Rina Sawayama "Rina" (2017)

 

 It turns out Sawayama was not Rina's debut. This one flew under my radar, a twenty four minute EP released a few years prior. Self funded and independently released only piles on the praise for what initially felt like a tacky take on 00s Pop. Getting past a couple of mediocre tracks, familiarity revealed the subtle powers of brief tuneful melodies and glossy aesthetics centered around her persuading voice.

Early themes paint a sense of glitz and glam, ambitions of a rising star. Cheery, upbeat production with punchy drums drawing on touches of 80s Synthpop and soft Alt Rock guitars opens the record. These nostalgic reaches into the past reoccur through classy production. It flows through a variety of song ideas, none feel original, yet an intriguing assembly of ideas pulling from the past thirty years of Pop music.

 Tunnel Vision drifts into a dreamy avenue, shifting to introspective thoughts. Deploying vulnerable expressions makes for awkward lyrics hinting at smartphone addiction among relationship woes. Its a muddled message. Much of the record has this ambiguous feeling as to which way her words lean. Presenting a bold face with a hint of distress. This lyrical fuzziness is more likely to be at fault with me.

Overall, I'm impressed. This Rina EP strikes me as a leap of faith, a talent unleashed raw and keen, simply getting started and turning up trumps. It doesn't coalescing around a specific vision yet its best songs achieves their own merits. Its been a joyful dive into ideas reminiscent of great songs without being specific.

Rating: 6/10

Fred Again.. "Ten Days" (2024)

With humble heart and introspective tone, Fred Again.. centers his emotive themes around cherry picked intimate moments. Crafting hypnotic drones, warm and inducing, this Progressive House journey persuades one with its smooth ebb and flow, an organic sway of dreamy intensities. Routinely soothing its way through gentle lulls of calm, the returning blissful swells of energy play to much gratification. Grasping one with the power of rhythm and repetition, a therapeutic experience often emerges.

 

The instrumental architecture is impressive. Steadied by sturdy drum grooves, cliche House pianos and pounding baselines drive the music forward. Subtle, intricate sounds linger between gorgeous reverberations, Ethereal tones and ambiguous voices drift in from the musical backdrop, enriching those words expressed upfront, often lingering on a simple motif, exploring its depth through a songs dynamic arc.

The topicality feels personal, vulnerable, a humanist exploration. Geared around relationships and innate social experiences, a youthful vibrancy emerges from the moments of intimacy explored in its lyrics. Its mostly channeled through his many guests. They voicr nine of these ten songs, with Fred lending his own tender performance for the percussion-less melancholy of I Saw You. It gives each number a unique human aesthetic. Anderson .Paak being a surprise fit I would not of expected.

A variety of flavors and moods lay in wait. Ten Days never repeats itself, playing fresh and vibrant with every spin. The particulars of ones own mood will relate to its differing emotional avenues. For me, the joyous upbeat swells felt in Places To Be and Glow are firm favorites. Peace U Need plays a close contented, often persuading one to its charm with a spiritual union of classic House and Soul tinted by a touch of Gospel.

Despite this apparent excellence and heartfelt sincerity, Ten Days doesn't always engulf. Perhaps its susceptible nature requires room within for the emotions its exudes. Powerful but particular, its shortcoming lies in an ability to transform ones own energy to its frequency. On that ground, there were times I world spin the album and feel distant. On the right days, its beauty would flow effortlessly. This experience however, might simply be my own misgivings. A memorable record none the less.

 

Rating: 7/10

Ulver "Locusts" (2024)

 

With a strident return to form, Ulver delivers again on his intelligent renditions of matured Synthpop. After a couple of shaky releases, Locusts rediscovers balance. Steeped in dusky atmospheres, classy compositions layer up dreamy instrumentation for his voice to shine like a light guiding the way forward. Steady baselines peruse and pristine keyboard tones shimmer in a dense dance, lush and brim. Melodies play fractured, subdued, diverse, allowing emotion to amass from its parts, without steeling focus from our front man who steps into the stage light, suited up and proper.

Its a smart, intelligent set of songs with a soft city nightlife vibe reminiscent of an older generation. Accents of New Wave, Art Pop and Dance music show distinctive influences, perfectly reworked to suit this breezy pace. The record stars slow and withheld, a minimal take on the formulae to come. The opening title track lunges into its big synth kicks towards its conclusion but the proceeding Nocturne #2 reminded me of Peter Gabriel, a Worldbeat influenced tangent slow and meandering. Its a great conjuring of softly esoteric mood yet halts the show from starting somewhat.

