WAW: Automelodi featuring Liz Wendelbo - Les Métros Disparus

Automelodi -Les Métros disparus-  Mirages au futur verre-brisé
Video Art by Kaspar'89

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

In Review: Pond- Tasmania

The Australian band Pond have returned this year with their eighth studio album titled 'Tasmania'. It has been announced as the sister album to their previous release 'The Weather' from 2017. Both albums and like all the others, have been produced by Kevin Baker of Tame Impala fame with whom the band also shares band members and they also tour together.

For their eight studio long player the band is taking us to the Island of Inspiration, or so to say, it feels that the band managed to draw a great deal of inspiration from their native Australia and Tasmania. Like the previous album and most of their releases, this one is in the Psychedelia vein and it explores the new topics with the well kept music formula. It tackles some political and environmental issues, without getting too heavy and remaining on the pop ground. The album opens with "Daisy" and "Sixteen Days", both previously released as singles. "Daisy" is perfect for spring break and a start of new concept, the Geneve inspired "Sixteen days" follow and gets us some French lines and another highlight comes with "Tasmania" and the wonderful chorus "I might, I might go shack up in Tasmania, Before the ozone goes, And paradise burns in Australia" where the synth elements play very well with the proggy guitars. By reaching the middle of the album, the songs get more elaborated, thicker and less immediate, with "Goodnight P.C.C." and "Burned out Star" eventually closing with the apocalyptic "Doctor's In" track. Here and there are nice sound accessories which contribute to the layering of the sound including, retro vocoders, colourful guitars and glitchy forms on "Shame". Another interesting feature is the inviting album cover which seems to be Poloroid inspired and it implies that based on the single released so far that each colour will represents one song on the album.

Colourful as it comes, this psychedelic cocktail will give a nice intro to a Spring start, wherever it may hit, and might also be the preparation for the new Tame Impala album which will hopefully be ready for this summer.

Retrovision: Bel Canto - Birds of Passage

"Birds of Passage" was the third single release for the Norwegian multi instrumental dream pop trio Bel Canto and was taken from their second album of the same name. The single was released in Canada in 1989 and in some of the European countries in 1990.

 

February Singles Round Up

February Singles Round-up 

C'mon Tigre- Behold The Man

 Spellling- Under The Sun

 These New Puritans - Inside The Rose

 Ora The Molecule - Sugar

 Fat White Family - Feet

 Chromatics- Time Rider

 Vampire Weekend- Harmony Hall

Cold Cave- Promised Land

Negative Gemini- You Weren't There Anymore

WAW: Ora The Molecule - Sugar

Ora The Molecule - Sugar 
Video by: Nora Schjelderup + Sju Smatanova 

Red Box Announce New Album 'Chase The Setting Sun'

Red Box will return later this year with their fourth album release in four decades. The new album will be entitled 'Chase The Setting Sun' and was in the process of working since 2016 and it will be released through their official store. So far "This is What We Came for" has been revealed as first single and is available below.

https://www.redboxmusic.co.uk/redbox-music

Kate Bush to Release a Brand New Compilation Plus Single

Kate Bush will release a brand new compilation album titled 'The Other Sides' which will include 12" mixes, b-sides, rare tracks and cover versions and remasters of her biggest hits on 4 CDs (track listing below). Along with this, the video for the song "Rocket Man" has been revealed on Youtube and can be previewed below. Release date, March 8th.

b-Movie Return with New EP 'Repetition'

After last year's return with the 'Repetition' EP, b-Movie are back for another one, and this time, with the remix version of the same EP. Both the original and the remix EP include three tracks, the title tracks plus "Somewhere Cold" and "Stalingrad" which are in the tone of the b-Movie classic sound aesthetics. The original EP was released in November 12th 2018 by Loki Records, while the remix version was issued on February 10th.

Automelodi announce New Album in May

The Monteral based synth pop act Automelodi have announced the release of their third studio album titled 'Mirages au futur verre-brisé'. This is their first new release in six years following the 'Surlendemains acides' from 2013. Their synth wave is still at high level as confirmed by the lead single from the album  “La Poussière". The album is announced for release on May 3rd via Holodeck. 

https://automelodi.bandcamp.com/album/mirages-au-futur-verre-bris 

WAW: C'mon Tigre - Behold The Man

C'mon Tigre - Behold The Man 
Directed by C’mon Tigre and Sic Est CG
Produced by BDC

In Review: Ladytron - Ladytron

Ladytron have released their sixth studio album eponymously entitled ‘Ladytron’ after seven years of hiatus. The album was co-produced by Jim Abbiss, also a reference to the Ladytron’s third album ‘The Witching Hour’ which most people believe is band’s most successful album to date. The latest long player was released in partnership with Pledgemusic and it was promoted with series of singles throughout 2018.

