Githead are back with their fourth album, Waiting for a Sign, ready for release on 8 December 2014. As a preview, the four-piece ensemble have made “Bringing the Sea to the City” available through Soundcloud. With the line-up of Wire’s Colin Newman, Minimal Compact’s Malka Spigel and Max “The Carpenter” Franken, as well as Robin Rimbaud (aka Scanner), Githead are a fusion of styles and influences like no other. “Bringing…” is an elegant, summery track with the sumptuousness of shoegaze but signs of a new wave bloodline.
Track of the Day
Swedish DJ Sandra Mosh is best known as the current host of Sveriges Radio’s avant-garde Elektroniskt programme. Her own musical efforts are more mainline than the experimental compositions that dominate Elektroniskt, and it is no surprise that Ms Mosh has been active on the European DJ scene since 2008 and presenting dance music sets on another show, Musikguiden. With “Skallgång,” she launches MOSH Music, and straight out of the gate the template is set for a classy, danceable affair.
If you want to attract fans, naming yourself after “the third worst poetry in the universe” might not be a great idea. You could do worse, however, than ask Johan Baeckström from Daily Planet to give you a Yazoo-infused makeover and borrow some NRG from Machinista’s Richard Flow. Then, no one would expect a recitation dedicated to a “freddled gruntbuggly” (cover your ears), but an up-tempo, bouncy slice of synthpop. As it is.
The trio of Analog Angel make some intelligent darkwave sounds, and “Drive” is an exemplary, forceful track that warrants repeated listening. From 2014’s Trinity album, it’s dark poptronica in a similar vein to Covenant, matching great synth sounds with sleek, elegant vocals. Guest vocalist Tracy J Cox’s lines float behind John Brown’s, while tense, pulsing waveforms are sculpted by keyboardists Ian Ferguson and Derek MacDonald. Not to be missed.
For more great reading about Analog Angel, see this interview at The Electricity Club.
Way back in 2007, London-based duo, Komputer, released this track as part of an online-only EP release. A different version appeared on the Mute sampler, 14 Irregular Files. It’s the kind of Kraftwerk-inspired material that Komputer successfully took up after shedding their I Start Counting skin, and it’s as sleek as a black panther in the rain.
Krister Petersson is Sweden’s most loyal devotee of Italo Disco. As the instrumental anchor of the legendary Vision Talk, Petersson was a prolific source of high energy dancefloor-friendly tracks. Although Vision Talk are no more, he hasn’t stopped writing new material, so the Italo flame remains lit in the North. His latest project, Swedit, is a contraction of Swedish Italo; and, like Vince Clarke’s original idea for The Assembly, is built around the idea of using different guest vocalists for each song.
The first vocalist to join up with Petersson is Richard Flow, also ex-Vision Talk and currently the keyboardist with Machinista. Their collaboration, “Lost and Found”, is out now on 12″ vinyl release through direct order (contact Swedit Records for information). We think it’s awesome.
One of the things that has always made Wire stand out is the presence of oblique strategist and wordsmith Edvard Graham Lewis on bass. “On bass” is perhaps a strange way to describe his role, because it also encompasses graphic design, stage design, sound design, vocals – maybe it’s better to say, “as multimedia, polymath whirlwind.” As part of Dome, Duet Emmo and 27#11, and as solo artist He Said, he has pushed the boundaries of pop into achingly beautiful and unconventional realms. Wire are still reinventing themselves, but Lewis is also working up solo material from his base in Uppsala. Two albums are coming around midsummer from Editions Mego: All Over and All Under are days away from release.
The first track we’ve heard is “We’ve Lost Your Mind” from All Over. It’s unmistakably Lewis material, with an almost conventional start that ultimately dissolves into fractals of noise. Immense.
Karin Park is one of CWNL’s favourite vocalists. The symmetrical Swedish export shows up in the fashion pages, guesting with other artists, propelling Norway’s Eurovision team – and, finally, with a new single. Shine is a slinky slice of electronica, more accessible than The Knife but with an undeniably experimental verve.