The other installment of Nocturne interjects between these snugly paired songs with a broody rendition of droning synths. Powerful, dark and dreary yet adrift from the records overall tone. The rest of its songs play an effortless pleasure, dazzling and soulful in their own way. Very enjoyable yet feels a little light in variety. What detours it does offer drift from its solid foundations. Curation is possibly its culprit.

Rating: 6/10

Aurora "What Happened To The Heart?" (2024)

 

 What Happened To The Heart will likely be my album of the year. I've sat on this one for months, hitting a curious writers block when wanting to put my emotions to words. Initially the record seemed transient, subdued yet as familiarity crept in, a magic emerged from its dreamy charm. A sleepy aura persists throughout, songs teeter on cloudy ambiences, percussion softened as Aurora dances with her voice like an angel emerging from a soothing fog. So often does this enchanting music lure you into its passive persuasion, pivoting temperament to lunge into passionate swells of harmony.

This talented cast of song-writers and producers pay quite the compliment to her strengths. Songs flash suggestions of Disco, Synthpop and Electronica, all bellowing out there aesthetics through the atmospheric power of understated rumblings. These more obvious influences linger in the shadows of airy reverberations and soundscape design. These compositions blur boundaries, whipping one up in a feverous dreamy momentum led by Aurora, who often arrives in tandem with herself. Layering up her fantastic vocal ranges, an enchanting sway unravels that is utterly contagious.

The mid record stretch often feels spiritual, tribalistic, as surges of steady deep bass percussion drives wordly tones and burred melodies with suggestions of broadened cultural horizons. The opening and closing phases hold the animated tracks that pivot into House, Dance, Techno and Indie Pop with broad creative strides. There stylistic emergence from the ether, alongside such a spectacular voice, gives the whole record a magic I've felt with other artists but barely in this unique avenue. With Aurora's voice on full croon, I feel swallowed up by her immaculate performance. This record is a gem you don't want to pass up, undoubtedly her most inspired music to date.

Rating: 9.5/10

 

Sabrina Carpenter "Short N' Sweet" (2024)

 

Currently topping the streaming charts, this former Disney star charms with her strong soft voice dynamic. Backed by a seasoned production team, who have handled many big names, the instrumentals of Short N' Sweet croon. Pulling from Country, Soul and Rock, one half of its runtime paints a earnest singer on stage, armed with acoustic guitar and small town Americana charm. The other half gracefully pivots from emotive expressions with energetic bursts of Dance, Disco and Synthpop, armed with sharp wit and knack for hooks. Its fondly reminiscent of Jessie Ware's nostalgic revival.

Sabrina has a wonderful voice, easily slipping between temperaments seamlessly, she colors many a song with subtle shifts that elevate the chemistry. For me, its her sweet falsetto's that perk my ears. The lyrics however, mostly play a hormonal mess of youthful love and relations channeled into cute, quirky expressions, often juxtaposing the warm delivery tone against lyrical content. Its charm is flirtatious, playful, teenage. Fun, mostly harmless but nothing much to latch onto for this listener.

The record is solid from front to back, a breezy, warm, uplifting thirty six minutes that finds a fantastic stride with Bad Chem, Espresso and Dumb & Poetic. The vocal hook on Bad Chem, descending in a dance from breathy high notes is an utter joy. The closer Don't Smile might be joining this list too, another highlight on a solid record that indicates Pop Music is in much better shape than the boy/girl band tripe of my youth.

Rating: 7/10

Rina Sawayama "Hold The Girl" (2022)

 

Following up on a smashing debut, Hold The Girl's antidote lays in repetition as first impressions come stiffly poisoned by uncanny familiarity. This is Pop music after all, its broad appeal conjures the best radio has to offer. Admittedly, it took time to flourish into the ear worm monster it has become. Trading in the eclectic ensemble of debut Sawayama, Rina commits to an intoxicated romp of glossy bangers pulling from across the spectrum of popular music's finer offerings. Showing her hand, an obviously play is made for high octane Dance-Pop that also ushers in mild echo's of 80s Synthpop and driving percussive energy of the 90s UK Electronic scene. Along the way were treated to crooning ballads, a touch of Country Pop, R&B and Soft Rock.

