TR/ST - Soon

Following his self titled EP release from January this year, Robert Alfons is back with the melodic new single titled "Soon" which is out on Dais Records. This also announces his fall 2024 EU/UK tour.

Vicious Pink come back with "Unexpected" LP

British electronic duo Vicious Pink is set to release their highly anticipated LP Unexpected, featuring previously unreleased material. Comprising Josephine Warden and Brian Moss, the duo gained recognition for a series of singles released between 1982 and 1988, most notably their track "Cccan't You See...". In 1986, they released their self-titled debut album, which compiled their single releases. The upcoming album,  "Unexpected," will be released via Minimal Wave on May 21, 2024. Here is a link to a short Interview with Brian Moss conducted in 2009.

Echoberyl - Through the Chaos

 Paris based Echoberyl have released a new single "Through the Chaos" this week. This also announces the their fourth album of the same name which is scheduled for May 3rd.

Houses of Heaven - Deserve

 San Francisco based Houses of Heaven have revealed a new video for the song "Deserve" which features Mariana Saldaña aka MS. BOAN. This song also announces their second album Within/Without which is announced for release on April 26th. 

Cosmetics - Pillow Talk

 More than ten years since their debut with singles "Soft Skin" and "Sleepwalking", released on Capture Tracks, Cosmetics have returned in this decade with their first LP. The album is entitled Baby and it features the single "Pillow Talk" that can be previewed under the link below.

Out Today: Allie X - Girl with No Face

 Allie X has released her fifth studio album Girl with No Face through Twin Records. In January, we featured her hit "Off with her Tits" and in the mean time she has also released "Weird World" which is the first track on her new album.

Instant Hit: Big Ben Tribe - Tarzan Loves The Summer Nights

Four decades ago, the Italian trio Big Ben Tribe, hailing from Trieste, unveiled their third and ultimate single "Tarzan Loves the Summer Nights," featuring the vocals of Clara Moroni. Interestingly, a year later, Baltimora would gain international success for incorporating a Tarzan reference into his work.

Next Wave: Minimal Schlager

Minimal Schlager is a synth-pop duo based in Berlin, originally from Argentina. The duo comprises siblings Fran and Alicia Parisi, who debuted with their first single in 2020. Since then, they have released their debut album, Love, Sex & Dreams, in 2022. In 2023, they released Dance is a Place of Resistance, a compilation featuring newly released reworks, remixes, demos, and covers. Their musical style is characterized by industrial melancholy and darkness, reminiscent of artists like Chromatics and Gold Zebra.

https://minimalschlager.bandcamp.com/

Next Wave: Candy Riot

 Candy Riot, based in Austin, Texas, is a synth-pop band that emerged during the Covid pandemic in 2020. While it appears to have started as a duo, it has now expanded into a quartet, with Bobby Cheatham (formerly of Bad Birds and Distance Runner), Liz Feezor, Ricky Rodriguez, and Erica Porter. Musically, they skillfully incorporate influences from the vibrant sounds of the 80s, offering an energetic and fresh take on synth-pop. Follow the link below for more.

Photo courtesy of band's Soundcloud

Groove Armada Return to Synth Pop with the New Studio Album

Ten years ago Groove Armada released their brilliant album Black Light which also meant the change of course for the duo and moving from club friendly tech house to catchy synth pop sound. Now after ten years, it seems that the duo is coming back to this challenge and have released another very slick synth pop record with House admixture. The new album is titled Edge of Horizon and this is also the single to take a lead from. There are quite a few parallels to be drawn between these two and what both records have in common is that they are both catchy and flawless.

WAW: LAUREL - Scream Drive Faster

LAUREL has revealed the video for the song "Scream Drive Faster". The Music video was directed by Elliott Arndt.

7_Songs: Holly Johnson / Frankie Goes to Hollywood

This year in February, Holly Johnson turned 60, and we thought it would be a nice occasion to pay tribute to him and his former band Frankie Goes to Hollywood with this 7_Songs feature. Johnson’s career start goes back to the late 70s Liverpool punk scene out of which the nucleus for Frankie Goes to Hollywood took shape. Inspired to take a name after the title from the news article in the New York Times, it seemed that Frankie Goes to Hollywood would be there for big things, and indeed, with the first single and the album release they found pop stardom. 