 Originally founded in Liverpool, Ladytron have been in the music business for twenty years now. In the early 00’s they started off well with their very innovative and distinct analogue synth pop form and soon, with the rise of Electroclash, became this style’s ultimate trademark. Towards to the mid 00's the band began to experiment even more with the music, embracing new elements and musical arrangements, becoming more mature and complex in sound.

 The brand new album 'Ladytron' is out today, February 15th, and it has been announced  as being much heavier than their previous work on 'Gravity the Seducer'. And indeed, the album does not have this immediate effect on the listener like the first two promo singles "Animals" and "The Island", but still, it manages to get under the skin. Once again the band returns with dark and very atmospheric sound that spreads over the whole album and it sounds like a compilation of songs and styles from all their albums, in a brand new song collection. The majority of songs on the album are performed by Helen Marnie whereas Mira Aroyo take leads on two tracks, "Paper Highways" and "Horrorscope". The former is also one of the album highlights placed halfway through the record changing the dynamics of the album for better course towards the end. Along "Paper Highways", the singles, the haunting "Figurine", dreamy and hypnotic "The Mountain" and acid "Deadzone" are clearly the high spots on the record. There are tracks where the bouncy synth elements might be over exposed, yet this does not affect album's balance in whole a lot.

This album has not revealed anything ground breaking from Ladytron's end, but overall happy to see that band is back and that we have been able to listen to their first new sound in seven years. With this album they mange to make a very nice comeback and round up Ladytron's body of work that now includes two decades. 


78/100

Negative Gemini - You Weren't There Anymore

Negative Gemini - You Weren't There Anymore - Bad Baby EP 
Directed by Cory Nixon 

Retrovision: Marc Almond & Gene Pitney - Something`s Gotten Hold Of My Heart

In parallel to the ongoing year, we are also celebrating some of the biggest hits from 1989, celebrating their 30 years anniversaries. Here is the first to start with. One of the finest music "accidents" and the cover than even outgrew the.

original and stayed on the top of the UK charts through out most of the February 1989.

 

Bananarama Return with New Album 'In Stereo'

Bananarama will return with a brand new Album 'In Stereo' this spring. This album will also sign the ten year anniversary since their last studio album in 2009. In 2017 the ladies reunited with former member Siobhan Fahey for a ‘original line-up tour’, but as per media announcements she will not be involved in the works from the new album. The first single, "Dance Music", was released on 18 January 2019 the album will be out on April 19th. 

In Review: Sharon van Etten- Remind Me Tomorrow

American singer and songwriter Sharon van Etten released her fifth studio album 'Remind me Tomorrow' on Jagjaguwar in mid-January. This album, in a way, also marks the ten year anniversary since her eponymous debut in 2008 and comes as a follow up to her 2014 release ‘Are We There'. There is an evident gap of four years which Sharon has been using to explore new grounds with acting and she also gave birth to her first child. New events in life certainly have had an impact on this new content which Sharon presented in ‘Remind me Tomorrow’.

"Remind Me Tomorrow" was produced by John Congleton which already successfully worked with Dirty Projectors and St Vincent. It clocks at 41 minutes and includes ten tracks out of which only one goes over 5 minutes and it seems pretty much like a straight forward release. As we did not experience much of Sharon’s previous work, we will treat this as standalone album review. 
Overall the album has a nice atmosphere and feel, and it is very evident that synth arrangements are taking the leads on this record. All in all, going track by track, there are also small instrumentation parts involved, but very measured which keeps up the listeners attention throughout the record. The decision with the two opening tracks in not something I am very happy about, neither lyrically nor production wise, but somehow this is the path up, to the first highlight of the album, the song “Memorial Day” which together with “Jupiter 4” and “Hands” mark this record's highlights. The blanket of synth ambiance seems to be spread over the most of the album's songs and the diversity and quality comes with the layered elements which bring the right amount of decoration to the sound. Organic elements meet with the synthetic textures and manage to spice it up with glitch drums, quirky synths and drone sounds. At the same time Sharon sticks to her very distinct style and her voice modulates perfectly and remains in the center of things.