Uncanny in nature, lacking originality, yet sparkling with a touch of magic, its Rina who makes the record whole. Track after track delivers stunning performances, soaring vocals, emotions flowing in infectious cadences. An emotional weight grips her lyrics of struggle and expression, entangle in the moment. Your Age hits hard, an anthemic reflection on predatory abuse. A dark undercurrent manifests into a shudder of glitched vocals. It plays beautifully against ascending cries on the tracks chorus hook.

She is simply on fire, as are the instrumentals. Most songs play fleshed out with charisma and craft, leaning hard into the concept at hand. Occasionally flaring up with a Glam Rock guitar solo. Dense and powerful, subtly is not the intended direction. These tunes know themselves well. Some tracks however boarder "plagiarism". Americana inspired Send My Love To John feels all too familiar. Perhaps a victim of is stripped down acoustic simplicity, if I had a broader recall, I feel as if I'd put my finger on it. Quite a few songs do this, however Catch Me In The Air's guitars are blatantly derivative of The Smashing Pumpkins' 1979. Holy is another ghost of the 90s Electronic scene. That Ethereal piano melody over the thumping bass is uncanny.

Despite all this, the record is utterly brilliant. More the half the songs hit like classics and the trailing tracks ain't far behind. Hold The Girl plays with fire. Does it get burnt? Yes but I couldn't care. Perhaps had they been a little less overt with influences, such thoughts could have been avoided. Lastly, I'd like to end on the album's closer, To Be Alive. Such beautiful lyrics, blossoming out of the darkness of youth, warmth emanating from within, a platonic love song of life. Its emotional build, shoegazing blurs, dance pianos along with the lofty choral voices is simply blissful.

Rating: 9/10

Rina Sawayama "Sawayama" (2020)

 Arriving at the cutting edge of contemporary Pop music, singer-songwriter Rina casts an excitable web of diverse musical influences. With dexterity fondly reminiscent of Queen, her execution plays effortless, a graceful genre gallop between Pop Rock, Disco, J-Pop, R&B, Synthpop and even Nu Metal? An obvious favorite of mine, the latter broods its menace on STFU! Unleashing the era's groove through a mammoth, lunging riff, the growling guitars get across their point without need for excessive distortion. Creepy Korn alike melodies linger in the backdrop as the song sways between this aggressive energy and a twinkling dazzle of glossy melodic relief.

Its a keen example as to how Rina hones in on the essence of appeal, each song could merit such discussion as particular eras and genre distinctions meld into an engrossing listen. Other highlights include Comme Des Garvons, a stylish strut of attitude and glamor. Love Me 4 Me revels in the cheese of 80s attempts at bold punchy instrumentation, steering its bright melodies and chirpy nature to an endearing infectiousness. The "fake live" fanfare of Who's Gonna Save U Now? plays a genius touch, elevating this Arena Rock anthem as Rina sails her voice to new heights.

Tokyo Love Hotel woos with soft touches of Synthwave and Vapourwave. A breezy cruiser fit for the cities night lights. I could continue with my praises. Only mid track Bad Friend landed sour. Its spacey, Ethereal Electropop aesthetics feel lost on its own topicality, a "woe is me" self pity anthem. Conjuring the hurt of relationship wounds, its confessions of wrong doing seem a strange fit for its mood. An odd one but aptly fitting of the overall theme, a self oriented set of expressions felt direct with plain, connecting language that rarely feels deeper than its straight forward nature.

A stunning debut, Sawayama plays front to back like a seasoned musician reveling in creative strides. The music is effortless, exploring all curiosities seamlessly, avoiding an "eclectic" label despite clearly fitting that frame. All ideas explored simply click into place. Many of these ideas hail back to the early 00s, the years of my youth. Frank references to MSN messenger amused me greatly, I remember those Windows XP days with distain but the music has always been a consistent source of meaning. Its no surprise this record resonated with me. I haven't put it down for months!

Rating: 9/10

Justice "Hyperdrama" (2024)

Still lingering in the shadows cast by Woman, an eight year wait hasn't yielded much excitement. The Disco-Funk inspired French duo return crisp and clear with a tight production to dazzle with stunning aesthetic clarity. The record sounds utterly gorgeous, rich in texture and smoothness. Its samples croon and instruments strike with fidelity and groove. A sweet indulgence but that can only take it so far.

