High-drama pop songs and sinister instrumentals channel the big cities of eighties thrillers and neo-noir.
Track list
bella dâestate – mango / empire + expose – luxury elite / devilâs ball – double / byĹaĹ serca biciem – andrzej zaucha / balade de lisa + blueser – viktor lazlo / kisses and tears (my one and only) – bad boys blue / do you really need me – k.b. caps / amour combat – tangui / johnny johnny – jeanne mas / theme from lily was here – david stewart and candy dulfer / deserted streets + illusions – match music library / vision 1 – alan hawkshaw / psychose + champs elysses 2 – robert viger / nothing has been proved – dusty springfield, pet shop boys and angelo badalamenti / vibraphonoid (d) – laszlo bencker / white collar crime – grace jones / granite – anne dudley / hand to mouth – george michael / is it a crime? – sade / weakling heart – haircuts for men / only for one girl – alan shearer / rain [from miami vice] – jan hammer / pictionary – eyeliner / this city never sleeps – eurythmics
RIYL – early Cocteau Twins, 4AD, post-punk guitars, Chelsea Wolfe, Tamaryn, Them Are Us Too
Be Forest have a truly haunted and forlorn guitar sound that smolders over their songs like embers and fireflies. It sounds like an update or even the ghost of the usual eighties guitar twang. They manage to call on classic post-punk while finding their own ground within it.
Earthbeat is my favorite BF album since it doesnât lose itself in the fuzz like Cold. or a bland, formless void like Knocturne. Earthbeat leaves some room for true songs and melodies to unravel. They merge gentle acoustics and thorned, distorted edges for an ideal autumn-campfire mood piece. Ericaâs organic rhythms are the wooden logs and trees, Costanzaâs bass lines are wolves and old memories lurking in the distance; their singers hum quietly like theyâre telling you a secret about their past. In classic dream pop fashion, they create strong images and feelings without clear lyrics.
Earthbeat is one of the most evocative albums Iâve heard in this decadeâs post-punk scene. Be sure to check out âNTRâ from their debut too.
Considered âproto-Ghibliâ for Isao Takahataâs direction hence lots of visual similarity. The story (originally written by Kenji Miyazawa) follows a struggling cellist who indirectly learns the skills he needs for his concert through encounters with talking animals.
The Vulpiano Records 10-Year Anniversary album came out yesterday, which means you can stream and/or download my new song âVoltageâ! Check it out if you liked Spires. I was aiming for a similar futuristic/metallic sound with this one but with a bit of trance music thrown in. Polishing it for this release was a daunting task that ended in overly-soft volume, but I’m happy with the composition. I’ll add it to my own Bandcamp and Soundcloud in the next few days.
RIYL – Annie Lennox, Siouxsie And The Banshees’ Kaleidoscope, early Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, Conny Plank productions
Offbeat, âleftfield’ or plain weird early work from soon-to-be chart toppers are a phenomenon that never fails to draw me in. Beyond an already unique path in sound and genre, Eurythmicsâ commercial-flop debut was a great example. 1981 had Annie Lennox and David Stewart in an odd spot between their upbeat power pop with Tourists and finding their niche as a minimal synth-pop duo. They had the icy keyboards down by now, but a backing band as well, playing an ambiguous new wave-jangle-neo psych hybrid.
In The Garden is a studio creation first and foremost, but itâs knack for ghostly surrealism isnât too far from how Goldfrapp recorded their debut in a cottage. Picture Annie as a half-woman half-ghost haunting an old mansion or farmhouse in the English woods, and you have the right idea. She hasnât sounded so haunted before or since. If the cover is any hint, she tones down her usual powerful belts and soars for chilly falsettos and sinister, abstract poems. They tend to echo off into the music in a way that would do wonders for a 4AD group; now I wish Annie sang in such a band. The lyrics follow suit: âIâm never gonna cry again / Iâm never gonna die againâ âDust is collecting / But she doesnât notice / counting forever / sheâs a calculatorâ âAnother change of light / The underlying truth / request to pack it in / no solutionsâ
Combined with the uneasy, resonant wide-open space distinct to a krautrock giant like Conny Plank (âAll The Youngâ), this is an album full of surprises. The result highlights many interesting parallels between krautrock and early new wave. Youâll hear foresty atmospheric touches, bizarre sound effects, and creeping post-punk twang among other curios Eurythmics left behind within a few years.