Overall the album has a nice narrative and although there are weaker tracks it does not threat the dynamics of the whole album nor does it bore the listener. There do not seem to be exceptional lyrical highlights, yet the Sharon mangers to convey her emotion to the listener. Having also listened her previous album while I am writing this review, only confirms that that Sharon steps beyond her scope to create this new cosmic artwork.

82/100

WAW: These New Puritans- Inside The Rose

These New Puritans-  Inside The Rose - Inside The Rose
Director: Harley Weir 
Producer: Mike Rowling
 

WAW: Fat White Family- Feet

Fat White Family - Feet - Serfs Up! 

Directed by CC Wade 
Produced by Somesuch & Co

LCD Soundsystem Cover Heaven 17 and the Human League as Part of the Electric Lady Sessions

LCD Soundsystem have released a new live album this week, titled 'Electric Lady Sessions'. The 12-track double-LP was recorded live at the Electric Lady studios in New York. The album features live renditions of cuts from the band’s comeback LP 'American Dream' along with some of the LCD Soundsystem favorites from 80's including The Human League’s “Seconds and Heaven 17’s “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang.” The live album is available to preorder now on vinyl or digitally. 

 

TR/ST to Release a Double Album in 2019

Robert Alfons aka TR/ST will release a double album this year and both will be entitled 'The Destroyer'. As per media announcements, the first part of the album is expected to be more up-tempo where as the Destroyer part 2 will explore more the dark side of electro. The first part of the album i going to be released in April while the second will come in autumn. The first single form 'The Destroyer' part 1 has been revealed this week with the stream on YouTube below.

WAW: Avey Tare - Saturdays

Avey Tare - Saturdays - Cows on Hourglass Pond
Director: Abigail Portner 
Animations: Abigail Portner

Pet Shop Boys Announce Brand New EP 'Agenda'

Pet Shop Boys are releasing a brand new EP this week. It will be entitled 'Agenda' and will feature four tracks which will be revealed throughout the week starting with “Give stupidity a chance”. CD of 'Agenda' is also available to pre-order exclusively with Pet Shop Boys’ once-a-year publication 'Annually' which has been announced today and will be published on April 12th.

A Certain Ratio's 40th Anniversary Box Set Announced

A Certain Ratio are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and on this occasion they will release a new box set titled 'ACR:BOX' which will be available vinyl, CD, download and streaming services. They have also revealed a brand new acoustic version of "Won’t Stop Loving You". The 'ACR:BOX' box set will be available as a signed 7 x coloured vinyl set and limited to 1000 copies worldwide, 4 x CD set and digitally and its release will coincide with a series of dates starting from May 4th whereas the compilation will officially released a day before on May 3rd. 

  http://mute.com/a-certain-ratio/40th-anniversary-box-set-announced

January Singles Round up

January Singles Round Up

Foals - Exits

Jungle - Casio


Pond- Daisy


The Specials - Vote for Me


Steve Gunn- Vagabond


Methyl Ethel - Trip the Mains


Haelos- Kyoto


Avey Tare- Saturdays
 

Bring Me The Horizon - nihilist blues ft. Grimes

WAW: Foals - Exits

Foals - Exits - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 
A film by Albert Moya 
Produced by CANADA

Next Wave: Simon D James

As part of our first Next Wave presentation in 2019, we are welcoming Brighton based musician Simon D. James. Simon released his debut EP 'My Everything' last year and the songs on it were inspired, when he was traveling the world from Mexico City all the way to India. Musically, he has been inspired by Bowie and Cobain and his music could be compared the contemporaries could link to The National, Broken Social Scene and The Decemberists. There are altogether four tracks on his debut EP and the video of the title track "My Everything"can be previewed below.

For further listening:
www.facebook.com/SimonDJamesMusic 
https://simondjames.com/
https://spoti.fi/2FdDQYO

The Specials to release a Brand New Album after almost 20 Years

The Specials will return with a brand new studio album almost 20 years after the last release. The new album will be entitled 'Encore' and the first single from the album is entitled "Vote for Me" has already been revealed and included some classic Specials sound that we were used to listen in the 80's. Following the release on February 1st, the band will take 'Encore' on tour.

Fiat Lux to Return with a New Studio Album after almost three Decades

Fiat Lux are back! The Yorkshire based group will release their first new material in almost three decades. The new album will be entitled 'Saved Symmetry' and this will be their second album release and a follow up to their 1984 debut 'Hired History'. Already in 2018 they issued the first single from the album titled "It's you" which proves that the band remained loyal to their original sound and in fact it sounds like we have been transferred to the golden Fiat Lux era in the 80's. The second single "Everyday In Heaven" is going to be released in February.

