Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Best of 2014- Top 10 EPs

An here goes the last list to round up 2014's listomania. Some great EPs from this year:


01. Kleerup- As If We Never Won
02. Peachblack- Dark Horse
03. Visonia & Doppelefekt- Die Reisen
04. Y- Dance of The Illusions
05. Shamir- Northtown
06. The KVB- Out of Body
07. X Priest X- Samurai
08. Client Liaisons- s/t
09. Kelluar- Vitreum
10.Tyburn Saints- With The Night in your Eyes

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Best of 2014- The Singles List

Simply said, here is our list of 40 songs that made our 2014. We tried to keep it one song per artist this year. Enjoy the list:


01.  Beck - Waking Light
02.  School Of Seven Bells -I Got Knocked Down(But I'll Get Up)
03.  The Horrors - Change Your Mind
04.  People at Parties - Mineral Material/Mazes
05.  iamamiwhoami – shadowshow
06.  Tempers - Hell Hotline
07.  Minuit Machine- Sabotage
08.  Perfume Genius - Queen
09.  Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting On You)
10.  La Roux - Let Me Down Gently
11.  Papercuts - Life Among The Savages
12.  The War On Drugs - Red Eyes
13.  White Hex - Paradise
14.  Get Well Soon - Careless Whisper
15.  Lykke Li – Gunshot
16.  Liars - Vox Tuned D.E.D.
17.  Sébastien Schuller - Regrets
18.  Zastranienie - Prism
19.  Client - Refuge
20. Terror Bird- The Wrong Way

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Best of 2014 - The Album List

It's less than ten days before we send off another music year into history. From this perspective it was great, but the years that come will tell. We almost gave up blogging, but came back. It was great to hear the Horrors returning with another great album which somehow went unnoticed. Lust for Youth proved that they can also be pop and even more. Ronika's electro dance got us on our feet. We meet the People at Parties which are our new comers of the year and lots more.
This is the official album list of 2014.


01. The Horrors- Luminous
02. Lust for Youth- International
03. Ronika- Selectadisc
04. People at Parties- People at Parties
05. Sebastien Schuller- Heatwave
06. Future Islands- Singles
07. Lykke Li- I Never Learn
08. Beck- Morning Phase
09. Temples- Sun Structures
10. Manic Street Preachers- Futurology

Saturday, December 13, 2014

In Conversation: People at Parties

 People at Parties came as one of the best discoveries in 2014 and we are already thinking about naming them as our newcomer of the year. Very impressive, prolific and brilliant what these girls managed to deliver this year. A real new wave music inferno combining influences from both sides of the Atlantic. People at Parties are LK Naps (Vocals) Kelly Harris (drums) and Becky Kupersmith (synths). The bands first official full length self titled release came out November  2013 in digital form with official vinyl release in February 2014. Their debut album which combines dirty lo/fi electro with underground synth pop has certainly been a great soundtrack for our 2014 and we do hope to hear more of them in 2015. About this and more, find out in this exclusive interview below.

2014:  Edna Leshowitz

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Next Wave: Miaux

Miaux is the stage name for the Belgian underground artist Mia Prce who is originally from Sarajevo (Bosnia). Mia a contemporary pianist whose music is dreamy and melancholic art pop. To this date, from 2010 Miaux has released four EPs and this year finally sees her releaseing her debut album 'Dive'. The album is out on the Belgian record label Ultra Eczema. 
https://soundcloud.com/miaux

Monday, December 8, 2014

WAW: Kline Coma Xero- Mannequin

Kline Coma Xero is one of the brand new acts coming from Seattle based Medical records, a label know for a very distinctive and experimental minimal synth styles. The band was mainly influenced by the sterile and isolated iconography of authors such as Philip K. Dick, William Gibson and JG Ballard. The sound scapes are analogue spanning a realm of styles from experimental noise, tape loops and early industrial. We are presenting the video for their song "Mannequin" which was released this year. You might notice a Kraftwerk refernce in both vision and musical style.



