SMPJ

This Fish Needs a Reissue

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]First released in 2004, Between A&B was Eddie Bengtsson’s first solo album with English lyrics. Until that point, the Page and Sista mannen på jorden (SMPJ) front man had made a point of singing in his native language. So, it was a pleasant surprise for non-Swedish speaking audiences when the CD came out under the artist name, This Fish Needs a Bike.

Between A&B was in a similar vein to SMPJ: bubbling synthetic bass lines, science fiction themes, and adventures in minor key poptronica. It even had a version of SMPJ’s hit, “Luft,” rendered as “Air.” Essentially, it is the “missing” SMPJ album between Bengtsson’s time on the Subspace and Energy labels.

The album has now been released to streaming services by Energy with the addition of four new tracks. To the classics, including “Stan” and “Putting My Suit On,” have been added four new songs from the archives. Fans can now hear “Sharkattack,” “Little Punkgirl,” “How Do You” and “Headache.” The new tracks are unmistakably part of the Bengtsson canon, and fans of his recent work with Page will be surprised by the presence of non-Moog keyboards like the Yahama CS-15. They will also be charmed by the catchiness of songs like “Do It” – one of his best dance tracks.

Between A&B is live now on Spotify.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Everybody Is (Dancing to Jeddie 3)

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

In the 70s, everyone was a winner (babe, yeah it’s true). In the 80s, everybody wanted to rule the world. Fast forward to the 20-teens and everybody is a DJ. At the end of history (as Fukuyama would have it), even Z-list celebrities with smartphones are being billed as DJs, tapping the pots on mixing decks in a kind of mime show. Pre-recorded shows are becoming standard, allowing anyone with a backwards baseball hat to call themselves a DJ if they stand in the appropriate place.

So, when Jeddie 3 say, “Everybody Is (a DJ),” they aren’t kidding. Or maybe they are: the talent behind the tag is Eddie Bengtsson, Sweden’s answer to Vince Clarke, and he has a sense of humour a Nordic mile wide. Bengtsson will have noticed the move by Vince Clarke and Martin Gore into the world of Beatport, and Jeddie 3’s release might be seen as an exercise in one-upmanship. Beating VCMG (or just MG) in the quality stakes would be like shooting fish in a barrel for a composer of Bengtsson’s experience, however, so there is likely more going on.

Taken at face value, “Everybody Is (a DJ)” is a thumping piece of dance music, designed for the dancefloor. It will find its way into a Boiler Room mix soon, prompting Millennials to twitch around the DJ table, dreaming of the moment when they can play with their own Traktor 2 set-ups. If they were smart, they would learn some chords and how to extract the coolest filter sweeps from a Moog, so that they could be just like Eddie.

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The Top 15 of 2015

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

If 2013 was the year of new music and 2014 the year of the live show, what was the defining feature of 2015? We’d say that it was the development of collectives organising to support artists outside of the record industry mainstream. The trend picked up steam with I Am Snow Angel joining forces with Dani Mari and Claire London. They called themselves Female Frequency and started crowdfunding to produce an album made entirely by women artists. Over in Norway, the KOSO collective launched with a similar spirit. This was less of a feminist statement than a reflection of feminine confidence. The record industry might be run by men in suits and their hipster-bearded minions, and EDM might have been born in some boys’ bedrooms, but this year the female of the species got tired of waiting for her turn. She sounds great.

 

15. Train to Spain – What It’s All About

We called What It’s All About the soundtrack to summer, and with its effervescent synths and sparkling vocals it was glittery bliss for the trip to the beach on bright weekends. Those days are long forgotten in Europe, suffering in the cold and damp of a stormy December, but we have Polaroids to remind us that Train to Spain’s first album was an accomplished debut.

 

14. Hannah Peel – Rebox 2

Hannah Peel’s first EP of cover songs, Rebox, tackled classic 80s pop gems, like “Tainted Love” and “Blue Monday.” Her second, Rebox 2, picked tracks from more current artists, such as East India Youth (with whom she toured) and Perfume Genius. We love Peel’s original material, but there is no faulting her song choices or interpretations here. As ever, Peel’s voice is the draw – it travels on wavelengths of exceptional clarity and has the impact of a Holi carnival of colours.