Front loading the album with its best leaves a mediocre trail of songs experimenting with overt influences. Thumping dancefloor Disco sensibility, jolting Funk grooves, flushes of Progressive Rock melody, Classical frameworks and 70s Electonic music intersect with modern synth tones just short of the finish line. Every song feels unique, charactered and interesting but lacks the claws to sink their grip in.

Hyperdrama's Merits lay in the voices that illuminate a handful of collaborations. They add a dimension sorely needed on its instrumental counterparts. Two unions with Tame Impala strikes chemistry perfection! Kevin Parker's cloud sailing voice a snug fit for their tone. He, Rimon, The Flints and Miguel are classy fits that finish off these fine instrumentals, sounding utterly fantastic with an array of tender performances.

I have no complaints, perhaps my taste right now wasn't apt for this nostalgia tinted offering. Enjoyable, yet lacking a deeper connection after a fair few spins. One instrumental that struck gold was Generator, a Dubstep reminiscent nightly assault of unhinged jagged synths colliding with a dramatic string section. Reminded me of Carpenter Brut. I find myself desiring to enjoy these tracks more than I do. Strange.

Rating: 6/10

Fred Again.. "Actual Life 3" (2022)

 
Actual Life 3 plays like an emotive snapshot of life passing by. Plainly titled in full with assumed start and ending dates, the candid selfie cover continues a trend in this series. Its an unambiguous touch to illuminates its personal nature. A social intimacy flows, human voices woven into these compassionate expressions, channeled through a dreamy endless night, intoxicated on the club floor. Slick Downtempo, danceable, rhythmic drives power us through warm Ethereal melodies and uplifting nightly energy. Snippets of casual conversation and private exchanges flicker between tender voices singing on relationship struggles with positive resolve. This all feels like a harmonious reflection of Fred's life, illuminating the human connections.

With a steady and gradual building of instrumental intensity, he steers these songs on an organic flow, never static, always inching towards the next subtle shift. Most songs find a swooning swell to amp up the rhythm to a predictable lively climax, yet always gratifying. Its gravitas is one of escape, a seriousness lingers in its mellow passing demeanor. Tensions unwind, providing release and resolve, lingering on a social maturity. Its forty minutes pass an effortless breeze. Fred never overplays his hand and keeps both mood and groove consistent, leaving all its varying degrees of intensity in anticipation of what flows next. Actual Life is one heck of a breezy listen...

Rating: 7/10

In The Nursery "Anatomy Of A Poet" (1994)

In seeking out Neoclassical Darkwave adjacent music, Spotify chalked up this Sheffield based duo who've been active since the 80s. Anatomy Of A Poet features Colin Wilson orating his own poetry in brief stints on various tracks. With its musical concept laid out plain and clear, I've found myself baffled at the disposition between his solemn glum voice and the stunning strings arrangements that meddle around then current percussive trends. Touches of Dance, Industrial and Trip Hop appraise danceable droning drum loops, as cinematic sequences of stellar orchestration muster an emotional elegance. This chemistry is one I've come close to discovering before.

As the album progresses, brief strides of classy composition break up its powerful percussive sway. Acute melodies, subtle chords, unusual instrumentation textures and flashes of electronics craft dreamy hazes that resolve into warming strides of persuasive sound. Then walks in the over pronounced tongue of Colin, his meaty, chocked words break the spell, despite it clearly being central to the records concept.

Arriving at The Seventh Seal, the pair stretch for ambiguous cultural sounds, a tingle of Spanish guitar, sung with a Country tang feels uncomfortable. The following tracks lean further into the poetic waxing and recurring themes has its entrancing energy wain swiftly. The funeral gloom of November Trees almost sparks a spell but the spoken words simply don't align. Its final track, unapologetically embraces the droning cheese of 90s electronic energy, throwing another curb ball to derail what started out as a wonderus musical experience.

Rating: 5/10

Jessie Ware "That! Feels Good" (2023)

 

Following up on the stunning What's Your Pleasure, singer-songwriter Jessie Ware leans even harder into this craft of love. Going beyond a revivalist sentiment, her passionate presence and luminous instrumentals play like a force of infection pulling one into a personal fantasy from a bygone era. These songs ooze with class, as a slick production steeped in attitude. A return to the glory of 70s Disco, Funk and Pop, steeped with a little 90s Dance pianos, House grooves and Daft Punk sensibilities.