WAW: Tempers- Hell Hotline

Tempers have announced a brand new video for the song "Hell Hotline" which is one of our favorite tunes this year. The video was revealed through their Youtube channel and was directed by Bela Borsodi. This is their third and final single for this year. We hope for their debut album in 2015. 


Psychic TV Release New Album 'Snakes'

Psychic TV will release a brand new album entitled 'Snakes' on Angry Love Productions. This is their first album since 2009 and musically it touches on various parts of Psychic TV's 35-year history. This LP will be a limited run of 1,000 copies bearing stunning five-color artwork and will have the trademark "random recycled vinyl" color process, meaning each copy of the vinyl will be completely unique in color. 'Snakes' is out next week, December 12th, 2014. 

 www.forcedexposure.com

Saturday, December 6, 2014

A-ha Deluxe Reissues Announced for 2015

A-ha have confirmed an extensive reissue plan for 2015 which will see four of their albums expanded and remastered. 'Stay on these Roads' (1988), 'East of the Sun', 'West of the Moon' (1990) and 'Memorial Beach' (1993) will all be reissued and expanded next year. 2015 will also see vinyl reissues of the first two albums, 'Hunting High' and 'Low and Scoundrel Days'. www.superdeluxeedition.com
 

Dimension Gondry: Daft Punk- Around The World

Here another great video in the Michael Gondry series most of you will remember from the 90's MTV heavy rotation. The song was taken from band's debut album 'Homework' and it was released in 1997. As already mentioned the video was directed by Gondry while the choreography was credited to Bianca Li. The video features five groups of characters on a platform representing a vinyl record: robots, skeletons, athletes, mummies and women as synchronized swimsuits move to the rhythm and beats of Daft Punk. According to Gondry, the video is meant to be a visual representation of the song in which each group of characters represents a different instrument or something from the musical arrangements. "Around the World" was Gondry's first attempt at bringing organized dancing to his music videos. 


Saturday, November 29, 2014

Lost Videos: Experimental Products- Glowing in the Dark

Another great tune from 1984 that sadly did not chart on our 1984 singles countdown. It's one of the two singles Experimental Products released during their career. An excellent and obscure synth-pop at dead center of the eighties sounding very futuristic and ahead of its time. The single was reissued in 2005 and has been covered and remixed by DJ Hell. Even without touching still very up-to-date with today's music.


Monday, November 24, 2014

Spandau Ballet's Story in Music Documented in 'Soul Boys of The Western World'

Britain's iconic band Spandau Ballet story in music have finally been documented in a film. 'Soul Boys of The Western World' is a journey through the 1980s and beyond; the story of a band, an era and how one small gathering of outsiders in London shaped the entire world’s view of music and fashion. The film is not only a fascinating, often hard-hitting social and cultural document of the time, but a brutally honest story of how friendships can be won, lost and ultimately regained. 
The film received its World Premiere in Competition at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March, to rave reviews. Long-time Julien Temple collaborator Hencken won acclaim for her honest and uplifting archive-only feature documentary, which combines newsreel footage with never-before-seen video from the band's personal archives, as well as candid interviews with all five band members.  

www.spandauballetthemovie.com
 

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Get Well Soon November EPs + Carless Whisper Cover

Get Well Soon announced the release of three brand new EPs for this November. Each EP will come with it's own theme and the album might follow next year. Two of the EPs 'The Lufthansa Heist' and 'The Infinite Desire of Zeppelin Alfred von Nullmeyer' are already released while the third one 'Greatest Hits' will be out by the end of week. They will be releaesd as a limited edition of 10“ vinyl records and as digital download. The gorgeous artwork is by Hermann Schenkel. One of the highlights on the third EP which includes cover songs is the brilliant cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper" which celebrates 30 years anniversary this year. 

 www.youwillgetwellsoon.com



 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Next Wave: Hjördis-Britt Åström