 

13. Machinista – Garmonbozia

Machinista’s second album showed off the continued strength of their songwriting, as well as John Lindqwister’s penetrating vocals. Last year’s debut, Xenoglossy, set the template, and there was clearly more Lynchian, dancefloor-friendly poptronica waiting to come out.

 

12. Muricidae – Tales from a Silent Ocean

John Fryer, the legendary producer and songwriter, pushed out two major projects in 2015: Silver Ghost Shimmer, a grinding, sexy project with singer Pinky Turzo; and Muricidae, a Mortal Coil-esque enterprise featuring Louise Fraser. We found it hard to choose between them, but in the end kept coming back to this jewel from Muricidae’s debut album, Tales from a Silent Ocean. Set to repeat, it’s perpetually Sunday after sundown, and that’s our favourite time.

 

11. Marsheaux – A Broken Frame

Reinterpreting a Depeche Mode album with synthesizers might seem a neat conceit from a distance, but when it is A Broken Frame, the Basildon boys’ second, purely electronic album, you might also ask, “Why?” The answer is that Depeche Mode have long turned their back on that masterful set of experimental pop. If Gore and Gahan aren’t going to develop the ideas that were first captured in Blackwing Studios, back in 1982, then why not some fans from Athens who have a line in angelic electropop? By giving the songs a modern makeover, Marsheaux breathed new life into them – if only DM would do the same!

 

10. Vile Electrodes – Captive in Symmetry

There still isn’t a band in Britain that is making music at the level of Vile Electrodes. Their three-track EP, Captive in Symmetry, reminded everyone of that, but so did a show warming up for Mesh and a headline performance at “A Secret Wish.” This was also the year that the BBC discovered the Viles, as did lecturers in media studies at an academic event in Dusseldorf. After years of breaking the fourth wall, surely it’s time they punched through the glass ceiling, as well!

 

9. Pieces of Juno – “Same to Me” VIDEO OF THE YEAR!

In the year of A-Ha’s return, we discovered a Norwegian artist we like better: Pieces of Juno, an Oslo-based songstress, caught our attention with leftfield poptronica and creative video work. We first heard her providing backing vocals for Karin Park at Electronic Summer, which was a mighty performance all-round, and a little digging unearthed a vein of gold and silver.

Nothing against Morten & Co., but things have moved on a little. These days, Juno and friends in the KOSO collective are making their own way without the support of major record labels. As this effort shows, Norwegians are still doing great video work to accompany the sounds from the North.


 

8. Me the Tiger – Vitriolic

One of the stand-out performances of 2015 came from Sweden’s Me the Tiger at Gothenburg’s legendary Electronic summer event. The trio from Falun shook the walls with outstanding songs and fabulous vocals from Gabriella Åström. It turned out that they’d put it all down in the studio, too, and Vitriolic was bottled lightning. With DAF’s management behind them, they’re going to go far.

 

7. Jennie Vee – Spying

The word “muse” comes up a lot in writing about New York’s Jennie Vee. Not in the sense of a glam- and prog-influenced rock band that puts marching teddy bears in their anti-NWO videos, but as an artist who stimulates others. Courtney Love has used the term to describe Vee, as has her photographer, Katrin Albert. We just call her great, because Vee has given shoegaze a shiny, patent-leather kick from behind. Her first solo album, Spying, demonstrated that the preceding EPs weren’t kidding with their emphatic, bass-driven dreampop. We’ll be spinning this for a long time yet.


 

6. Karin Park – Apocalypse Pop

The arrival of Karin Park’s fifth studio album was keenly anticipated. There had been a three year interlude since Highwire Poetry, and it turned out that the extended gestation period did nothing to detract from Park’s sense of melody. With a diverse group of songwriters collaborating on compositions, the album’s flavours change like an American gobstopper candy: layers peel away to reveal a raw, inner core of emotional authenticity that you get from few other artists. “Hard Liquor Man” and “Look What You’ve Done” will become classics of Park’s live show, but we also loved “Stick to the Lie,” which had a single release with this remix.

 

5. Dan Söderqvist – Dark Flowers Awake

Dan Söderqvist’s sidelines from Twice a Man have included a number of collaborations with European and American artists. This year, he picked through the archives for some of the best, which were collected as Dark Flowers Awake. With contributions by the artists behind Building Castles Made of Matchsticks, Narcoleptica and Mono-Drone, among others, the album showcased Söderqvist’s experimental forays but also how far his influence reaches beyond Sweden’s borders.

