It’s been so long since Depeche Mode’s peak hour that it’s a joy to hear another artist pick up the stylistic touches that made them pre-eminent for so long. In this case, Magnus Norr’s deadbeat project hits the spot with “Mörk energi” [EN: “Dark Energy”]. Norr has previously worked with Compute’s Ulrika Mild and Fraulein Plastique, but here is in top form in solo mode. Or Mode.
Track of the Day
As one-half of the Gothenburg-based, Yazoo-influenced duo, Alison, Karin Bolin Derne is known for having a vocal presence that can fill clubs and conquer dancefloors. Now, she’s effectively adapted the Dogme 95 rules to music, eschewing studio craft for a raw and direct recording technique. “90” is described parenthetically as “raw” because it isn’t yet polished by engineers, but it’s actually a good description of the emotional force of Bolin Derne’s material. This song is dedicated to her father, and it is delivered with the intensity of an exposed nerve. It’s a beautiful thing, but just try not to flinch as it touches you.
I believe in Father Christmas. I believe in music being coded into holes punched on scrolls, which are wound through hand-cranked music boxes. I believe in divine vocal accompaniments, distortion and the soundtrack to a million mobile phone company ads. OK, so the B-side to Hannah Peel’s “Find Peace” single hasn’t made it onto Vodafone’s radar yet, but it was only just released. Give it 12 months and this is going to be the song you can’t escape from, even if it’s a statement against the commercialisation of the holiday. In the meantime, Ms Peel’s version of Greg Lake’s classic, “I Believe in Father Christmas,” is just for us.
Update 21/12/2014: Hannah’s released a charming video with a live take, to add to your merriment:
Kord is a firm favourite at CWNL. Sweden’s Johan Sturesson occupies the space between dance and experimental music like few others. In this new release, part of a sonic Advent calendar from Repartiseraren, he’s channeling the ghosts of Chris & Cosey, Kraftwerk and space disco. Cooler than January in Umeå.
We are all, as Moby pointed out, made of stars; the scattered debris of dead suns, spread across the universe. Aurora Aksnes’ latest track is about the distance between the living and the dead, who are just sleeping under the stars. If she’s right, then this slickly produced song by the Norwegian prodigy will penetrate their dreams with folk-flecked vocals and an instrumental track that is right on the money.
Mankind, Brecht once noted in song, is kept alive by bestial acts. Reading the papers, it is hard to find evidence to the contrary: we have always, it seems, been at war with Oceania, and the only possible response to one murderous outrage is to launch another. Drones and mercenaries are part of the ecosystem now; as ubiquitous as images of Kim Kardashian or Miley Cyrus.
A poptronica single isn’t going to clean up this mess, but Hannah Peel’s “Find Peace” mutes the rattling of sabres for 4:00 with Brechtian directness. Released in time for the winter holiday season, it’s a special edition 7″ from the Snowflakes Christmas Singles Club, a Dutch label, on white vinyl. Mercenaries, drone pilots and Westminster armchair warriors will dislike its pacific sentiment, but nothing about Peel’s delicate, ethereal vocals nor the modular instrumental underpinning of collaborator Benge Edwards is suited to their ambitions. There’s something of a Robert Wyatt vibe to the piece, in places, which makes it feel as subversive as it is sentimental.
The single is available in a signed edition through the divine Ms Peel’s Web shop.
From what we can tell, Sean Barron of Empire State Human has a new project called iEuropean, into which he has pulled Wolfgang Flür (ex-Kraftwerk, Yamo), while tapping Clive Pierce and Rob Doran (both of hard CORPS notoriety) with Phen for remix support. “Activity of Sound” sounds a little bit like Torch Song borrowing the voice-over from a Juno Reactor track in places, which is no bad thing, and it has been more than competently repurposed for the dancefloor in this mix. Flür, of course, was a robot once, but there is an organic warmth in this song that suggests the machines are evolving.
There was a time when bands like Lush, Ride and Pale Saints worked feedback into luscious channels, on which the voices of real grrrls and guys would float; clouds of sound and uncut fringes providing a Brechtian distancing effect from the fragility of feeling in their lyrics. Ex-pat Canadian, Jennie Vee, has given new life to the style with a near-perfect debut solo EP. Die Alone is a five-track download on Bandcamp, and we struggled to pick a single track to highlight. In the end, “Wicked” wins out, because it has a video that doubles as a travelogue of EC1 with a sleek, stylish soundtrack.
John Fryer has a long history making and shaping music. Look on the back of the sleeves of the most important releases from the Mute or 4AD stables from the 1980s and his name will probably pop up as an engineer or producer. Speak and Spell? He was there. Upstairs at Erics? Yep. Head Over Heels? Check. Pump Up the Volume? Mmm-hmm. Not to mention his work in This Mortal Coil and The Hope Blister, nor his role in putting Nine Inch Nails over the top. Fryer’s been at the coal face when musical history was made so many times that it’s of immense interest when he has a new project to share. In this case, it’s a shiny, dark number with Pinky Turzo on vocals, layering delicate and spiky sounds like the finest muslin draped over thistles. Silver Ghost Shimmer cite 1960s pop acts like The Shangri Las as influences, but they have a post-punk pedigree like no other.
So, if 70s glam rock icon and object of Fonzie’s affection, Leather Tuscadero (ok, Suzi Quatro, but that’s how we best remember her), made a version of Daniel Miller’s first single, what would you expect it to sound like? Lots of guitars, some feedback, a stomping beat? Nope.