Hjördis-Britt Åström is our brand new nordic obsession from Sweden. The man behind the music is Dmitriy Gruber, the founder and the musical mastermind here. Dmitriy likes horror movies, VHS, wine and night drives through the forest and that is what inspires him for his musical creation. The music, bedroom electro, dark and cold, where frozen beats overlap with cunty lyrics leaving a pop song underneath. It's like electoclash is alive again for a moment thinking back to early Ladytron and Miss Kitten. Vocal duties come from among others Yana Semour and Mariana Diakova who are part of his team. This has been a great year for Hjördis-Britt Åström as they managed to release two albums (II) and (III) and several EPs. Music with great sense of personality and style. We hope to have more of them in the near future, meanwhile check the music.

hjordis-britt-astrom.bandcamp
www.facebook.com/pages
 

Saturday, November 15, 2014

OMD's Junk Culture Deluxe Reissue Announced

During their recent interview for BBC Radio 6 Music, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys have confirmed the 2CD deluxe reissue of their fifth studio album "Junk Culture" from 1984.The album which peaked at #9 in the UK and #182 in the US and gave us four hit-singles - "Locomotin, "Talking Loud And Clear", "Tesla Girls", and "Never Turn Away" - will be reissued next year instead of previously announced November 25th of this year. More info on the album's re-release to follow soon. 


Comateens Debut Album Reissued on CD

A very limited Collector's Edition of COMATEENS, the band's self-titled debut album recorded in December 1980, released in 1981 and never before available on CD has been released as a limited edition.The album also Included a bonus track, the first 1979 recording of "Cool Chick" featuring Ramona Jan on guitar and Harry Viderci on drums, and originally released on a self-produced 7" vinyl single. 
The tracks on this CD were transferred directly from the original master tapes of the album and so capture the true sound of the band at the dawn of the '80s, including any imperfections that might exist on those original tapes. The CD cover is a replica of the bands first U.S. release on vinyl, and features the iconic photography of Jean Baptiste Mondino. The inside cover presents the design that was used on the European release of the LP and cassette with photos by Joe Stevens. 
More info: comateens.com/shop
 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

WAW: Der Noir- L'Inganno

Our next video comes from Italy based trio Der Noir. It was released last year as well as their debut album. Their is a very dark tone preset in their music which is visualized in the artistic b&w music video which was recorded by by Simone Mogliè & Fernanda Veron. The song also features an unusual combination and mix of German and Italian singing vocals.




Dimension Gondry: Beck- Deadweight

We could easy go on with ten videos from Bjork, but let's see who else Gondry worked with and whose ideas he managed to visualize in a music video. We will stick to the 90's in this next one and it is Beck from his tropical side. Gondry directed two videos for Beck, "Cellphone's Dead" and "Deadweight" and we have decided to feature the second one, which has also appeared as a soundtrack to the movie 'A Life Less Ordinary'. The video features scene from the movie and Beck in paradoxical world where the video and movie are in dialogue with each other, a rather different take on a movie soundtrack.


Thursday, November 6, 2014

In Conversation: Minuit Machine

Minuit Machine have already been introduced to our blog during the last month. Hailing from France to some they might be new comers and to the other already a familiar name in Darkwave waters. We decided to catch up with the girls and find out something more about their sound machine. As already mentioned, the duo took shape in 2013 when they released their debut EP. This is a big year for them as they have released their debut album 'Live and Destroy' and they are currently touring an promoting it. Let's see what Hélène and Amandine have to say about Minuit Machine, past, present and future following the link below.


Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Retrovision: Belaboris- Rakkauden Jälkeen

Thirty years ago Belaboris released their final tune and said good bye to the music world in this format. This was a cover version of the Finish singer Carola who released this song in the late 60's. The band managed to release their one and final album during the same year. Their recording material was recently picked up by Dark Entries Records and released on a compilation entitled 'Once Upon a Time'.


