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Sunday, 31 March 2019
Watch! - Mari Dangerfield - Dear Admirer
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Friday, 29 March 2019
Review - Kincaid (feat. Blancmange) – Big Fat Head
Kincaid (feat. Blancmange) – Big Fat Head (Disco Halal)
Vinyl
22 March 2019
Emerging young producer and DJ releases new EP.
After a string remixes for Blancmange it must have been an inevitable question: “Dad, do you fancy collaborating on a single?”
“Believe you me Son!”
And so, Father and Son, Joe and Neil Arthur (aka Kincaid and Blancmange), recorded Big Fat Head.
One hopes that the Single Edit receives airplay. The interest of the connection between one of the UKs emerging producer/DJs and an iconic 80s star currently enjoying an staggering second wind, is enough in itself but, Big Fat Head is a cracking track. One of those tracks that becomes more and more addictive with each listen.
Starting with a brief panpipe riff followed by Neil Arthur’s unmistakable vocal and tabla pecusson maybe tipping a hat to Blancmange’s first coming, it is catchy and intriguing to say the least. By all accounts, the track was a long time coming and to be fair, it sounds as though ideas have been many before they were all slotted into place in a complicated but clinical sounding piece.
A wonderful driving bass underpins the track as the words “In your big fat head” are constantly re-iterated. The Club Mix introduces hand claps and adds a subtle dance beat as reverbed effects echo gently in the background whilst the Dub Mix contains a few further bits of understated electronic wizardry and innocuous echoes whilst the elongated Instrumental Mix does exactly what it says on the sleeve.
The Nucat Remix by Disco Halal head honcho Moscoman collaborating with Portuguese musician Trikk takes the track on a different slant by adding further percussion and experimental effects which lift the track even further. A new bassline is introduced which rises and falls in tone alongside a vocoder vocal and fluttering key changes.
An exciting partnership but more importantly, an early sign of a great talent appearing in the shape of Joe Kincaid. You’ll hear (and hear) more of him undoubtedly and, quite rightly so.
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Published on Louder Than War 22/03/19 - here
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Listen! - Project Mycelium - Wandering
Listen! - Void Vertex - Tentical Sex
Listen! - boycalledcrow - Clouds
Sunday, 24 March 2019
Listen! - Outside The Glitch - Lovely Apocalypse
Listen! - Nava - Bones
Review - Oblong – The Sea At Night
Oblong – The Sea At Night (Memetune Recordings)
LP / /DL
22 March 2019
Electro-acoustic trio reform for second album.
The beauty of The Sea At Night is its pure simplicity. An instrumental album that contains no trickery, no over production or gimmick. A collection of twelve tracks from Oblong that is completely enthralling.
Comprising of friends Benge (John Foxx, Wrangler, Blancmange), Dave Nice and Simon ‘Sid’ Stronach who had re-acquainted themselves with each other over several years after they had been in a band together. In 2006, they released their debut album Indicator and drifted apart once more.
Their friendship began calling again and the resulting end product is The Sea At Night. Not an album of new-fangled synth and electro but instead one that harks back affectionately to the past with nods in the direction of early Karftwerk, disco/funk and occasional prog-rock. Sometimes like listened to the intro of a television sitcom or documentary backing.
Album opener, Planetesimal sets out their stall beautifully. It’s repetitive hook almost blowing a breeze into your face and calming you down for an album journey that will grow and grow. The title track, The Sea At Night might even have an intro not dissimilar to that of Ultravox’ Sleepwalk and Cool Calm And Connected could drift you off to the dusty roads of some Mediterranean island.
Landscapes, sea jaunts and occasional flights of fancy will keep you rooted to nature and firmly appreciating the simple things in life despite all its distractions. Robot Dan has a passing flaunt with a vocoder and introduce a jazzy, funky feel before the gorgeous Siphonophore and Phosphorescence soothe and calm with hypnotic beauty and ease.
The calm is broken with Fast Radio Burst, a track which could easily have seen itself included in a 70s TV programme about outer space or accompanying a training video about factory production lines on legendary science and technology series Tomorrows World. Echolocation goes more down the synthpop route with some lovely textural sounds and Romford Suzuki adds a little funkiness to proceedings.
Closer, Number Nine sees a striking double bass included alongside an eagerly strummed acoustic guitar creating probably the ‘fullest’ track on the album. It’s all well-constructed and well thought out stuff, melodic and fascinating from start to finish.
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Published on Louder Than War 1/03/19 - here
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Saturday, 23 March 2019
Review - Matmos – Plastic Anniversary
Matmos – Plastic Anniversary (Thrill Jockey)
LP / Deluxe Box / CD /DL
15 March 2019
Baltimore based electronic duo release their new album.
The unnecessary and overhyped hysteria of the Worlds plastic usage (and more importantly, the human inability to involve common-sense in its disposal) has become an massive focus to the planets inhabitants over the last couple of years. Too much reliance on it or, an easy option in manufacturers packaging? Too few avenues for correct recycling at home or, ignorance and laziness to spend a few seconds in complying with simple disposal instructions? Either way, what we throw away is often shameful.
Step forward M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel (aka Matmos) who have made an album created entirely out of plastic waste sourced from a recycling centre and additional plastic ‘instruments’. The thought of the project instantly sounds slightly feeble but what they have done is produce one of the most enjoyable albums of the year. An album taking the genre of ‘field recordings’ to a whole new level. An album of magic, mystery and downright class.
From the opening twangs of Breaking Bread, a track said to be constructed from the plucked and twanged fragments of vinyl records by 70s American soft rockers Bread, it is clear that this has been a labour of love for Schmidt and Daniel since day one. In the wake of 2016s Ultimate Care II album made entirely from the sounds of a domestic washing machine, Plastic Anniversary takes us on a journey from dancehall beat of the first track straight into the compelling horror of The Crying Pill – a slightly unnerving and disturbing track featuring what sounds like a plastic toy saxophone and eerie strings knitted together with a riveting dub interlude.
With further tracks like Interior With Billiard Balls & Synthetic Fat and Silicone Gel Implant you start to get the idea where this album comes from. You get the feeling that if it’s plastic then it was used in the recoding of this album and, if that ‘the kitchen sink’ has every possibility of being in there too!
The title track heralds the sound of a faux horn section which fanfares not only the album subject matter but also the 25th anniversary of Drew and Martins relationship, and is grand and fabulously royal. Thermoplastic Riot Shield takes the running order on a slightly more experimental slant as the weaponry is stroked, rubbed and struck along with a piece of PVC pipe being ‘played’ by a toilet brush. It enters the world of disturbance but satisfies an already curious listener.
And so it continues. Each nook and cranny of this album is a delight to hear and made completely bewildering by the understanding of its source. Album closer Plastisphere relies entirely on bubble wrap, straws and Velcro amongst other things for its content and gives the impression of a natural world of oceans, birds and rain. It’s fascinating and completely encapsulating. A quite brilliant album.
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Published on Louder Than War 13/03/19 - here.
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Sunday, 17 March 2019
Thursday, 14 March 2019
Sunday, 10 March 2019
Listen! - Beauty Stab - O'Eden
Watch! - Nava - Ritual
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