 

4. Rein – “Concrete Jungle” NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR!

We’ve been waiting for Rein to come along – a fierce, independent woman who combines talent with a capacity for attitude and aggression that can tame the hardest death metal grunt. Armed with a copy of Reason, Rein stormed onto Soundcloud with the old-school EBM of “There Is No Authority But Yourself,” followed quickly by “Concrete Jungle.” The latter proved that she has a fantastic voice, while this mix pushed us out onto the floor all over again. Dance, pilgrim!

 

3. Lau Nau – Hem. Någonstans

Finnish avant-folk composer, Lau Nau, breezed into our consciousness with the soundtrack to Hem. Nagonstans, a film by Lotta Petronella. Readers of The Wire and visitors to obscure festivals will have got there ahead of us, but the musical world of Laura Naukkarinen is one that we are happy to inhabit. A rare London appearance confirmed the organic beauty of Lau Nau’s voice and vision. We’ve been walking barefoot among the birch trees ever since.

 

2. Sista mannen på jorden – …translate EP OF THE YEAR!

R-6954020-1430309974-3662.jpegReleased to mark SMPJ’s first London show, at Cold War Night Life’s “A Secret Wish,” …translate was an ultra-limited edition EP, featuring English versions of some of the band’s best-known songs. With a darker version of “Stadens alla ljus” rendered as “All the City Lights” and the classic “Luft” reprised as “Air,” this was the perfect introduction to Sweden’s best-loved poptronica outfit.

The EP isn’t available as a download – you had to be there. Sorry if you couldn’t make the show, but singer/songwriter Eddie B did share this taster on his Soundcloud account.

 

1. Twice a Man – Presence ALBUM OF THE YEAR!

Twice a Man have been making music together for four decades, but they’ve never lost their bleeding-edge coolness. In 2015, they released a new album, Presence, with the political verve and musical mastery to show the new generation how it is done. This is a remix that appeared on the single for “Black,” proving that there is plenty of juice in the engine yet.

 

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Destino Plutòn – Césped Artificial

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

For everyone with a Eurovision hangover, we’d recommend taking a listen to this fine Spanish electropop and forgetting you stayed up to watch the voting. Destino Plutòn [EN: Destination Pluto] have a foot firmly in the space disco camp, and there are enough sweeps and bounces in here to satisfy fans of SMPJ and Vision Talk alike. This track, “Césped Artificial” [EN: “Artificial Turf”], is remixed from their most recent release, which translates as “The Importance of Virtual Contact.”

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Naked Lunch – Emotional Turmoil (Eddie B Redux)

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Naked Lunch recently warmed up for Covenant, but they are stalwarts on the UK electronic scene, having appeared on the famed Some Bizarre album alongside Depeche Mode. Eddie Bengtsson of Page and Sista Mannen pa Jorden (playing in London on 19 April 2015 at The Lexington) has remixed one of the tracks from Rabies!, the most recent EP from the Lunch, and it’s a classy slice of dancefloor-friendly poptronica.

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Sista Mannen på Jorden – Radiofyren [Radio 4]

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Reaching back to 1987, Sista Mannen på Jorden (SMPJ) made their first live appearance at Stadt Hamburg, an all-ages venue in Malmö, Sweden. The band started as a side project to Page, with Eddie Bengtsson working on science fiction-influenced spacetronica. Almost thirty years and many quality albums later later, SMPJ are making their UK debut on 19 April 2015 at A Secret Wish.

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Black Celebration: electriXmas 2014

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

ELECTRIXMAS
Inkonst, Malmö
13 December 2014

Turnout for the annual electriXmas event in Malmö is traditionally strong, attracting legions of black-clad synthers from across Sweden and around Europe, many of them musicians coming to size up or show their appreciation for the competition. The line-up for this year’s event had real pulling-power, with the Belgian EBM legends, Front 242 and Suicide Commando, headlining a festival that also featured two of Sweden’s best home-grown acts, Sista mannen på jorden and Machinista. The highlights of the event came from these last two, who electrified the audience with poptronica of such strength and quality that the running order of the programme could easily have been reversed without any drop in energy.

