Manic, the latest single from Toronto’s Prince Innocence, may have just heralded the end of synthy summer jam season. The deep, bassy intro hearkens back to late 90’s Triphop. The song itself has a dark and ominous feel throughout. The lyrical content does nothing to brighten the mood, with its reference to ‘dark hallways and wasted days’.
The Julia/Spring 7″ from Melbourne’s Lowtide will appeal to fans of the 80’s UK Post-Punk sound made popular by Chameleons UK, Echo and The Bunnymen and The Sound. The 2 track single melds the Post-Punk sound with 90’s Shoegaze a la Kitchens Of Distinction and Slowdive.
A very low-fi jangle of Post Punk guitars gives way to a fuller, dreamier song about 12 seconds in. However, the magic really happens when the ethereal vocals of Rebekkah Castellanos wash over the track. As things evolve, Cocteau Twins are the first band that comes to mind.
For those of you eagerly awaiting a new Slowdive record, this release may just tide you over! Pure Phase Ensemble is a collective of musicians including Ride frontman Mark Gardener (how refreshing to not have to say FORMER), Raymond Dickaty (a member of Spiritualized from 1997-2002), Jacek Rezner (Wilga), Kamil Hordyniec (Wilga), Michał Pydo (Hatifnats), Michał ‘Kostek’ Stolc (Cisza nocna) and Karol Schwarz (KSAS).
Well, this is certainly a welcome sound. A brand new EP from Elbow. A brand new single from Elbow. Those are enough to perk up my ears, but a shimmering, majestic and UPBEAT single from Elbow? The sounds like a lost Peter Gabriel single from the Us-era or at least a return to Elbow’s early days.
What better way to enjoy these hot summer nights then rolling down the windows and cranking out some Disco-Synth? Synthco? Disynth? I’m not even sure what to call this genre, but Kisses‘ A Groove could be one of its defining tracks, melding classic disco sounds with modern Electro-chill dance.
Right when this track started, i thought it was a new A-ha song…and that isn’t far fetched as A-ha DOES have a new song, and frankly this sounds like a dream collaboration between Morten Harket and Thom Yorke. The downtempo beats and falsetto vocals are gorgeous and infectious.
The London trio HÆLOS went and perfectly melded 90’s loungey-Triphop with late 80’s Synthpop by covering The Beloved’s The Sun Rising. Vocalist Lotti Benardout puts a whole new spin on the track, while the eerie sirens and breakbeats breathe new life.
Halou-lujah…some new music from San Francisco Synthpop duo Halou! Ryan and Rebecca Coseboom have been making music for almost 20 years now, orginally under the name Halou but also as Inivisble Ballet, R/R Coseboom and Stripmall Architecture. They have ranged from Dreampop to Synthpop to Trip Hop. The latest single, Lean Into The Gravity starts off sweetly enough, but a faintly sinister Triphop beat enters, giving the track a bit of a dark, ominous feel.
Well, now this is a surprise! Beach House, known for it’s dreamy, languid tunes apparently picked up some feedback pedals at the flea market. Their new single, Sparks, opens with some MBV-esque distortion before a squelch of guitar that wouldn’t be out of place on Smashing Pumpkins’ debut LP, Gish. When the dust settles, and…
The track Cranekiss owes an obvious nod to Cocteau Twins but the driving beat also reminds me of Dream About Me for the now defunct Pains of Being Pure at Heart side project, The Depreciation Guild.
This is a nice retro trip, and although that is maybe becoming a cliche notion, this is NOT a look back at 80’s Synth. We are talking about the hazy, dreamy world New Wave/Goth vibe of Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto and The Cure. There are also more ethereal vocal vibes reminiscent of Julee Cruise, Tamaryn…