LATEST NEWS
Page Remain on the Bleeding Edge of Pop
Page, the Swedish poptronica pioneers, have revealed a striking new EP. The title track, “Blutest du,” is a German rendering of the song, “Blöder du,” from their current album, Fakta för alla. Released in a limited edition of 300 copies, the EP also contains an English-language version of “Start,” a cover of Gary Numan’s “Tracks,”…
Swans Remaster Conning-Produced Children of God
(Via Mute) Swans have announced a remastered reissue of Children of God on 13 November 2020 via Mute / Young God Records. The album, originally released on Product Inc. (a subsidiary of Mute) in 1987 will be available on vinyl in its original packaging for the first time since that release and both the CD and vinyl issues will...
Nille Nyc Shines with New Single
Nille Nyc is back with a new single. "Like Gold" tells the story of the Danish artist's personal development; combining her professional identity with her creative personality. A solid pop effort, the track has echoes of All Saints' "Pure Shores" in the chorus. Like our previous Track of the Day from Nyc, "(Not) Okay," it...
Dubstar Spread Intelligent Grooves
Dubstar, the duo of Sarah Blackwood and Chris Wilkie, are back with an infectious new single. The pandemic-inspired “Hygiene Strip” is an articulate, melodic pop song with an edge. Dubstar have moved forward strides from their earlier incarnation, and the involvement of producer Stephen Hague (New Order, Whitey) will help to make the track a…
Naked in Sweden: Twice a Man Release EP
Sweden's godfathers of post-punk, Twice a Man, have released a new single from their recent album, On the Other Side of the Mirror. "Naked" comes as a digital package, led by a club remix by Alien Waveform. The single edit is accompanied by further remixes by Anna Öberg and Karl Gasleben, Dan Söderqvist, and Charles...
Power, Corruption and Strings: Hannah Peel Scores The Deceived
Hannah Peel has unveiled her soundtrack for the new TV series, The Deceived. The multi-instrumentalist and composer is keeping busy: she has recently appeared on the new John Foxx and The Maths album, Howl; Paul Weller's chart-topping album, On Sunset, leaned on her orchestral skills; and she scored a recent BBC documentary about Lee Miller....
Summer with Kite-tronica
Kite are back with a new single, just in time to boost your summer energy. “Teenage Bliss” finds the Swedish duo mainlining OMD for an 80s high. Niklas Stenemo’s vocals are as strong as ever, and Christian Berg’s keyboards appear to have acquired a Liverpool accent. Produced together with Blanck Mass’ Benjamin John Power, “Teenage…
Centre Excuse Share a Secret
Centre Excuse have borrowed a line from Ren & Stimpy for the chorus of their new single, “Joy Joy Joy.” Björk’s favourite cat and dog act thrilled a generation with the Stinky Wizzleteats classic, “Happy Happy Joy Joy,” and the title phrase became ubiquitous. How is work? “Happy happy joy joy.” How is your relationship…
REVIEWS
Lederman Stein: Optional Lessons for the Future
Erik Stein The singer for Cult With No Name, Erik Stein, has the kind of smooth vocals and cowboy-movie good looks that get the girls in a tizzy. Textbooks for Tomorrow pairs Stein with Jean-Marc Lederman, the Belgian composer who has played live with Fad Gadget and The The, had hits with The Weathermen, and...
Signals from Distant Shores: Lau Nau and Matti Bye
LAU NAU Själö OST (Fonal) MATTI BYE Tove OST (Rotor) LAU NAU & MATTI BYE Signals (Time Released Sounds) The last show we produced before COVID-19 took over the world was Lau Nau with Vile Electrodes at Cecil Sharp House in London. Both acts performed with modular synthesizers and voice as their principal instruments; taking...
Like Tears in the Rain: Chosnau and Reeder
Mark Reeder started making (brave new) waves in Berlin soon after he arrived in the decadent Western sector. As documented in B-Movie, the Mancunian exile absorbed and reflected the spirit of the Cold War from both sides of the wall. As the main point of contact for Factory Records in Germany, Reeder subverted NATO with…
Anna Öberg Reveals the Creatures Inside
Anna Öberg is back with a new solo album. Varelser inuti [EN: Creatures Inside] is the third release from the Swedish songstress and former Ladomir member. It is also a magical take on pop from the north. The opening song, "Idiot," has the bounce and melodic stylings of early Page or even Men Without Hats....
