Goldfrapp Announce theRelease of New Album 'Silver Eye'

Goldfrapp are back! The band announced through their official page that their 7th studio album will be entitled 'Silver Eye'. As all the previous releases this one will be released through Mute and the first single of the album "Anywhere" can already be streamed below. As per first single it seems that they are mixing their upbeat and downtempo styles. The album will include 9 more tracks and is officially set for release on March 31st 2017.

www.goldfrapp.com

Drab Majesty Release their second album 'Demonstration'

In 2016, we had a huge crush with their song "The Heiress" and this is where the story with Drab Majesty begins for us. Happy to see that they have released a new album. The new album will be entitled 'Demonstration' and for those who never listened to them, Drab Majesty blend goth with 80's synths and art post-punk sound and visuals, recalling Clan of Xymox and the Cure. The band will also embark on an extensive tour which will include Europe as well. The first single from the album entitled "39 by Design" is already available on Youtube.

Piano Magic to release their 12 Studio Album 'Closure'

Piano Magic are back with a brand new album which celebrates 10 years of Piano Magic. The band released their debut album 'Popular Mechanics' in 1997 and another eleven studio albums followed to this date. This new album was recorded in London between April and August of 2016 and features guest appearances from Peter Milton Walsh of The Apartments, Audrey Riley (go-to cellist for The Go-Betweens, Nick Cave and more). ‘Closure,’ will be formally released by Second Language Music on January 20th 2017 worldwide on CD, 180gm vinyl and digital download formats. The first single form the album is entitled Exile and can be streamed below.

'No Plan' EP Marks One Year of David Bowie's Passing Away

A year after his passing away, a new EP has posthumously been released through Columbia and Sony. This release is entitled 'No Plan' and it is coinciding with what would be David Bowie's 70th birthday. Some songs appeared in the Broadway musical Lazarus and were originally recorded during the Blackstar sessions. The EP is out now digital with the lead track "No Plan".

Transfigure Release Debut Album Translation

First head up for this year is the news that Transfigure finally have released their debut album. Following their EP releases from 2014 and from last year, comes their first long player. The album will be entitled 'Translation' and it will contain 8 tracks, out of which the lead track "Fields" was already featured on their EP from last year.

Hailing from Newcastle, the duo reflects the city club feel in some songs while on the other hand they also tend to be emotional and introspective. Musically they collect and end echo the best from the late's and and early 90's electro forms from the likes of New Order, Pet Shop Boys and St Etienne.

Stream and buy here.

Retrovision: Curiosity Killed the Cat- Down to Earth

Born somewhere on the crossroads between 1986 and 1987, Curiosity Killed the Cat made their chart debut in the UK with "Down to Earth" reaching #26. This Prefab Sprout inspired sound with jazz and funk influences was becoming more and more popular among bands of that time and they contributed to the sound that would eventually become popular as Sophisti-Pop.
Welcome to 1987!

Best of 2016- Singles and Tracks

Ladies and Gents, here comes the Singles and Tracks list. There was no question about the top chart position as Preoccupations' song proved to be the best in it's genre and beyond. M83 went mellow and we loved their progressive electronic take. What else.. check in the list and on the link below

01. Preoccupations - Memory
02. M83 - Solitude 
03. PJ Harvey - The Community Of Hope (Video version)
04. Geneva Jacuzzi - Cannibal Babies
05. Lower Dens - Real Thing
06. Sugar For Sugar- Bizarre Love Triangle
07. Get Well Soon - It's A Catalogue
08. Shura - Nothing's Real
09. Temples - Certainty
10. Pet Shop Boys - The Pop Kids
11. Primal Scream, Sky Ferreira - Where The Light Gets In
12. The Last Shadow Puppets - Miracle Aligner 
13. Radiohead - Daydreaming
14. Transfigure - Fields
15. La Femme - Sphynx
16. Villa Nah - Stranger
17. BETSY - Fair
18. Happy Meals - If You Want Me Now
19. Cat's Eyes - Chameleon Queen
20. Yeasayer - I Am Chemistry

Best of 2016- EPs

The EPs always come with  big diversity of sound. Perfect format to break through, but as well very appropriate for a come back record. This year we have some classy Trip hop, shoegaze Brit pop and some neoclassical soul on top. Other than that, the sound that you are already used to read and listen on our blog. :)

Best of 2016- The Album List

Time to sum up everything from 2016, as this is usual in this time of the year. It has been our 10th  anniversary year and therefore a very important year for us. In general, it has been a crazy year and a very sad one, as the music world lost some of their top artists and pop icons who helped shape the sound and vision of the previous four decades. 

In terms of quality and what 2016 offered, and based on what is in our charts, we could say that pop went retro, post punk turned groovy and we found some new formulas of R'n'B and Soul. As you can see our top company were Preoccupations (formerly Viet Cong) Shura and Blood Orange. What else was hot, see below..

01. Preoccupations- Preoccupations [Jagjaguwar]

02. Shura- Nothing's Real [Polydor]

03. Blood Orange- Freetown Sound [Domino]

04. Villa Nah- Ultima [Solina]

05. Michelle Gurevich- New Decadence [self released]

06. Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool [XL]

07. Bat for Lashes- The Bride [Parlophone]

08. PJ Harvey- The Hope Six Demolition Project [Island]

09. Geneva Jacuzzi- Technophelia [Medical Records LLC]

10. David Bowie- ★ Blackstar [ISO]

11. Cat's Eyes- Treasure House [Raf Records]

12. Suede- Night Thoughts [Warner]

13. Get Well Soon- Love [Caroline]

14. Angel Olsen- MY WOMAN [Jagjaguwar]

15. Michael Kiwanuka- Love & Hate [Polydor]

16. Xeno & Oaklander- Topiary [Ghostly]

17. The Last Shadow Puppets- Everything You've Come to Expect[Domino]

18. The Radio Dept.- Running Out of Love [Labrador]

19. Still Corners- Dead Blue [Wrecking Light]

20. Yeasayer- Amen & Goodbye [Mute]

21. Wrangler- White Glue [Meme Tune]

22. Lust for Youth- Compassion [Sacred Bones]

23. Hante.- This Fog That Never Ends [Synth Religion]

24. Cult Club- Play with Lies [Domestica]

25. Black Arcade- Transhuman [digital file]

26. Perfect Human- Erste [Perfect Aesthetics]

27. Liste Noire- Brace [No Emb Blanc]

28. DIIV- Is the Is Are [Captured Tracks]

29. Boy Harsher- Yr Body is Nothing [digital file]

30. School of Seven Bells-SVIIB [Vargant]

George Michael 1963-2016

The sad series does not seem to stop and 2016 takes another music artist life!

It seems that the death of George Michael had dressed this years Christmas celebration in black. It came as a quite shocking news as it always is in most cases, especially considering the fact that we remember him every Christmas season when "Last Christmas" is everywhere to be heard. And, this year in fact, it seems to be his last one. :(

Like David Bowie and Prince, we all had a piece of George in all of us. It could have been a song or any other loving memory.

We shall never forget you, the Wham boys, "Wake me up Before You Go Go" dance, "Careless Whisper", "Freedom" performance at the Berlin Wall and all the brilliant pop moments and funky beats. Forever in our hearts. RIP