Photo courtesy of The Guardian

In 1984, FGTH released “Relax” which was not only a tune but also a motto and a symbol of the mid-80s and at the same time the band’s biggest hit. One could say that it had an impact on the general pop culture also hitting the street fashion and there was also a themed video game. “Relax” was also an introduction to the band's brilliant album Welcome to the Pleasuredome which gave birth to a string of hits, out of which three reached no.1 in the UK charts. The album was produced by Trevor Horn and released on his ZTT label. It was rich, provocative and decadent with excellent production and a festival of influences which could easily be referred to as progressive disco as an end product. With the release of the second album, Liverpool, fame faded and the tensions between the band members were growing. The band managed to release three more singles from it, to tour again, after which Johnson decided to leave the band. He also had to go into a legal battle with the record company, winning the dispute in the end. 

Photo courtesy of theartsdesk.com

In the late 80s Johnson started his solo career when he was signed to MCA, released his solo album Blast and managed to have a series of hits including “Americanos” and “Love Train”. In the early 90s, Johnson was diagnosed with HIV and thinking this was his end, he wrote his autobiography A Bone in My Flute. Eventually he turned more to art, but never really left the music business. He recorded songs and performed occasionally.

The band never reunited even though in 2003, the VH-1 program Bands Reunited brought Johnson, Rutherford, Gill, Nash, and Mark O'Toole together, in the hope of their agreeing to perform impromptu on the show. However, a reunion performance did not transpire. 

Holly Johnson never performed again with Frankie Goes to Hollywood. There is not a single thing in the world that sums up the 1980s as perfectly, FGTH and Welcome to the Pleasuredome does for the 80s. In particular, 1984 seems to be the year of the band, when they almost made 4 consecutive No.1 in the UK. Frankie was the mega sensation, the artistic concept and even a brand. They were hitting the Euro dance floors and beyond, and they were shocking the conservative adults to gain prominence. They had that perfect formula, if you are going to do pop, attack it.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax

"Relax" was the debut album by FGTH which also gave them the international breakthrough. It is one of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the decade. It was banned by BBC because of its lyrics that we interpreted to be explicit. Despite all the scandals, the song sold 12 mill records around the world and won the Brit Award for the best song in 1985. It also went beyond music, hitting the street fashion with the T-shirts with the slogan Frankie Says Relax. 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power of Love 

This was the third single from their debut album and also the third consecutive No.1 which rounded up a successful year for FGTH. This song is often referenced as a Christmas single due to the music video that features Nativity, and also because it was released ahead of Xmas in 1984. In tone, it was also different from the previous, which were louder made for clubland. The song went platinum in Canada, Germany, New Zealand and triple Platinum in their native UK. 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome

This was the title track to the debut album and the only single release that did not reach the UK No. 1 despite having this potential. The spoken-word introductions to both 12-inch mixes are adapted from Walter Kaufmann's 1967 translation of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy. The video, by Bernard Rose, features the group stealing a car, going to a carnival and encountering all manner of deceptively "pleasurable" activities.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Rage Hard 

In 1986, Frankie Goes to Hollywood released their second album, Liverpool. This album saw more use of the band than the debut album and expressed a rockier sound than their debut, but it was still pretty much powerful in rhythm and form. It was FGTH's first single to be released on CD and even Cassette. It reached number one in the German official charts and No. 4 in the UK. 

Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Warriors of the Wasteland

Another single followed from Liverpool, which many think is one of the best tracks on the album. Some interesting inspirations were drawn from T. S. Eliot, but Johnson also cited the 1981 Mel Gibson film, Mad Max 2, and the 1979 film, The Warriors as inspirations. This song barely made it in the Top 20 in the UK and commercial success was starting to decline. FGTH would release one more single before disbanding.

Holly Johnson - Love Train

After the split of FGTH, Holly Johnson released his debut album Blast 1989 and "Love Train" was the first single to be taken from it. Even though it was clearly a dance track, it featured the guitar solo from Brain May from Queen. The song reached No.4 in the UK and also had success in Europe. The song was issued as both 7” and 12” including several versions of the song.

Holly Johnson  - Americanos

"Americanos" was another single from Blast that managed to make a big impact on the charts, reaching No. 4 in the UK and was a commercial success across Europe. Chris Heath of Smash Hits described the song as a "80s update of David Bowie's Young Americans in both its content and its spirit, where he acknowledges the superficiality of the American dream but isn't narrow-minded enough to simply condemn it.”

Singles cover photos courtesy of discogs.com

For the complete Frankie Goes To Hollywood / Holly Johnson discography, as documented in music videos, please check the following the link below.