Eyeless in Gaza Release a Compilation of Rare Studio Recordings

This year has recently have been a great come back year for Eyeless in Gaza. They have released a brand new studio album 'Mania Sour' in August and the original album collection has been reissued on Cherry Red during the same month. This new release is entitled 'Mythic Language/Egg Box Mask' an eclectic mix of early Eyeless In Gaza recordings – experimental, plus studio recordings 1981-82, mostly which are aural documents reflecting the variety of settings and conditions under which they were recorded. This does not necessarily display the usual high quality audio standards of Ambivalent Scale who will release this compilation in late November. 

www.eyelessingaza.com
 

Friday, October 31, 2014

Siouxsie and the Banshees' Final Albums Reissued

The reissue of the last four albums by Siuxsie and the Banshees has been quite a topic with this month finally giving it an official release announcment. This package include the final four albums (1987′s 'Through the Looking Glass' 1988′s 'Peepshow', 1991′s 'Superstition' and 1995′s 'The Rapture'). All four releases come with remastered audio from the original master tapes, rare bonus and unreleased tracks plus extensive sleeve notes. And just a reminder that in April their debut single "Hong Kong Garden" was reissued on double seven-inch vinyl.

www.facebook.com/pages/Siouxsie-And-The-Banshees



Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Next Wave: X Priest X

X priest X is musical project of vocalist Madeline Priest and producers Chandler Strang and David Kazyk from Florida. The group was formed in 2013 when they revealed their first song "Dark Sun" as a demo. Eraly spring of 2014 then saw the release of their debut EP 'Samurai' on emotion Records. There is a certain enigma and mystery about a band name that certainly attract attention. Samurai songs reveal prefectrly structured pop songs where Madeline's innocent vocals flow on dreamy synth lines. The band was featured this year on 'When the Gramophone Rings'' 51 bands of 2014 and on NME's Radar Report. We hope to see more of them even in 2015. 

www.xpriestx.com


Next Wave: Corners

Corners is a four piece band from Los Angeles consisting of Tracey Bryant, Billy Changer, Rick Mabery and Jeff Eretitti. Influenced by Velvet Underground and Joy Division, the band of engineers simply called Corners play California styled surf postpunk combined with garage. They have released their second album 'Maxed out on Distractions' and to promote it, the band is currently touring. Check their social pages to find them in a place near you.



Sunday, October 26, 2014

Introducing 'Dimension Gondry'- Bjork- Human Behaviour

As you all know Michael Gondry is the famous French film director. Those who prefer music over the movies might know him as an excellent music video director whose videos were an instant part of the daily music televisions' airplay in the last two centuries. 
Not sure where your Gondry story starts,  my kicks off certainly with Bjork's "Human Behavior". It was probably played during 'Awake on the Wild Side' or some other VJ show during the golden era of MTV Europe in the early 90's. Gondry's big breakthrough starts with Bjork and she must have remained his muse for quite a long time as his aesthetics found the best use in her music videos. The places you never imagined, unrealistic dimensions, the surreal world you only might have occur in your deepest dream are just few aspects of it. 
Important to say that Gondry also directed videos for many other artist including The White Stripes, Beck, Sinead O'Connor and many more. 
Dimension Gondry is our very special feature where we will feature ten essential music videos directed by Michel Gondry which were instant part of growing up and our musical video evolution.


Björk- Human Behaviour
The song was written by Nellee Cooper and Björk and it dates back to 1988 when Bjork was still with the Sugarcubes. A video for "Human Behavior" was the first collaboration between Michel Gondry and Bjork. It tells a story about a relation between humans and animals, taking animals' perspective in a role play of a predator and a prey. Bjork's emotional woodlands meet with Gondry's surreal playground in a master piece. The video received six nominations for the MTV video music awards in 1994 and won one. It was also nominated for the Grammy awards. It also has several elements that are present in Gondry's first feature film 'Human Nature'.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

WAW: Zastranienie- Prism

Desire records have announced a new track by Zastranienie. The new song is entitled "Prism" and it is the first track from their debut vinyl release which has been revealed for now. The album is set for release next year. Stay tuned for more info.