Machinista are the duo of vocalist John Lindqwister and keyboardist Richard Flow. Lindqwister takes to the stage in typically stylish fashion, sporting an Aladdin Sane shirt and tattoos – a sartorial signal of what is to come, as he belts out crowd favourites like “Pushing the Angels Astray,” “Molecules and Carbon” and “Salvation.” Beside him, Flow drives the machinery and adds colour with a sonic palette boasting hues of Italo and industrial dance music. Their record label closed its doors earlier this year; but, with a brace of remixes in the vaults and new songs on trial, Machinista are clearly pregnant with a second album. You can tell by the glow on the faces of their fans.

Eddie Bengtsson’s SMPJ project has three studio albums behind it, along with a compilation of demos and rare tracks. Practically every one of the songs on those releases is suitable for a live show, so narrowing the choices down for a set list must be daunting. On this outing, classic hits like “Sekunder” [EN: “Seconds”], “Ögon” [EN: “Eyes”] and “Stanna kvar” [EN: “Remain”] are joined by “Leonov” from Ok, Ok, Ok. The most recent SMPJ single, “Stadens alla ljus,” [EN: “City Lights”] gets a make-over as “Malmös alla ljus” in a cheeky ad-lib, but it’s all in fun and the crowd happily take up the chorus. Behind Bengtsson, Christer Hermodsson does an impression of Ron Mael from Sparks; leaving his keyboard to offer some impromptu dancing before rushing back to hit his cues. The show is practiced but not predictable, and the crowd roar into life as they recognise the first notes of each song. Their only disappointment is that the band is on a schedule and its set has to come to an end.

Front 242 are soon lining up “Headhunter” for the black-armoured crowd. Their aggressive electronic rhythms are a hit, but the Front’s cyber-sonic assault stands in contrast to the layers and textures of the poptronica acts that came before them. There’s a light-hearted contest for the hearts and minds of the audience, but on this night the unending movement of hips and feet mean that everyone’s a winner.


Photo: Petter Duvander

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Gabba Gabba Hej! Punk Goes Electro in Sweden

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

Anger, as John Lydon once pointed out, is an energy. At least, that was the message in the days before he started shilling for a dairy firm and making travel programmes for cable TV. Now, Lydon eats his crumpets in front of the fire grate and counts his money, as comfortable as the middle class he once set out to offend. Meanwhile, the DIY imagery of punk has become as much of a commodity as the stylised face of Che Guevara – appropriated by admen and repurposed to sell, sell, sell lifestyle products.

If punk can be reimagined and retooled by marketers, then why not by experimental artists armed with arrays of electronic hardware and batteries of VST synths? That’s the question now answered by a collective of Swedish musicians, organised under the banner of “Electronically Yours.” Page/SMPJ front-man Eddie Bengtsson set them the challenge, following the success of 2012’s tribute album, The Seventies Revisited. Their responses are collected on Electronically Up Yours, a compilation of songs from groups and laptop artists of varying notoriety, each tackling a legendary American or British punk classic.

Biomekkanik_2251585The album kicks off with a curl of the lip from Biomekkanik. “Young Savage,” an early Ultravox! track (from their days with John Foxx), hits the sweet spot that Billy Idol missed on his most recent album. Christer Hermodsson is a unique talent, having spent time in S.P.O.C.K and next to Bengtsson in SMPJ. Here, he’s in full Biomekkanik mode, putting the cyber into punk with an aggressive attitude.

Some of the songs, like Radio Stars’ “Nervous Wreck” and Dickies’ “Fan Mail,” benefit from an electronic make-over (provided by The Future and Den där killen, respectively); the technology lifting them neatly into the twenty-first century. Others, like Counterfeit‘s version of XTC’s “I’ll Set Myself on Fire,” go in very different directions from the originals, deconstructing them and teasing out elements that emphasise particular characteristics, like the results of a selective breeding programme. If you thought you knew “God Save the Queen,” then Amusik‘s version will throw you the way that Frazier Chorus’ take on “Anarchy in the UK” once did for an earlier generation.

IMG_1296Things really get interesting with Sista mannen på jorden‘s take on Alternative TV’s self-referential “Action Time Vision.” Alternative TV were one of the first punk bands to have their eyes caught by synthesizers, and guitarist Alex Ferguson even put out an electronic pop track produced by Daniel Miller (of The Normal and Mute Records fame). Bengtsson’s returned the compliment by performing his trick of making synthesizers do the work of guitars, keeping the frenetic energy of the original while infusing it with punktronica stylings.