New Order Reveal New Single 'Be a Rebel'

New Order are back with their first new single in almost five years. The new single is called "Be a Rebel" and is out on Mute. It is available on all streaming services and YouTube link below.

Black Marble to Release a New EP in August

Following their LP Bigger Than Life from last year, Black Marble will return with a new EP titled 'I Must Be Living Twice'. The EP will be released through Sacred Bones Records in August and it will feature four new track, including the lead track "In Manchester" which can be streamed below.

7_Songs: Eurythmics

Born out of the ashes of their first band the Tourists, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart soon went on to explore new grounds with music which laid the foundation for Eurythmics. With their creative rebirth however the success was not instant, moreover with the release of their debut album, In the Garden, Dave and Annie used the opportunities to transform their post break up emotions into sounds and experimented with new instruments and sound patterns.

With the release of the single “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” the international breakthrough was kicking in and Eurythmics were among the top selling artists in the world. Where their music was not striking enough, their visual image was pretty much eye-catching and the music video revolution and in particular Annie Lennox's sharp looks and transformations certainly contributed to the overall popularity of the duo. Certainly her most authentic role on display was the gender bending and androgyny image which made her iconic. But, this was only a start and throughout their career she continued to transform herself and that has certainly been a roller-coaster ride of roles, characters, dresses and a real wig parade. She was part drag king, part drag queen and definitely a unique artist. Not to underestimate Dave Stewart contribution, he jumped in and out of roles too, but he was the man behind the music and the Eurythmics' sound engineer.

With the years passing, Eurythmic's music also changed, adopting new instruments and music styles and also becoming more a band profile, most notably with the release of their albums Be Yourself Tonight and Revenge. By the end of the decade, it seemed that the duo was exhausted with ideas by having released 8 studio albums in the 80's and it seems as they needed some space and time apart.

In the early 90's, both felt like going for their own music projects; Annie Lennox pursued a successful solo career and released her debut album Diva in 1992 while Dave Stewart continued to work as an established producer, not only in the domain of music, but also Film and television. Eurythmics however never officially split and in 1999 they reunited for one final album called Peace and went on a tour to promote it.

        Image courtesy of zimbio.com

Overall Eurythmics released eight studio albums, 33 singles and 37 videos and it is estimated that the band sold around 75 Million records worldwide. The duo have won an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1984, the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1987, the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 1999, and in 2005 were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. 

Below is the selection of 7 tracks, by personal preference with the aim to encompass the whole artist career.

Never Gonna Cry Again

“Never Gonna Cry Again” comes from the highly experimental period when the duo was still under the influence of their former band, the Tourists. The song was released in May 1981 and it was taken from their debut album In the Garden. This album was produced by Conny Plank and this certainly had contributed to the overall atmosphere on the record. Unlike the commercial sound we would hear in the years to come, this was art pop, drenched in synths and garnished with dreamy, ethereal vocals. It even included rare moments where Lennox was playing flute.“Never Gonna Cry Again” did not reach a wider audience and the video for the song was never commercially available, but it remains as one of the finest Eurythmic's releases.

Love is a Stranger 

“Love is a Danger” was the fifth single release for Eurythmics and the first one that was taken from the second album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These). The song was not a success upon the initial release, but after “Sweet Dreams..” became an international hit, the duo decided to re-release it. In this danger of obsession episode, Lennox androgynous image and brilliant theatrics came out for the first time in this video causing a slight controversy in the USA. The song itself was a dark synth enchantment, intense enough to capture the essence and coldness of the emotional heart break the duo was still going through after the early 80’s breakup.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) 

In 1983, Eurythmics released their most successful single to date which became an international hit everywhere in the world. Musically the song was very addictive with the booming synth lead and catchy tense chorus whose lyrics were also written after Dave and Annie’s breakup. As innovative as it was on the musical end, Eurythmics visual image and in particular that of Annie Lennox caused stir with her androgynous visual image, close-cropped, orange hair dressed in man’s suit. And this was not the only weird thing about the music video. “Sweet Dreams..” went three times Platinum and three times Gold and is still pretty much appreciated by the music community and it is certainly Eurythmics’ signature song.

