Burning Flame

Retrovision: Pet Shop Boys- Left to My Own Devices

Twenty five years ago, Pet Shop Boys released their single "Left To My Own Devices". Personally on of my favorite Pet Shop Boys to this date. The song was released as the second single from their third studio album, Introspective. It became the first track that Pet Shop Boys recorded with an orchestra, arranged by Richard Niles reaching the top ten charts in several European countries including the UK.

The music video, directed by long time Pet Shop Boys director, Eric Watson.

Next Wave: Quimper

'Unreasonable music for unreasonable people' is the parole of our new Next Wave duo from London. Consisting of Jodie Lowther and Johnny Vertigen, Quimper write ethereal, electronic songs that veer between dreams and nightmares, lullabies and hysterics. Coupling psychedelic and surreal visuals with their music, they create haunting yet beautiful soundscapes.

After the success of their previous 'Overgrown EP' released Autumn 2012 (available here), Quimper have spent the first part of the year 2013 mulling over sounds, playing a gig or two, stroking their collective chins and eventually committing to (digital) tape a follow-up EP entitled 'Aleph Null'.

More info about the group:
quimper.bandcamp.com/album/aleph-null
www.facebook.com/Quimperband
www.softbodiesrecords.co.uk/artists/quimper

In Conversation: Echö

One of the great things about surfing the internet is that you just never know what or who you might stumble upon. Yes, there are some things you wish you had never found. Though, that wasn't the case when i came across the Soundcloud page of Echö. I felt as if i had struck audible gold. After induling myself in the synthesized infection of their track "Daydream" i had to hear and know more. I immediately got in touch with vocalist, Mickaël (aka Mika) to inquire about the possibility of an interview. At that particular time, the band was on the verge of releasing their debut EP of the same name. He promised me an interview once their release plans were a bit more stable. This was close to 2 years ago and i honestly had forgotten about our talk and the pending interview. True to his word and to my delight, Mika got back in touch with me this past September. He let me know that the band was about to release their second EP, "Intangible Pupa" and to see if i was still interested in doing an interview. Of course i said yes! How could i not?!

The two man outfit comes to us from Barcelona / France and is comprised of Mika and Alexandre Portils Torner. Again, they released the delightfully awesome "Intangible Pupa" EP on September 30 of this year. Doing the release honors is Belgian based label Romance Moderne who, in my opinion, are the perfect vehicle in presenting Echö to the masses. So now, let's find out more about the band, shall we? Here are a few questions I happily whipped up for Mika.

Jesus and The Mary Chains' Vinyl Box Set Announced for December.

Demon Music Group has announced the release of 'The Complete Vinyl Collection' box set by The Jesus and Mary Chain. The box set will include the band's six studio albums, along with a live album. Other items featured on the box set will include two-LP collection of all the band’s BBC studio recordings, B-sides and rarities LP with a fan-picked tracklist, a 32-page hardcover book with photographs, essays and interviews, and a poster, on which fans will be able to upload a photo of their face for possible inclusion. It will be released on December 12th marking the band's 30th anniversary.

In Conversation: Terror Bird

A while back when I was cruising through the Night People Records catalogue, I discovered Terror Bird. Two or three songs and I was on the Terror Bird boat. The DIY aesthetic, Nikki's voice and the indie synth pop beat made Terror Bird's music becoming an instant part of my daily airplay. Originally from Canada, based in Europe, Terror Bird is Nikki Nevver's musical projects which also involves other artists. Since 2009, Terror Bird has released several albums and been on tour through out Canada and Europe. She has released a brand new album this year entitled All This Time. More about this, the early starts and future plans in this special interview.

Lou Reed Dies Aged 71

One of the most influential artist and musician of all time who helped and changed the face of music almost 50 years has passed away. Born Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed was principal musician and the mastermind behind the music of Velvet Underground and he was also known for his solo career, which has spanned several decades. Reed was believed to have been in poor health since he underwent a liver transplant in May.
He remained an avid and interesting artist, branching out into photography and released two book of his work, 'Emotions in Action' and 'Lou Reed's New York.' Reed interacted with fans regularly, with a Facebook page and a Twitter account with more than 42,000 followers. His last Tweet was posted this morning.