The American school is represented here by Mr Doonut and Page, tackling classic tracks by The Ramones. Mr Doonut is Håkan Hultberg’s nom de musique, and his version of “The KKK Took My Baby Away” is pure poptronica: blips and bleeps replace the sculptured feedback of the original, while arpeggiators blur over the start-stop riffs that were characteristic of the godfathers of punk. Page round off the album with a sleek cover of “Commando,” speeding it up and armouring it for the dancefloor.

If anything is missing from Electronically Up Yours, it is the anger that fuelled punk and carried it for 2:01 along a path paved by a single chord. The happy fact is that no one is going to gob at the vocalists of the EY acts to show appreciation, nor pour beer over their keyboards to demonstrate their contempt for Tangerine Dream. Parents aren’t going to fret about the influence of this CD on their teenagers, nor take knitting needles to it to assert their authority. This is middle class rebellion in the twenty-first century, from IT team leaders and educators who like butter on their crumpets just as much as Johnny Rotten, and it’s quite lovely.

The full track listing is set out below:

1. Biomekkanik – Young Savage (Ultravox!)
2. 12th House – No More Heroes (The Stranglers)
3. The Future – Nervous Wreck (Radio Stars)
4. Counterfeit – I’ll Set Myself On Fire (XTC)
5. Sista mannen på jorden – Action Time Vision (Alternative TV)
6. Den där killen – Fan Mail (Dickies)
7. Clark Gable – Ready Steady Go (Generation X)
8. Compute – Hong Kong Garden (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
9. Arachnophobias – London Girls (The Vibrators)
10. Steelberry Clones – Watching the Detectives (Elvis Costello & The Attractions)
11. Amusik – God Save the Queen (The Sex Pistols)
12. Dvala – Problem Child (The Damned)
13. Angaudlinn – Just Thirteen (The Lurkers)
14. AlphaKenny-1 – Ever Fallen in Love (The Buzzcocks)
15. 319T – Don’t Push Me Around (The Zeros)
16. DJ Man-Machine feat Sleezy – Gary Gilmore’s Eyes (The Adverts)
17. Mr Doonut – The KKK Took My Baby Away (The Ramones)
18. Independent State – Borstal Breakout (Sham 69)
19. Page – Commando (The Ramones)

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CWNL Presents: The Top 10 Releases of 2014

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

If 2013 was a bumper year for recorded music, then 2014 was the year of the live show. Besides carefully curated festivals, like Electronic Summer and TEC 003, there was an ambitious Nordic tour by Rational Youth, Psyche, Sista mannen på jorden and I Satellite, followed by a German-Polish outing for Rational Youth and Psyche. Cold War Night Life sponsored “An Evening with the Swedish Synth” in Brick Lane, showcasing leading poptronica Vikings, Page, Machinista and Train to Spain. Karin Park and Parralox stormed the London stage this year, as well. The high water mark for UK artists was set by Vile Electrodes, however, who warmed up for their show at TEC 003 by winning awards in Germany. Sure, Avicii can fill hockey arenas with EDM DJ sets, but does he hand-make CD sleeves from faux fur, wear hats made from washing-up gloves and sing like a young Debbie Harry? No, and until he does, the Vile ones will have the creative edge.

With that, we are pleased to present Cold War Night Life’s Top 10 Releases of 2014.

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

1. Rational Youth – Cold War Night Life / Recordings 1981-84

IMG_9621Pole position in 2014 was easily taken by a set of recordings that were all made by 1984. Rational Youth’s first album, Cold War Night Life, came out in 1982 and quickly took a place in the synth pantheon next to the classic releases from that time, such as Depeche Mode’s Speak and Spell and John Foxx’s Metamatic. Over the years, it has become a cult favourite outside of Canada, with Swedish and German synthers fanning the embers into occasional flames. This year, the leading European artisan label, Vinyl on Demand, lovingly collated it with live recordings, demos, singles and EPs for one of their ultra-high quality box sets. Stunning sound from heavy-duty 180gm vinyl and amazing design mean that this is a package that only comes around once every thirty years.