The opening stretch has a groovy rhythmic persuasion. A beautiful balance is stuck, inspired words swoon over mighty bold melodies, full of upbeat jovial spirit, striving forth with a dance-able confidence. The theme of empowerment in pursuit of pleasure and indulgence is executed with warmth and compassion. A very humanist oriented energy emanates, painting vivid images of fun social parties and the nightlife bliss.

Past its first five songs, a few tracks hit a subtle difference in stride. It seems 70s cheese and less favorable cliches of that era get a keen focus. Raunchy "wink wink" lyrics, chirpy melodies and quirky hooks paint an interesting picture of bygone trends, reviving them with a lot of energy. Initially, these crude strides turned me off but repetition has worked its charm. I'm still not sold but I can't deny its a brilliant exercise in taking dated ideas and putting on polish, while clearly having fun in the process.

Between those numbers, the music looses some of that opening vibrancy. Perhaps the endless upbeat march is a little much for me. I loved how the previous record moved into theatrical strides with emotive beats, leaning to the melancholy alongside adorning string sections. This effort felt strictly settled on its Disco dance floor orientation. The moody shift of Lightning lacks a spark on the way out to provide that variance. Overall, That! Feels Good has some absolutely brilliant, infectious music but it waivers when leaning harder into its mightily enthused ideas over and over again.

Rating: 7/10

VNV Nation "Electric Sun" (2023)

 

A five year gap between Noire and Electric Sun has elapsed, the largest among VNV's twelve records. Evidently a veteran of ones own identity, this re-emergence offers next to nothing new. Its steady stream of melancholic warmth resonates on familiar footing. Harris' soft fatherly voice words lyrics steeped in compassion, introspection and wisdom. The message of victory not vengeance persists, navigating humanist struggles and emotive pains through grandiose metaphors. An easily digested balance of darkly Club synthesizers and thumping Dance percussion whirls up energy. Slick Neo-classical instrumentation ushers itself in, fanning emotive flames with soothing pianos, completing a glossy aesthetic housing both softness and edge.

Its a bright, thoughtfully crafted execution of a familiar blueprint. Its glittery melodies, grand stings and pulsing dance floor drums are left dulled by their lack of surprise. Having acquainted with and grown fond of an unshaken sound so many moons ago, its left this listener with little to love beyond its pleasantries. Both aesthetic and thematically resolute, even Electric Sun's structure felt archetypal. The same rotation of gleaming astral interludes and a dark banger, Artifice, rolled out with familiar feeling. Its a fine record but perhaps not something I was in the mood for. I'm sure these songs would find themselves home on rotation in a VNV Nation playlist.

Rating : 5/10

Yagya "Faded Photographs" (2023)

 

I recall commenting previously that Yagya's music, a unique blend of dreamy Ethereal Downtempo ambience, had run its course with me. Still in adoration of the peaceful persuasion this composer casts, this newest installment commanded a curious listen. The soft sway of deeply subdued dub percussion meets a timeless array of cloudy synths again for another sleepy affair in the heavens. Business as usual, the sweetest of routines that leaves me with little to say I haven't already in previous posts.

Where Faded Photographs caught my ear was with its vocal collaborations. A real sense of intended chemistry emerged as these delicate, softly sung voices chimed in as if a new element of the Yagya sound. Its been done before but in a few instances, these unions with Bandreas, Benoit Pioulard and my favorite Saint Sinner, turned out a treat! The subtle saxophone expressions from Óskar Guðjónsson another delight.

With a rather constrained temperament and consistent approach to the composition of these eleven songs, the novelty wears off swiftly but a soothing charm does persist. The Serpent stands head and shoulders apart as the records best song. Grappling with foggy unease and eerie stresses, the chorus moves through gratifying shifts as tensions resolve and elevate with beautiful chord progressions. It commanded me to write this post! The record however did become a rather typical affair for a sound thoroughly explored already. I do still enjoy on occasion though, this was one of them.

