st through April 8th, will feature new work inspired by Frank Tovey and specifically made for FGFt. The opening reception is on March 1st from 6-8pm. On March 3 at 10:30pm, Xeno & Oaklander and Ike Yard will each give live performances at Dixon Place as part of the music program. Additionally, Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey will make it’s US premiere at Anthology Film Archives on March 10th at 8:00pm, alongside short films from artists in the exhibition. All events are free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. 

More info here

Electronic Rumors Bring You The Best in Electro

Electronic rumors blog (electronicrumors.com) that has been serving up the latest and greatest news and tracks in the world of Electro/Disco/Indie/Dreamwave/Synth/Stuff/Thing/Pop has teamed up with respected Us ElectroPop label Ninthwave Records (Heaven17/White Town/The Modern) to release electronic rumors Volume 1, featuring of some of the best artists making Dreamwave, Nu-Disco, ElectroPop and Indie-Electro in the last twelve months including exclusive tracks from Ride The Universe (Dreamwave supergroup acclaimed, for their reMixes, with their début original), the much hyped Show Your Shoe, Futurecop!, beaumont, Substatic and Echoes and the first time on CD for Queen Of Hearts and Ronika, both tipped by the mainstream press for chart dominance in 2012. They feature alongside some of the most exciting electronic music that broke out in 2011.
  


Monday, February 6, 2012

Lost Videos: Corect Spelling- Love Me Today

Corect Spelling released "Love Me Today" thirty years ago. Sadly the single failed to land a hit and remained the only release for a band which was later dropped from the label. They were also known as SUSHI (Europe) and Cold Fish(UK). This song was produced by non other than Midge Ure and you can imagine what Ultravox could have sounded like if the were lead by a female vocalist. The video for the song is low budget and focuses on Michelle McAdorey's flooded floor scene.  

 

Out This Week: Air- Le Voyage Dans La Lune

The French electronic duo Air are releasing their seventh studio album today February 6, 2012. The album is entitled Le Voyage Dans La Lune and it is out on 'Astralwerks'. According to a press release, the album takes its inspiration from the classic 1902 silent film 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune' (A Trip To The Moon) by Georges Méliès. The first single from the album "Seven Stars" which features Victoria Legrand on vocals was released in January.

Out This Week: Goldfrapp- 'The Singles'

Goldfrapp are releasing their first best of compilation this week entitled 'The Singles'. The compilation album is out today February 6, 2012 and includes 14 singles from the Goldfrapp's five studio albums including "Train", "Utopia", "Happiness" and many more. There are also two new songs included on this compilation. "Melancholy Sky" which was released as a single in January and "Yellow Sky". The album is out on Mute and Parlophone.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

David Sylvian- A Victim of Stars, 1982-2012

The new David Sylvian collection album "A Victim of Stars, 1982-2012" will be released on February 29, 2012. "A Victim of Stars" picks the best from David Sylvain 30-year musical career, from '80s pop-funk via jazz in the 90s to the 2000s leaning to electronica. The compilation features 30 tracks – one of which, ‘Where’s Your Gravity’, is new. Last year, released David Sylvian "Sleepwalkers", also a compilation album, but focused on the songs released in the last decade, with guest appearances by musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tweaker, Nine Horses and Steve Jansen. 

  www.davidsylvian.net/the-news

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