Friday, October 24, 2014

In Conversation: Violence

Earlier this month we posted a special feature where we introduced the Canadian Visage Musique in our label spot. Out of the great line up of artist we would like to present you Violence. Based in Montreal and on Visage Musique since 2013, when they released their debut EP, Violence have developed their own unique electronic music formula. Their sound reflects an aesthetic of a discourse where no additional description is needed, words are shapes, music is the ultimate medium of expression. This year they released their enigmatic debut album 'Erlebnis' which is one of our top records in 2014. Ahead of their small tour which starts this October, here a small interview with the band.
Hear the words, experience their music, sense Violence.


 1. There is hardly any info about Violence on the internet. Are you trying to keep your musical profile low-'fi' and does the music as the main result tell the story of Violence or is there something more you would like to tell us about yourself? 
 V: We do indeed wish that the music retains a strong enough narrative value so that it can speak by itself. A type of discourse that we find interesting is the dialogue between the listeners and the music, which we think should be free of contamination from our own interpretation.

 2. The music of Violence reveals some great electronic shapes. What influenced your music the most and looking into future, what would be your vision in music? 
 V: Nice that you refer to a certain visual aspect of sound, which has been a driving force in this project since its initiation. We often accompany our live performances with visuals made of shapes and pictograms that we draw ourselves image by image on a very primitive device. It would be too long to enumerate our musical influences, but let's just say that we appreciate "la beauté baroque", past and future.

 3. You released your debut album ‘Erlebnis’ this year on Visage Musique. It is certainly one of our favorite music albums here on Burning Flame for this year. Were you approached by the label and if yes, did this label have any influence on your musical style? 
 V: Thank you. Yes Visage Musique previously released our self-titled EP in 2013, which they probably heard through mutual friends. The aesthetics of Violence already suited well that of VM, which is quite broad but at the same time nicely coherent we think.

 4. How would you describe your musical style on ‘Erlebnis’ and why did you pick the German name as the album title? Is the term ‘Violence’ in any aspect related to your music? 
 V: "Erlebnis" has several meanings; our intent was to refer to the inner experience of listening to music, i.e. its psychedelic properties. This inner experience is seldom quiet - the name Violence is no stranger to that.

 5. Do you hang out and tour together with other artists from Visage Musique?
 V: VM is a collaborative effort by great people driven by the love of music and the urgency to facilitate its diffusion. We often find ourselves playing and attending the same concerts and events in Montréal.

 6. Can you share some impressions from your first live performances, how was the energy, atmosphere in general? 
 V: Around 2010 we left Canada to establish ourselves in Oxford UK, that's where we started composing music as Violence. We've played our first concerts in loft parties when returning temporarily to Montreal. The atmosphere was quite unique, with friends doing performance art, video projections, etc... Almost everyone attending these parties would have prepared some kind of performance, making those dancing nights very unique and inspiring.

 7. How good are you in remixing music, any plans of doing some remixes for other artists. Do you also do DJ shows? 
 V: We sometimes do remixes, which can be refreshing. We DJ in private parties but up to now never had the time to really invest in this art.

 8. What music are you listening to when you are not recording your own? 
 V: We listen to a lot of music composed by our friends, including Automelodi, Low Factor, Ambrose, as well as some who don’t have any desire to make it public.

 9. What was the first record you bought with your own money? Is it still with you? 
 V: Eric: I bought “Sigue sigue sputnik - Flaunt it!” when I was around 10 years old, which was one of my first contacts with electronic music. I still have it but to be honest it very rarely lands on my turntable...

 10. What are the future plans for Violence, further releases, tours outside Canada? Europe maybe? V: We'll be doing a short European tour at the end of October, really looking forward to it. We'll be releasing new material in January, but may leak a song or two by then.


 11. Where can fans gain access to your music?
 V: Vinyls on VM: http://visagemusique.tumblr.com/
Digital on bandcamp: http://violence.bandcamp.com/
News/shows: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Violence/182111595174108

Very special thanks to Eric Trottier for this interview!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Retrovision: Edward Ka Spel - Eye Contact

Thirty years ago Edward Ka Spel released his debut album 'Laugh China Doll'. A great record of minimal synth and abstract electronic. The album has been reissued twice since the original release.
Today we focus on "Eye Contact", one of my favorite tracks from the album with its seminal video.


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