Rating: 6/10

Timewave "Solar System" (2010)

 

This is Timewave, another intriguing project of Andrew Odd's and another realm that feels familiar. As a mash of Progressive House, Downtempo, Trance and 90s Dance, its energetic pulse and throbbing percussion cruises on by with an intensity for the dance floor. Despite the elevated sensations, it maintains a calming atmosphere as slowly sweeping stringed synths sooth these absorbing dips into nighttime club life, where Its astral component is loose, a keen suggestion that fits the character. If not drifting through the endless cosmos, a variety of ideas could provide its theming.

Dizzying arrays of sharp arpeggio electronics whirl in dynamic oscillation, layers of busying electronic aesthetics stacking into a smothering wall of sound. Its dense with foggy atmospheric synths buried behind its tapestry of noises, all cohesively moving in the same direction. Its freeing, often euphoric but the magic is always birthed with the percussion strikes. Deep bass grooves jive at dance-able tempos thrusting along an infectious freedom to move your body. Its the persuasive magic of club music brought to an atmospheric flavor, both rich, uplifting and powerfully magnetic.

For all appraisals aired, I could simply be reveling in a genre of music that often doesn't quite serve the introverted vibes I adore. Its 90 minute construct of ten lengthy tracks also doesn't fit the album experience. Solar System is more of a "tune in and drop out". All its song structures are built on simple cycles of phasing intensities. Slow build ups brood into percussive drives before calming the crowd to charge back in again. Not all its aesthetics and samples land equally, especially in the build ups but once arrival has transpired, it always feels right when the pounding drums swell.

You can just jump right in whenever you want that deep focus, which is another interesting juxtaposition about its energy. Despite rocking a throbbing pulse, its dense aesthetic and liveliness is strangely meditative, locking you into its groove both as foreground and background music. Although I am in the initial excitement stages, its clear I've found something fit for another niche of mine. Andrew Odd is one to watch!

Rating: 7/10

Clipping "CLBBNG" (2022)

Still one to keep an eye on, even remixes of Clipping classics set for the club scene were a curiosity. The 90s sounds of Dance, House, Acid and even a soft sniff Big Beat make sturdy foundations for modern aesthetics. Producer Jonathan Snipes has made great of the source material. I would not of guessed the finessed story raps of Daveed Diggs could suit this mold. Kicking off with Nothing Is Safe, the soft synth tunes and shuffling percussion vibes well with his raps. Its second of four, Drop Low, follows along as an instrumental alternative take of the first track.

Things get interesting on Get Mine, kicking off the unforgettable alarm clock, its obnoxious grate is cut up and rearranged with groove alongside the percussion and Acid synth leads. Its counterweight of chopped up effeminate vocals go back and forth, finding interesting overlaps and a reference to Cypress Hill along the way. It would of been nice to hear more raps in the project. The final track samples the "drop that game on them" insistently, as dirty baselines rumble and pivot with bright piano chords and cheery child choir singing among an arsenal of animated sound effects.

As volume one of hopefully more, hearing this style meld with Digg's raps would be a treat. This installment offers just a glimpse of that, the rest of the material lays more on the shoulders of Snipes's own creativity. He is class at what he does but that middle ground could be better explored. There is clearly an interesting chemistry.

Rating: 4/10

Erang "A Season Of Sand" (2022)

 

As the first of five new Erang releases I will be covering, this quintuple format of themed four trackers amounts to ninety minutes of new music. Each "season" has its flavor and sand is my favorite. The opening Guardian Of The Names emerges from is eerie low fidelity Dungeon Synth intro with breaks of Persian percussion and exotic instruments that conjure visions of sand swept cultures and societies bustling with life to a backdrop of endless dunes. The music that follows has a unique fusion of quirky, disjointed fidelity distortions and a slow soothing melody drifting at dreamy tempos, alluring one into its vast nightly journey.

Oasis Mysterio lumbers into a peculiar Jazz Fusion jam, as a lead jiving colorful keyboard sporadically splurges its notations with a jazzy free form over the dulled minimalist synth backing behind it. Unique, as quite a few things in this project were. Sands Of Innocence peaks my interest however, its unusual chemistry of temporal tones, cloaked in mysterious voice suddenly bursts apart, teeming with life as a 90s dance beat jolts the second half of the song into life. Very memorable.