In 2007, short after we started our blog where we included a short story on Fiat Lux in our 'The Story of' label and today we are happy to see that there will be a new chapter in 2019 after three decades of break.

In Prospect: 2019 Album Releases (First Quarter)

In this first week of January, just after we completed our Top 100 singles list of 2019, time to give you a small digest of some of the anticipated release for the first quarter of 2019. 

The Belgian group Balthazar will return with a new album in January and it will be their fourth release and the follow up to their album ‘Thin Walls’ from 2015. The album will be entitled ‘Fever’ and its release was preceded with the release of the single of the same name in October last year.

Brooklyn based Beirut will return after four years break with a new album in February. The new album will be entitled ‘Gallipoli’ and as the previous two, it will be released through 4AD. Two singles were already issued from "Corfu" and "Gallipoli"were issued in later 2018.

After eight years of hiatus Ladytron will return with the self-titled sixth studio album. The album will be released in February and it was already announced with three singles and two videos in 2018. Sadly the band did not appear in any of them. As per media announcements, the sound on 'Ladytron' will be heavier than on the previous album. 

Sharon van Etten will release her sixth album ‘Remind Me Tomorrow” on Jagjaguwar. The album was preceded by two singles in 2018 and Sharon certainly got big plans for 2019. Yesterday she announced the video for the third single "Seventeen" on Youtube.

White Lies will return with their fifth studio album this year fittingly entitled 'Five' which was preceded by three single releases. The band continues to deliver uplifting and melodic post punk and has also revealed  some interesting artwork material on their album and single releases covers.

Boy Harsher will release their second album this year on February 1st and this will be their first follow up to their debut from 2016. In 2017 the duo released the 'Country Girl' EP which was pronounced as the EP of the year on Burning Flame. So far two singles were announced from the upcoming album.

The Brooklyn based Xeno & Oaklander will release their seventh studio album in March. The album is going to be entitled 'Hypnos' and the first single from the album and the visual concept have already been reveled. "Angelique" is the first lead track for now while the animations were provided by by Mike Meire.

Best of 2018- The Singles

This year, for the fist time we were counting down the top 100 favorite singles  tracks which were either officially released or were simply great album tracks. Just a short refection on the top 3; No 3 is Pinkshinyultrablast's song "In the Hanging Gardens" which combines more influences than any other tune on he charts. It is layered, complex and one of the few songs that was holding the synth pop torch in 2018. At No 2, we find "At least the Sky is Blue" by Ssion and yet another collaboration with Ariel Pink. The video for the song was voted as Video of the Year on our site. And finally, No 1, certainly one of the biggest surprises in 2018, "I Love You, but I am Lost" by Tears for Fears. It was released in the last weeks of 2017 and managed to make an impact on us in 2018. It was not love on first listen, but the song managed to grow becoming the song of the year. Not all Tears for Fears would agree here, but we think that the band managed to reinvent themselves not losing their aesthetics.

Please find the entire top 100 list below.

01. Tears For Fears - I Love You But I 'm Lost

02. SSION ft. Ariel Pink - At Least The Sky Is Blue

03. Pinkshinyultrablast - In The Hanging Gardens

04. Seinabo Sei - I Owe You Nothing

05. MGMT- When You Die

06. Thom Yorke - Unmade

07. Lady Gaga- Your Song

08. Chvrches ft Matt Beringer - My Enemy

09. Johnny Marr - Hi Hello 

10. Robyn- Honey

11. BadBadNotGood - I Don't Know

12. David Byrne - Everybody's Coming to my House

13. U.S. Girls- Rosebud

14. Ladytron - The Island

15. Arcade Fire - Put Your Money on Me

16. Soft Cell - Northern Lights

17. Thom Yorke - Suspirium

18. St Vincent - Fast Slow Disco

19. Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love

20. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - If Love Is The Law

Best of 2018 - Top 10 EPs

EP has always been a good format to discover new artists and music and like every year, we are presenting you our favorite extended players in a top ten list. As always the EP is connecting the world from New Zealand, Australia via Europe all the way to US and Canada.