Who’s That Girl 

After the success of “Sweet Dreams” Eurythmics were on a roll, and they continued to enjoy their momentum with the smoky, icy and synth single “Who’s That Girl” taken from their third album The Touch. This music video saw Lennox's appearing as nightclub singer with a whole variety of guest stars including Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston of Bucks Fizz, Kiki Dee, Hazel O'Connor, Kate Garner of Haysi Fantayzee, the gender-bending pop star Marilyn and all members of Bananarama including Dave Stewart’s future wife Siobhan Fahey. The song became a huge hit both in Europe and the USA. 

Thorn in My Side 
Towards the second half of the decade Eurythmics moved more towards band style and AOR pop/rock sound compared to earlier synthopop song arrangements. “Thorn in My Side” was just one example of this change in sound and the song was strongly affected by Annie Lennox divorce. It was released in 1986 and it was taken from their fifth studio album Revenge. “Thorn in My Side” reached several top 10 charts around Europe and the Top 10 in the UK and Ireland.

Beethoven (I Love to Listen to) 
After the commercial success of the previous two albums, the duo tried to return to their experimental roots releasing an album whose concept was based on synths and sample sounds combined with Lennox’ vocals. The music video is one of the best Eurythmics have recorded and it features a middle class housewife who displays characteristics of dissociative identity disorder or split personalities eventually turning into overly sexual vixen towards the end of the video. The video itself was recorded by Sophie Miller and all videos from the album Revenge will run this concept

I’ve Got a Life 

This is so far the last official release by Eurythmics which was recorded in 2000 for their second best of package Ultimate Collection. It is an electro dance track which did well on the US dance charts. Yet again we see Annie Lennox’s image in a man's suit which in a way is homage to the image that made them popular and their biggest hit “Sweet Dream (Are Made of this)”. Furthermore we see Lennox and Stewart performing the song in front of many television screens showing scenes from videos spanning throughout their Eurythmics career. 

                                                   Singles cover photos courtesy of discogs.com

For the complete Eurythmics discography, as documented in music videos, please check the following the link below.

Next Wave: Nation of Language

Nation of Language is one of the outstanding synth pop acts in 2020 to release their debut album. The Brooklyn based trio made their first appearance with the "Nation of Language" EP in 2015 which was followed by a string of single releases. Now, most of this singles have been incorporated into their debut album Introduction, Presence. The band draws inspiration from 80's New wave and Post punk when synth pop evolved from experimental to a commercial music genre. High praised by the music critics, they manage to deliver retro synth pop, by giving their own personal note. "Friend Machine" has been put forward as the lead single from the album and can be streamed below.

https://nationoflanguage.bandcamp.com/album/introduction-presence

7_Songs: Jimmy Somerville

In 1984 the documentary Framed Youth: The Revenge of the Teenage Perverts was awarded with the Grierson Award for Best Documentary. The aim of this documentary was to raise awareness about homosexuality to a wider audience. Jimmy Somerville was part of this project, and his very emotional performance of "Screaming" in the documentary sure helped Somerville in further propelling his career in music. Richard Coles with whom he would form The Communards in the second half of the 80s was also part of this project and at this time, Jimmy already knew and used to hang out with Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek which will eventually turn into a Bronski Beat formation. A base and frame for Somerville's music career in the 80s was set. 

His body of work, counting in his international success with both Bronski Beat and the Communards, makes 9 studio albums and almost 30 singles. This includes some of the most selling singles of 1984, "Small Town Boy" and "Don't Leave Me This Way" from 1986.
On top of this, Jimmy Somerville remains as one of the early advocates for LGBT rights and freedoms of the 80s who proved that pop music is more than just for commercial selling and that it can be used as a vehicle to revolutionize certain ideas.

Small Town Boy (Bronski Beat) 

"Smalltown Boy" is Bronski Beat's signature song, which gained huge success all over the world in 1984. Different from the usual trend with pop songs, this one had a profound meaning that meant an empowerment of gay liberation driven on the wings of seminal synth-pop instrumentation. In fact, the synth riff became a classic and has ever since the original release been borrowed and remixed in each decade, most notably by Groove Armada "History" in 2010 and Brandon Flowers "I Can Change" in 2015.

Why (Bronski Beat) 

"Why" was released as the second single and even though it could not follow the steps of its predecessor, it still managed to enter the charts in most of the countries in the world. Yet again, a song was dealing with anti-gay sentiment, feed even more by the growing anti AIDS hysteria and stigmatization. The music video was sort of a multi-stage drama in a supermarket and portrays heroism against sentence and sin. Musically, on the opposite, "Why" was even more energetic and among the dance floor killers in clubs across Europe.