 

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

2. Sista mannen på jorden – ”Stadens alla ljus”

10171757_625556007514876_1542272301361497548_nEddie Bengtsson nearly didn’t record “Stadens alla ljus” [EN: “City Lights”] himself. He first offered it to his former band, S.P.O.C.K. It was only after they turned it down that he took the plunge with his legendary project, Sista mannen på jorden [EN: The Last Man on Earth]. That proved to be a good move, as SMPJ fans have come to expect world-class poptronica with themes of space and longing from Sweden’s own Vince Clarke. “Stadens alla ljus” is the story of an astronaut looking down on the Earth and commenting on urban illumination as his air supply runs out. With sweeps that cover the cosmos and sequences set to Warp 4, it’s an evocative song made more poignant by Bengtsson’s emotive vocals. Once you’ve been transported by the chorus, there’s no way back.

The 12” version came with another SMPJ original, “Vem gör det då?” [EN: “Who does it, then?”], as well as two covers: an exquisite version of OMD’s “Stanlow” with Swedish lyrics and a faithful Devo tribute, “Going Under”. The combination was unbeatable in 2014.

 

3. Hannah Peel – Fabricstate

IMG_9361One of the highlights of the year was receiving a copy of Hannah Peel’s Fabricstate EP on a Saturday when the Sun was shining. We said:

“It’s not just that the record is pressed in red vinyl, mirroring the colour of her hair; nor that it contains Chloe, the award-winning song already heard in a British television production – the thing that sets Fabricstate apart is that it is infused with distillates of folk music but is a thoroughly modern musical cocktail. Take the title track, which begins with a piano accompaniment, but quickly develops a martial rhythm underpinned by Test Dept-esque metal, before razor-sharp sawtooth waveforms come in. Peel’s voice has a delicate quality, which sits against the more dangerous sounds of the instrumental track, setting them off by highlighting just the slightest hint of menace. Folk music for urban living, let’s call it.”

Peel’s talent and technique are solidly in evidence throughout. We couldn’t pick just one song, so the whole EP takes third place in this year’s list.

 

4. Machinista – Xenoglossy

machinista_xenoglossyMachinista’s infectious poptronica travelled well in 2014, reaching London for “An Evening with the Swedish Synth.” Their live show is a razor-sharp combination of up-tempo pop and experimental rock (think Bowie meets Suicide at Nico’s house with lots of Italo records scattered around). Xenoglossy is their first proper album, and it comes filled with the same superb, original poptronica; sometimes pointing at the skies and sometimes in our hearts for signs of life, but always moving feet and hips in tandem. On disc, John Lindqwister’s vocals let rip while Richard Flow runs the machines, and the two Swedish veterans conjur up a sound that is both fresh and electrifying.

 

5. I Satellite – Zephyr EP

artworks-000076614130-12nl15-originalRod MacQuarrie’s collection of machines is impressive by any standards: he owns equipment formerly housed by Bill Zorn of Rational Youth and Phil Collins, and his studio is crammed with Oberheims, Rolands, Logans and ARPs that can be used to recreate the sounds of classic tracks by everyone from Alphaville to ABBA. With the release of Zephyr, the Kalamazoo-based musician showed off his old-school influences, as well as his ability to construct distinctive original material. Covers of New Order’s “Your Silent Face” and ABBA’s “I Am the City” are polished and respectful; but, by moving more in the direction of Gary Numan and John Foxx, we’d argue that the latter is arguably better than the original version. Tracks like “This Time” and “City Streets” are instant classics, while “Bubbleboy” channels alienation and pain to a mid-tempo beat. It’s pure magic.

 

6. Karin Park – “Shine”

karin-park-shineKarin Park ran a remix competition on Beatport for her 2014 single, “Shine,” but none of the contributions came close to the original. With pained lyrics yielding a glimpse of hope in the chorus, the track sounded best with the attack side of the envelope set high on the keyboards and the beats restrained. Park’s voice is distinctive and sometimes compared to Karin Dreijer Andersson’s, but it’s got a texture of its very own. It provides the emotional overlay that lifts “Shine” to the next level, gliding frictionless over the instrumental track.

