Machinista‘s first album is the one that the hipsters are going to say that they liked before you did. Throughout Xenoglossy (Juggernaut Music Group), the Swedish duo of John Lindqwister (Cate R—- Dog, Basswood Dollies, #366) and Richard Flow (Vision Talk) are channeling the spirits of Bowie, Marc Almond and Nico. It’s an inspired, uptempo set of pulsing and throbbing synths, pulled along by dancefloor-filling rhythms and sophisticated melodies. In the instrumentation, there are hints of Italo and echoes of Flow’s legendary Vision Talk project, but also traces of Alien Sex Fiend, Psyche and Suicide. On the vocal side, Lindqwister invests each line with depth and precision, as well as an emotional charge rarely heard in modern poptronica.
The album opens with “Take Comfort in Being Sad,” a popular track from Machinista’s live shows. A chugging bass-line drives proceedings, while Lindqwister explains that “We make way for someone else.” Who that might be is an open question: on “Arizona Lights,” the band’s interest in extraterrestrial life comes to the fore, underpinned by a dynamic, octave-jumping track.
There isn’t a Machinista manifesto, and their lyrics suggest that they are coming with more questions than answers: “Salvation” explores lyrical territory that their fellow Swede, Ingmar Bergman, would have felt agnostic affinity for, while “Pushing the Angels Astray” is the musical mirror of the knight’s questions in The Seventh Seal. All of this is set to driving beats, as they put into practice George Clinton’s maxim, “Free your ass and your mind will follow.”
Machinista’s version of Bowie’s “Heroes” deconstructs and rebuilds the song using classic poptronica sounds. Like Nico’s cover, there is a dark, lonely and sad undertone, balanced with a euphoric feeling, but the fragile tension is maintained throughout. There isn’t a Wall to look over any more, but in this version one gets the sense that there are walls between all of us that still need to be broken down. On the dancefloor, where they are best taken in, Machinista certainly make that happen. The proof is in this rare footage of the duo on stage at An Evening with the Swedish Synth, the CWNL-curated event held in London’s Shoreditch district in March 2014:
After 2010’s Nu (EN: Now) revived the musical partnership of Eddie Bengtsson and Marina Schiptjenko, the profile and creative output of Page have been reaching new heights. Sweden’s original synthpop act, Page went through several transitions before bowing out at a performance in 2000. The reunion of Bengtsson and Schiptjenko, a decade later, surprised many by reinvigorating their music with mature themes and catchy melodies. Nu came across as a reboot, rather than a simple refresh, of Page’s sound.
Sitting for thirty years in the attic of Kevin Komoda, a box of memorabilia collected from his days in Rational Youth yielded some expected treasures when opened earlier this year. Besides pictures from Kraftwerk’s 1981 show in Montreal, Komoda found recordings from Rational Youth’s 1983 cross-Canada tour. Tapes from shows in Ottawa and Winnipeg were promptly digitised and released as cassettes and CDs, including bundles with rare and unreleased tracks from the RY archives.
Irish-born and Barnsley-raised, multi-instrumentalist Hannah Peel is best known in the electronic music community for her work with John Foxx & The Maths. With her amplified violin and keyboard work, Peel has brought an iridescent quality to Foxx’s stage shows, complementing the contributions of drummer and modular-synth master, Benjamin “Benje” Edwards. Peel’s solo material occupies a different place from Foxx’s, ranging from music-box versions of classic synthpop to ethereal, sweeping pop tracks that are more obviously inspired by a mixture of the Cocteau Twins and Irish folk traditions.
The release of Cryo material is always special, but the first single from the forthcoming Retropia album, In Your Eyes, came with an outstanding bonus track. While the A-side single is a definite alternative dancefloor-filler, The Portal is solid evidence that Martin Rudefelt has a deep well of compelling songs to draw upon. Although released in the position of a B-side, The Portal could easily have been a single in its own right. Dark, brooding and uplifting at the same time, it shows why Cryo continue to set the benchmark for EBM.
One of the surprises of 2013 was the low-key release by the electro-crooner duo, Julian & Marina, of their Distance EP, which included this exceptional track. Count the Stars is a wonderful pop song: elegant and charming in equal amounts. It goes a long way to preserve the feeling of early Pet Shop Boys songs, at a time when the PSB are borrowing ideas from Michael Nyman while singing Fabien Society pamphlets, and deserves wider exposure.
They’ve been around since 1984, but Candide aren’t stuck in an old-school groove. They released two singles in 2013, both of which were excellent; but, if pressed, we preferred this tribute to influential Swedish new wave act, Lustans Lakejer.
Belgium’s number one party band, Vive la fête went all Vicious Pink for this sultry but rhythm-infused remix. We made it a Track of the Day, but in truth it is one of the top songs for the year. A bouncy synth line, laid in by remixer Pantser Fabriek, gives it a minimal wave feel, but the vocals of model Els Pynoo take it over the top. More of this for 2014, please.
The duo of Richard Flow (ex-Vision Talk) and John Lindqwister (ex-Cat Rapes Dog) have conjured up a number of high-quality songs in their short time together, and with Pushing the Angels Astray they have established their place among the most exciting new acts of 2013. Their performance at Electronic Summer was one of the highlights of the festival, and with their signing to Juggernaut in the UK, we’ll be seeing a lot more of them next year.