Rating: 6/10

Pop Will Eat Itself "The Looks Or The Lifestyle" (1993)

 

I think I've developed a mildly amusing "love hate relationship" with Pop Will Eat Itself! I'm undoubtedly leaning on the love side however their "of the era" occasionally sours. It often depends on the mood. This Is The Day struck the perfect stride of nostalgia, a wild crossover that nailed early Hip Hop and the shape of Metal at the time. Since then, they have not stuck in one place stylistically. Its been hit and miss, The Looks Or The Lifestyle seems like a response to the emergence of Grunge as an update in band chemistry has prominent distortion guitars on almost every track of the album.

Continuing on with the 90s Dance and Electronic scene sounds, the group find a more consistent fusion with grungy guitars, lively percussive breaks and an injection of electronic instruments reflecting the era. Its bold and unabashedly 90s, often a little cringe in its early shout raps, the British accents sung strong. The record rolls out with a strong string of tracks, pumping drums charge forth, a wall of samples and synths thrive between dynamic guitars and powerful baselines. It leads into their most popular charting song, known as Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies!

Performed by stabbing melodic drum synths hits, its main melody is a turn off in an otherwise decent track. I think its theme that births it success, essentially riffing on tropes from the perspectives of a movie character. The album starts to diversify after. Guitar tones get shaken up. The sampling and synths reach into new territory, arriving at Urban Futuristic. Its a hard hitting mash up of early Drum n Bass, Thrash Metal and bizarre cheesy synth tones. What it lacks for in classic it makes up for in ambition!

Its this string of gutsy tracks, fun experimentation and bold crossovers that get the thumbs up from me. After them, the final four cuts stagnate in quality, drifting into the tired and dated. It feels intentional that the best material is front loaded. Left a little soured, they exaggerate the cheese its great songwriting diverted early on. With just one record left before their split in 1996, it will be a sound place to conclude the journey having been fed to full on this reflective nostalgia exploration.

Rating: 6/10

Pop Will Eat Itself "Cure For Sanity" (1990)

 

 Despite the disappointment of a "Grebbo Rock" record with Box Frenzy, I will continue my exploration of English genre mashers Pop Will Eat Itself. Spotify has alleviated the friction of research and investment into albums. Now any curiosity is just a few clicks away! With that I've also felt less of a need to go deep on records, the result feeling wonderful. The burden of expensive MP3s has been lifted and my ears are free to explore. Does that factor into why I enjoyed this hour of early 90s vibes so much? Probably, its nice to not have a thought gnawing at the back of ones mind about frequently sinking money into your listening choices when they turn sour.

Cure for Sanity opens up with fantastic sampled dialog of the shape of music in the fabric of society and outdated notions of how this should be controlled. Its sets a high bar for topicality that I never felt returned in the next nineteen tracks. Admittedly the cheesy 80s rap flows in British accents made for a lack of investment in the lyrics. Its following Dance Of The Mad Bastards feels like a send off to the Rock Rap crossover that made This Is The Day so magical, reusing distortion guitars and other samples that gave it identity. These snippets run alongside new sounds and a percussive drum loop fit for the coming Electronic scene of England in the early 90s.

From here the record strolls through a fair bit of mediocrity, leaving its metallic tone in the dust and stitching together newer moods and tones of the times in a heavy wash of sampling that will have you clambering to remember from what artists you first heard that sample or sound before. Again it includes many cultural snippets too, like the famous commentary and crowd sounds from England's 1966 world cup victory.

Going back to the remark on the yet to blossom Electronic scene, the better songs here seem to bolster House and Dance pianos that would be a staple style before long. Its other cutting edge is in percussion, many drum loops a precursor to Big Beat and the likes can be heard and all at the start of the decade. It would be so fascinating to see a deep dive on the samples and their place in the timeline. It seems so apt for whats about to arrive and undoubtedly wouldn't be possible without legal freedom for sampling at the time that what be drastically changed in years to come. Cure for Sanity is a fair bit of fun with a lot of mediocrity as many songs feel like a collection of sampling ideas. Luckily there is a couple of solid songs in here too.

Rating: 5/10

The Weeknd "Dawn FM" (2022)

Having made waves with his retro inspired After Hours, The Weekend returns two years on with Dawn FM. Leaning deeper into the nostalgia of 80s Pop music and aesthetics of Synthwave, this sixteen track dive sustains more of an album experience that its predecessor. Equally, without a spearhead song like Blinding Lights, it endures with consistency of mood. One can simply dip in at any point and relax with easy vibes, breezy cruising instrumentals and wonderful falsetto singing. So often do those high notes become the peak in this narrow range of creative avenues explored.