 

7. William Orbit – Strange Cargo 5

avatars-000082801444-daft9x-t500x500It’s perhaps easy for an album given away for free on social media to be overlooked, but the latest instalment of William Orbit’s Strange Cargo series wasn’t exactly a vanity project. The musician and producer, best known in popular music circles for his work with Madonna, Britney and (once, but we doubt ever again) Blur, had the material up his sleeve but just wasn’t looking to cash in on it. He could have charged the market rate for Strange Cargo 5, because it is the type of exemplary poptronica that record companies write him large cheques to use as a platform for their major stars, but he just put it on Soundcloud with the download feature enabled. Pure class – in more ways than one.

 

8. Parralox – “Crying on the Dancefloor”

a1184752648_10We interviewed Parralox just before they appeared in London as support for Polly Scattergood. John von Ahlen’s sophisticated pop sense had consistently impressed us, but we were still blown away by the unveiling of “Crying on the Dancefloor.”  With the addition of vocalists Francine and Johanna, Parralox ramped up its capabilities and glammed up its image even further. The accompanying video, in which the band play the role of a talent show jury, revealed them to have a sense of humour, as well as style. Parralox are back on the London stage to warm up for Erasure before the end of the year, and this is certain to be a crowd favourite. We’ve featured a techno mix here by Your Silent Face.

 

9. Vile Electrodes – “Empire of Wolves”

a4154517545_10Drawing enough power to keep National Grid engineers on their toes during live performances, Vile Electrodes are the UK’s leading electro duo. Anais Neon has stunning vocal control, while keyboardist Martin Swan just about keeps the machinery under his spell in their synthetic Fantasia. This high-voltage track came in an exclusive package of remixes, embedded in a faux fur envelope, and it’s coiled to spring out of your speakers with fangs bared.

 

10. Colouroïd – Long Play

275638_largeColouroïd are the Icelandic/Swedish duo of Jòn and Ella Moe. Besides making excellent lower-case M and W minimal wave music, they also run the FlexiWave label from their Stockholm base (which we hear will be relocating to Berlin soon). Their first album is a masterful slab of vinyl, pressed with grooves cooler than the surface of Neptune. From the run-in groove until the stylish inner-label, each side is an icy, voltage-controlled mindscape. With titles like “Pillow Fort” and “Eye Shadow,” we’d say their songs are playful and dark – fifty shades of black, if you will.

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Review: SMPJ Take on Devo and OMD

by coldwarnightlife
written by coldwarnightlife

When Sista mannen på jorden (EN: The Last Man on Earth) released “Stadens alla ljus” (EN: “All the City Lights”), back in April, we were pretty excited. After concentrating on his Page project with Marina Schiptjenko for two albums, Eddie Bengtsson was returning to the science-fiction themes and spaced-out synths of SMPJ with real style. The two-track CD single showcased Bengtsson’s incomparable songwriting, melodic instinct and fearless vocals. We called it “a pulsating trip to the dancefloor, swept along by dream-like pads and bubbling filters.”

SMPJ have just doubled the fun by releasing “Stadens alla ljus” as a 12″ maxi-single with a new mix – on blue vinyl. To the CD’s B-side, “Vem gör det då” (EN: “Who Does It Then”), have been added two cover tracks: a stomping version of “Going Under” by Devo; and “Står kvar” (EN: “Staying”), a magnificant reworking of OMD’s “Stanlow.” The original version of “Going Under” appeared on Devo’s New Traditionalists album in 1981, and it receives a respectful reworking in Bengtsson’s hands. It’s still an up-tempo, quirky song with a rapid-fire lyric, and it’s a great revival of a classic sound.

The real revelation, however, is “Står kvar,” in which the OMD original acquires new layers of complexity. Bengtsson’s vocal style is very different from that of Andy McCluskey, and his adaptation of the song about an oil refinery near the River Mersey is tailored to fit. The post-industrial alienation of OMD’s track fused the beat of diesel pumps with dark pads and a vocal that drew out the parallel between the chimneys of the refinery and the spires of churches: the industrial site a source of care and cold-heartedness in the same breathe. Fuelled by the synthetic charge of 12th House’s Svein Welde, SMPJ’s version gets to the pulsating point rather more quickly, trading in some of the mournfulness and ambiguity of the original for a rhythmically solid presentation. It is a stunning rendition that lacks none of the emotional power of OMD’s effort after being transported to Sweden’s Baltic coast from the banks of the Mersey.

The maxi-single can be ordered from Synth4You.

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