Best of 2018- The Album List

2018 has been quite silent and not such active year with news and updates from our end. Musically there were some interesting releases but much weaker with offer (hardly any synth pop) than the previous years in this decade. Regardless of this, every year comes with a certain charm and some records still manage to impress and leave a long-lasting memory.
What was evident, especially in the top albums pool, is that top four albums, in direct or in indirect way link to the LA music scene, and at least two of them feature collaboration with Ariel Pink which means that we have a thematic top five for the first time.
This year on our menu we have top ten favorite albums plus additional ones worth mentioning, also great but did not make such impact like the first ten. Of course there are always other good ones that we missed who might be considered in the years to come along the new releases.

Best of 1988- Top 50 Singles

In the 20th Century, the year 1988 was the year with the most Roman numeral digits, but more important, in science and technology, it was the year of the first Internet-based chat protocol between  the USA and Europe. 

On the music level, in the UK the charts were dominated by the Stock-Aitken-Waterman hits who received the Brit Award for their production skills most notably for the success of Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley. In the USA the charts were dominated by George Michael, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. 

On the different floors House music was slowly emerging, while Alternative and indie rock were even more diversified into various other musical expressions including the emerging Shoegaze sound. Of course there was a whole lot of different music moving people' hearts...

01. The Church - Under The Milky Way

02. Morrisey - Everyday is Like Sunday

03. Enya - Orinoco Flow

04. Pet Shop Boys - Domino Dancing

05. Morrissey - Suedehead

06. The La's - There She Goes

07. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat

08. Tracey Chapman - Fast Car

09. The House of Love - Christine

10. Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot 

11. The KLF - What Time is Love? (1988)

12. Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal

13. INXS - Never Tear Us Apart

14. S'Express - Theme from S'Express 

15. Inner City - Good Life

16. Bryan Ferry - Kiss and Tell

17. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy

18. Eighth Wonder - I'm Not Scared

19. George Michael - One More Try

20. Tanita Tikaram - Twist in my Sobriety

Soft Cell's -Keychains and Snowstorms- Compilation Announced

Soft Cell have announced the release of 'Keychains and Snowstorms', a brand new compilation which comes on 9CD+DVD package. It will feature a wealth of material – 50 percent of which the label claim is unreleased – including 12-inch mixes remastered, B-sides remastered, new extended/reworked versions, early versions and demos, radio sessions, live recordings and more. 'Keychains and Snowstorms' is presented as a ten-inch square book packed with photos and a new essay by Simon Price. It will be released on 7 September 2018.

Section 25 Release 8th Studio Album - Elektra

Section 25 are back with a brand new studio album titled 'Elektra'. This is band's 8th studio album and somehow leads back to the Section 25 old work of tracks recorded in one take and plenty of improvisation. The album is released via Austrian label Klang Galerie on CD and all major download platforms. The CD includes an 8 page booklet called 'Section X Section'. This has a foreword by John Robb and contributions / observations from band members past and present.

http://news.section25.com/2018/07/new-section-25-album-elektra-out-now

OMD celebrate 40th anniversary with the Release of the book 'Pretending to See The Future'

OMD have announced the release of 'Pretending to See the Future', a book that celebrates OMD's 40th anniversary. The book contains commentary from OMD founders Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, plus band members Martin Cooper, Malcolm Holmes and Stuart Kershaw, and is packed full of memorabilia and hundreds of photos. With many images in full colour and previously unseen pictures from the band’s own archive, this is the OMD story as it’s never been told before. Contributing to the interesting concept, the book is mixing hundreds of fan anecdotes with memories from the band, their collaborators, other musicians and celebrity admirers garnered from 40 years of recording and performing. 

More info:
http://www.omd.uk.com/news/pretending-to-see-the-future-40th-anniversary-book/

Available here:
https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/omd-pretending-to-see-the-future

Culture Club is back with a New Studio Album

Culture Club's original line up is back with their first studio album in 15 years entitled 'Tribes'. The band has been working on this album for three years now and the album is not available on Pledge music. "More than Silence" could be the first single from the album and tentatively it is going to be released on July 6th. 

https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/cultureclub

Next Wave: Close Encounter

 Close Encounter is a Seattle based music band consisting of Bill Darksoft (Guitar/Vocals), Bobby Sydney (Guitar/Vocals), and Cameron Lambert (Drums). Their music is a perfect blend of shoegaze, jangle pop and psychedelic rave recalling some great genre masters, including Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. 