Thematically structured around the concept of an ethereal radio station, a handful of its spaced apart interludes play like broadcast ads. Decoded, its theme of suspension in limbo signals a direction out for the listener. Its a wonderful tie in, melding the overall mood with a bigger picture. The album doesn't peer into the unease or eeriness of the situation but essentially forges a link with its retroactive stylistic inspirations, as if the lyrical narratives explored reflect on memories gone by.

The lyrics themselves often linger on relationships, love and heartbreak with a common "looking back" perspective. Luckily his voice is charming, a soft and strong flow that can gracefully sweep between notes, lingering on them with emotion and passion in the vibrations. That's where the feeling is felt for me. Lyrically the concepts are often simple, straightforward and in the latter half of the track listing tend to feel rather shallow in terms of depth. The words recycled are unimaginative lines and sentences from love songs Ive heard done to death by many an artist before him.

Dawn FM shines consistently on its instrumental front. Its glossy, lush, spacy synths bring a sweet indulgence fit for its upbeat tempos and lazy slow riding grooves too. The easy going nature of Pop music is treated to an inspired aesthetic. The balance takes the better aspects of Synthwave tones without hounding them into the ground as many artist in this Retrowave movement do. On occasion The Weeknd and his production team lean hard into the buzz saws, psychedelic synth and punchy drums but its always timely and apt. Rarely do they loose focus on the underlying structure.

That brings me to the next strength of this record, song writing. Without anything to ambitious taking place, the stellar aesthetics and crooning moods seem to zap away the repetition and cycle of the verse chorus loop. Its there with the occasional shake up and interludes creating a series of soft "events" on the journey. Although not involved in song writing, Quincy Jones turns up for an interlude to see in Out Of Time. Its a seriously classic Michael Jackson alike song. It highlights a similarity in his vocal style with the King Of Pop and the instrumental pops like a PYT or Rock With You.

And that's what underpins many of the albums best songs, the brilliance of instrument variety ushering in soft plucks of guitar melody between gushes of vibrant synth and timely rock grooves. Its the subtle characterizations of Funk, Soul, R&B and Pop in the performance, beneath its oozy synth aesthetic, that make the magic. Its a true hail to the likes of Quincy. Sadly that is mostly speaking to the first half of the record as past the feature with Tyler The Creator, the gears shift pace quite notably as that song slows the pacing, cutting out the drums and transitioning us into a gentler intensity.

Its in this second half that the music tends to veer away from the variety and qualities heard on its opening stretch. The lyrics get watered down, pacing lulls on dreamy tempos and the Synthwave aesthetic grow into the main focus. We are not talking about every song but to my ears Dawn FM feels very front-loaded. Its opening tracks are truly remarkable and a peak of this era of music. Short and sweet would of been a better approach here, in aims of a classic. As a longer, drawn out, experience it does do a great job of suspending one in its spell. Either way, an impressive record!

Favorite Tracks: Sacrifice, Out of Time

Rating: 7/10

Izioq "Medieval Memory" (2021)

 

Straight of the back of the mellow indulgence Kyokan, we get another Izioq release that is also quite different from the norm. It turns out, this brief five track eighteen minute release is inspired by the intro music from my Hermitcraft episodes, originally composed by Jotun, a side project of Lord Lovidicus. Medieval Memory essentially rebuilds a similar pallet of 90s dance percussion and jovial rave synths, deployed in that untypical melodic style for these aesthetics. As a result, a similar spell is cast.

The title track, split in two parts, humbles with its shimmering lead melody adding a warmth and gloss to the underlying synths that jostle away rhythmically. The driving dance floor bass on the second half to see the record out is a nice hail to the club aesthetic. Its brief 70s Electronic lead instrument another nice compliment too. Between those two halves, the three parts of Just In Dreams sound a little less polished and without focus, residing in the duller arrangement of these synths.

Each track experiments with some compositional ideas and aesthetics, venturing its through the musical motions. Parts two and three seem to meander further adrift with less engaging melodies and arrangements. Its been a pleasant surprise to see this niche musical idea embraced again. However, without advancing the concept it has been a little dull for me personally, revisiting a style I once binged to death around ten years ago. Definitely worth a listen if your a fan of the Jotun project.

 Rating: 4/10