Running Around with Independent State
The debut album from Independent State brings together two Swedes from opposite sides of the Radliffe Line for a set of industrial-influenced pop. Khyber Westlund comes from a Hindu family in Mumbai, India. Arjumand Carlstein was born in Karachi, Pakistan, into a Muslim family. They connected in the land of Dalarna horses and salt licorice...
Linea Aspera Return to a Shattered Reality
"Well there's a face I hadn't seen in a while." The return of Linea Aspera for a live show in London was one of the defining events of 2020. Yes, there has been a global pandemic. Sure, California burned. But these events are predictable enough that insurance companies write them into their terms and conditions....
FEATURES
Plague Songs: The Top 20 of 2020
2020 - the Year of Cancellations Who ordered the year of plague and misery? Just as things were getting interesting, musically, many parts of the world were forced to shut down in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Shows were postponed, one after the other, and then cancelled or pushed into 2021. Simple Minds came...
The 50 Albums Strage Should Have Included
Fredrik Strage, the Swedish culture journalist, has published his list of the 500 best albums of all time. Appearing in Dagens nyheter under the title, "From The Congos to Alphaville - Here Are Fredrik Strage's Best Albums," the list includes plenty of classics, but we couldn't help noticing that there were some big gaps. Everyone...
Still Life: Estelle Moughton
Born and educated in Australia, but living on the other side of the planet, Estelle Moughton is a self-taught painter. She has worked as a model for fashion editorial, music videos and fine art projects, but she is most often found with brush in hand. From her base in Stockholm, Moughton creates abstract works that...
Still Life: Julia Pivén
Julia Pivén Julia Pivén is an artist, organizer, DJ, writer, and model from Sweden. In this piece, she describes her artistry, which is built on dark existentialism and many years of practice at the easel. She has a background as a painting student at Gothenburg School of Art and as founder of various art organizations...
INTERVIEWS
Brian Griffin: Black Country Dada
Self Portrait (Photo: Brian Griffin) Brian Griffin's camera has captured some of the most iconic images of the past century. His image of a Soviet-style peasant in a wheat field for Depeche Mode's second LP, A Broken Frame, was selected by Life for the cover of their collection, The World's Greatest Photographs. He was proclaimed...
Claus Larsen: Going Hell for Leæther
Interview with the Danish musician better known as Leæther Strip.
Back to the Future with Page
It is the 40th anniversary of Page this year. From their beginnings as a Swedish version of Silicon Teens brought to life, to a mature poptronica duo keeping the spirit of futurist electronics alive, they have a scrapbook filled with enduring songs of love and lust. With Under mitt skinn [EN: Under My Skin], the...
S.P.O.C.K Beam in from the Neutral Zone
Sweden's poptronica legends, S.P.O.C.K, will make a rare London appearance on Saturday, 1 February 2020. They have been orbit above Scandinavia and Germany for many years, but they will appear right at the moment of Brexit to show that the planets are still united, even if Europe is not. Actually, it is a party at...
December Love Song: Facket Strejkar
One of the great things about Chris & Cosey is that the project was partly artistic and partly romantic. The love affair between the two musicians is what took them out of Throbbing Gristle and into each other's arms. The same combination of oscillators and hormones is evident in the work of Facket Strejkar. The...
Random Acts of Synthesis: A Chat with Eric Random
Eric Random once relocated to the Himalayas to learn percussion. It was about as far as one could get from the sooty brickwork of Manchester's post-industrial decline. Even at home, however, the former Tiller Boy was a million miles removed from the stagnant, commercial culture of Britain's Top 40 charts. Random's musical journey began when...
TRACK OF THE DAY
Þórunn Antonía – Flugdreki
Midsummer is traditionally a time to celebrate renewal and the return of the Sun. The longest day is an occasion to enjoy and to be released from dark energy. It is fitting, therefore, that Thorunn Antonia's new single, "Flugreki" [EN: "Kite"], arrives on Midsummer's Eve. It is an uplifting song of rebirth and independence, which...
Rein – Bodyhammer
Rein jolted London when she appeared at Electrowerkz for TEC 006 last year. The Swedish songstress has lost none of her energy since that visit, and "Bodyhammer" is a fierce, biting track that sparks with electricity like a Tesla coil. An homage to the film, Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, the lyrics call "Inject me!" The...