Ain't Necessarily So (Bronski Beat) 

With the third single "Ain't Necessarily So", Bronski Beat took a different turn by covering a song that was originally written for George Gershwin's opera in 1935. Since its original release, the song has received many different treatments, mostly jazz or rock, but Bronski Beat’s was the first band to deliver a pop interpretation. The cover sleeve art was a parody of The Wizard of Oz with Dorothy having the head of the devil.

Don't Leave Me This Way (The Communards) 

Jimmy Somerville, now under the Communards flag with Richard Coles, has had his second career peak in the 80s with yet another cover version and their take of “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. Joined by the jazz singer Sarah Jane Morris, the band delivered a version that was more tuned to hiNrg dance pop. The song was again a huge success in Europe and, even 30 years after its original release, it was voted by the British public as one of the favorite 80s Number ones in UK history.

For A Friend (The Communards) 

The Communards' opus is mostly remembered by wider audiences for their hiNrg and synth pop hits. In 1987 however, the duo released “For a Friend” which was a real standout in tempo and form. The song was written in the memory of the gay activist Mark Ashton, a friend of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles, who died of AIDS aged 26. A following dedication appears on the album:

"Mark Ashton, 1961-1987...it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."

Read My Lips (solo)

After Somerville and Cole parted their ways, Jimmy went on to pursue his solo career and released his debut solo album Read My Lips in 1989 and the single of the same name followed in 1990. It was not such a big chart success like the previous singles with the Communards, but again it was  a call for action as the song discussed the need for increased funding to fight HIV/AIDS.

Some Wonder (solo)
In 2015, Jimmy Somerville returned with his sixth solo album titled Homage. It's probably Jimmy's best solo album in terms of musical production, which pays tribute and goes back to the roots of disco music and celebrates the diversity of styles the genre had to offer. There was not an official single release, but Emanuel Franzel directed the official video for the song "Some Wonder".

For the complete Jimmy Somerville discography, as documented in music videos, please check the following the playlist below.

Jimmy Somerville / Bronski Beat / The Communrds Playlist

Next Wave: MOTHERMARY

Mothermary were already around for three years now and it is in this catastrophic times that the duo caught our attention. They are twins, Elyse and Larena and as they say on their website, they left religion (Mormon upbringing) and decided to do music together. Their base in the last few years seems to have been NYC and this is also where they create their specific art form of electropop. So far they have released the debut EP 'Not a Virgin' and their brand new single/video for the song "Catch Fire" is out now on Italians Do It Better.

Heaven 17 to Release a Ten CD Compilation This Week

The British synth pop legends Heaven 17 have announced the release of 'Play To Win: The Virgin Years', a brand new 10 CD compilation deluxe set which will feature all five albums issued in the 1980s, along with over 100 bonus tracks, including demos, B-sides, non-album singles and remixes. It will also be released as a 5LP coloured vinyl box set called Play To Win: The Virgin Albums. Both the CD and vinyl variants of Play To Win will be released on 29 March 2019 via Edsel and Demon Records respectively.

http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/heaven-17-play-to-winthe-virgin-years-10cd-deluxe-5lp-vinyl-box/ 

Fragrance Release Debut Album 'Now I'm Not Real

Fragrance. a French project led by Matthieu Roche whom we introduced last year on our page, has released his debut album 'Now That I’m Real'. His music remains on the edge between melancholic synthpop and dancing electronics, where his heady soft vocals meet catchy beats and sharp synths.

Where his previous EP, 'Dust & Disorders', was a claustrophobic « huis-clos », turned on inside fears, Fragrance.’s debut album is a first step towards the outside. Semi-dreamed stories, relationship spirals and a thirst for liberation and relief are the themes haunting the 11 original tracks of 'Now That I’m Real'.

That’s why Matthieu Roche naturally opens his world for the first time to collaborations with different artists — both visually, with the participation of parisian clubkid artist Tiggy Thorn and photographer Marie Rouge, as musically, with Canadian musician Maya Postepski (aka Princess Century, known for her work within Austra and TR/ST) and with Hélène de Thoury (from Hante. & Minuit Machine).

Now That I'm Real will be available on Gold Vinyl (limited to 200 copies) and digipack cd (limited to 300 copies).

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/thisisfragrance/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQewyYCrKxTzhAhAgfZ_EGg
https://www.instagram.com/fragrance.music/
https://open.spotify.com/album/1eI45qyMkm9O4OdOQnxQRr?si=OT4o8YmjSQ6I9-jmw7kt3Q