The band released their debut 'First Light' in 2017 and 'Lost Time' in March this year, both via Look Up Records. 'Lost Time' combines jangley disco, dark 80s pop, and 90s shoegaze incorporating diverse textures and a wide range of moods, dealing with heartbreak, and the loneliness of modern communication.
The album is available for purchase online via independent record label Look Up Records, as well as in all record stores in Seattle (Everday Music, Silver Platters, Easy Street, and others).

https://closeencounterband.bandcamp.com/

John Maus to Release Addendum this May

John Maus have announced the release of a brand new album studio album which is in fact an early return and follow up to his last year release 'Screen Memories'. The new album will be entitled 'Addendum' and will feature 12 new tracks including the song "Episode" which has already been announced as a lead track. The album was recored during the same time as 'Screen Memories' and was originally intended for Exclusive careers spanning 6 LP boxset. It will be released on CD and digital through Ribbon on May 18th.

Instant Hit: Mekons - Ghosts of American Astronauts

Mekons released "Ghosts of American Astronauts" in 1988 and it was taken from their sixth album So Good it Hurts and the only song released by them in that year. It was backed by "Robin Hood" and issued on Cooking Vinyl in the UK.

Retrovision: The Communards- For A Friend

"For a Friend" was released thirty years ago entering the UK Charts at #33. It is one of the last releases for the band and it was not such a big chart success like some former Communards' tunes, but there is more of a cultural value to it as "For a Friend" was written about a friend of Jimmy Somerville, Mark Ashton who died of the disease aged 26. This is one of the few times the gruesome reality of rising death toll from AIDS in the 80s was addressed in the pop charts. The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan 

Next Wave: There's Talk

There's Talk is an electronic dream pop trio which was started by Oakland based multi-instrumentalist Olivia Lee (vocals, synths, programming, guitar). Kellen Balla (electronics, programming, vocals) and Young Lee (guitar, vocals) joined Olivia with hopes of expanding ambitious electronic soundscapes for live performance. The debut EP 'Tiny Stands' was released in 2013 and after the release the band toured regionally, supporting Glass Animals, Cigarettes After Sex, Arthur Beatrice and many others. Their sophomore release 'Bathed Water Moon' which includes inputs from all band members was released on February 23rd. It includes 4 tracks which perfectly blends buzzing synths and echoing guitars with semi-whispering soft female vocals formulating another deep blue night dream pop concept. 

https://www.facebook.com/TheresTalk/ 

http://www.therestalk.com/Music 

In Review: U.S. Girls- In A Poem Unlimited

U.S. Girls aka Meghan Remy released her seventh studio album 'In a Poem Unlimited' this February and her second all together on the 4AD label. This album comes as a follow up to 'Half Free' from 2015 and its release was preceded with the lead single "M.A.H." which came out last year. The brand new album includes 11 new tracks and it was recorded in collaboration with Meg's husband Max Turnbull aka Slim Twig and his band The Cosmic Range.

U.S. Girls has always been good in experimenting with sound and influences, even before their time on 4AD, and this has not changed even with this release and their artpop seem to have even become more vivid this time. The beats on new album reflect 60's and 70's music styles influences, free jazz forms, boogie disco and funk which turn this venture into more organic and expressive music event. It is very dynamic with some pop delights here and there, the lead single "M.A.H.", downtempo "Rosebud" and more electronically structured "Pearly Gates" and "Poem". Vocally Meg's voice register seems to adjust to the music easily from soft whispering Kylish flavour to full soaring ranges. In terms of content, there is angry political commentary to the songs where it stands up against public lies by political and religious leaders as well as studies about gender power imbalances.

 

Now when we compare it with the previous album, there is the impression that the 'Half Free' even more raw in production, was somehow a rounded up concept,  sample based and obscure, that gave the impression of a more intimate affair with the artist. With "In a Poem Unlimited" it seems that the elements that bring the music together and the instrumentation on some tracks seems to be overexposed and a bit out of place. And track wise we are missing a tune that could reach the quality heights of the  brilliant "Woman's Work" from the 'Half Free'.

 

Overall U.S. Girls has expended their territory musically well and some songs have really nice production quality and the protest tone resonates well with the grooves, but as global product it comes too much as polished light Pop for what we would rather have preferred another experiment with loops and samples and therefore a slight downgrade to 'Half Free'.

Release Date: February 16th

Automelodi Return with New Single and Announce US Tour

The Montreal based Automelodi have also announced their comeback with a brand new track which is featured on Holodeck's Vision One compilation. It’s also been nearly five years since the last full-length Automelodi release and as per Post-Punk's Announcement, Automelodi, now a two-piece, is currently hard at work on the third Automelodi LP. Holodeck has also announced the reissue of Automelodi's second album 'Surlendemains Acides' and the duo will go on US tour. More info here.