Sound mirrors are acoustic devices that reflect sound to a focal point. Prior to the advent of radar, large versions were built to pick up the sound of incoming enemy planes along the British coastline. Operators would listen to the drone of the sea, captured and focused by the mirrors, and put out an alert if they detected changes introduced by the sound of aircraft engines. So why would the Swedish darktronica pioneers, Covenant, name a single after them?
According to the band’s Joakim Montelius, the inspiration came from an article on the devices while reflecting on the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean:
My reading coincided with the refugee situation in Europe. The fact that we all knew about the reasons for it since years, without doing anything to help, made me think of this pattern. How we, humans in general, do everything in our power to try and predict future threats. That ability to anticipate possible scenarios is of course key to our survival, from an evolutionary point of view.
The track is lifted from Covenant’s new album, The Blinding Dark. It sits nestled among tracks of remarkable strength, pointing out the sounds of burning homes and broken souls. It is a unique statement from Covenant, and sits alongside Portion Control’s “Refugee” as a song about mass displacement that you can dance to. Perhaps, if we weren’t bombing their homes and arming the mercenaries who attack them, the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa wouldn’t need to move to colder countries – a point your DJ can make by spinning one of the excellent remixes that feature on the single release.
The other songs on The Blinding Dark are similarly bleak, even if they are less tied to the day’s headlines. It has been pointed out that Eskil Simonsson’s vocals in “Dies Irae” owe something to the style of Leonard Cohen, but the bard of Montreal rarely ventures into territory this dark. The title refers to the “day of wrath” in Christian mythology, and in the hands of Covenant it is also “a day of loss and mourning.” It will be the soundtrack to a thousand Goth funerals.
The filters work hard on “Cold Reading,” another dancefloor-oriented track infused with fizzing electronics. “I’m not the one to fear,” intones Simonsson over a trance-inducing pattern, but it sounds like he is. Stripped down and minimal, the electronics are sinister and tense, creating an atmosphere of darkness and dread transported from a Grimm tale.
Covenant’s experimental side comes out at several points on the album. The opening track, “Fulwell,” replicates the experience of listening to an acoustic mirror, in what might be the first industrial track featuring a seagull. There are two “Interludes”: the first tying together loops of machinery, pulses from modular kit and crushed vocals; the second sounding like a distant cousin of the sketches from New Order’s Power, Corruption and Lies. The peak of this thread, however, is found in a cover of Lee Hazlewood’s “Rider on a White Horse”: static, loops, drones and a duet combine to refract the imagery of the original, returning it to the Book of Revelations.
Theatrical, experimental and moody, The Blinding Dark is a compelling follow up to Leaving Babylon that captures the mood of 2016 to a T.
Photo credits: Chris Ruiz.
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.
Take Prime Movers, which is a gothic aerobics instructor’s dream: dark, stabbing bass; a euphoric lead and a growling vocal. It brings the feeling of the album back into the normal fan’s comfort zone. There should be no complaints arising from tracks like Ignorance and Bliss, either, with sparkling pads and lush choirs draped like muslin over a pulsing bass and galloping rhythm track. Likewise, Auto Circulation is custom-designed to be dropped into a late-night mix – a heady concoction of filters and tension.