For all the weirdness (âSing-Singâ, filled with samples chattering away and Annie singing in French) and sinister undertones (âCaveman Headâ with itâs edgy goth rock tease, the horror-inspired b-side âLe Sinistreâ), songs like âBelindaâ approach a normal pop-rock sound. Part of me wishes they engaged more with those thrilling goth/experimental hints than these upbeat grooves as a result. Still, you can find some fulfillment for that on the bonus tracks âLe Sinistreâ, â4/4 In Leatherâ and âTake Me To Your Heartââs live version. As it stands, In The Garden is worthy curiosity for anyone drawn to the oddball early eighties.
This column highlights favorite genres, scenes and artists with the intent to make it quick and easy to get into them or decide if theyâre âfor youâ. Iâll focus on obscure and/or prolific projects.
The huge (as I would argue, overblown) taboo surrounding the âchillwaveâ sound left many talented groups like this forgotten. Iâm thinking another reason for Keep Shelly was their silly name, and how their vocals and lyrics get cheesy. Still, I wound up endeared by this factor more than annoyed. This is shimmery water-fairy music at heart, and as long as you arenât pulling an all-out âbananis and avocadosâ with your voice, I won’t complain. These âfairiesâ have soothing voices and fabulous scenery is everywhere, so I canât help but enjoy the ride. Beyond that, they’re one of the most ambitious groups Iâve heard in this decadeâs synth-dream pop genre/scene/thing.
Here’s the thing: KSIA never were your average ‘chillwavers’. Unlike this scene’s generic corners, Keep Shelly arenât ones to rehash old ideas. It doesnât boil down to some woozy synths and pale guitar tones from a nerd writing gushy love songs about his GF. Like Royksopp, they stay adventurous at the same time as having a âchill-outâ appeal. They vary a lot from the structures and influences you come to expect from this music. Not every experiment works, but I appreciate their ambition. Their one constant member RÎ ĐŻ decorates and transforms the songs as much as he wants (on lesser songs, maybe too much!). If this is chillwave, itâs a bold and shiny update. He has a great taste for expanding on chillwaveâs water fixation, so give these songs a good listen if you fawn over aquatic sounds like I do!
1. âCremona Memoriesâ – In Love With Dusk, 2010
One running trope I love about KSIA is their taste for spontaneous ‘weirder’ or kitschy touches. This song has a throbbing sci-fi synth one moment (1:21), and a Tina Turner sample or vinyl scratch the next. Results will depend on how wild they are, but I love the way it expands songs like this. RÎ ĐŻ relies on a fairly simple groove here but throws everything he has over it to keep you engaged. KSIA don’t get too serious, and make things fun when they see fit.
2. âDIYâ – Our Own Dream EP, 2011
Film scores aside, this has one of the most epic piano lines I know. A few chords and that’s it, but they play in such enormous and stomping fashion that it doesn’t matter. And those horns! Another great âwhat ifâ move from KSIA.
3. âFlywayâ – At Home, 2013
Relies on this one fluttery synth, but adds all these subtle riffs to bounce off of it and a weird yet awesome vocoder cameo. Another one where you have to ride the adrenaline rush. The best kind of repetition: purposeful, not too much, addictive, doesnât take forever to evolve.
4. âFractalsâ – Now Iâm Ready, 2015
I donât know, I have a soft spot for well-done wishy washy bittersweet pop songs. That is, if the right people make them, and of course Keep Shelly qualify. Really pleasant melodies, and the hopeful spirit is sweet. I love the way the chorus busts in with that Robin Guthrie guitar (guth-tar?) from the gentler verses. That little chiptune-y solo toward the end makes it even more satisfying.
5. âHollow Manâ – Now Iâm Ready, 2015
This is where their ambition shines. The layers, the intensity, the oceanic textures, the twists, the synth soloing, it’s all there. You have break beats, gorgeous synths, windy vocal effects, huge build VS sad, hushed cooldown; vibraphone [!!!] fade-out… An exciting mixture in the end. Thumps like a thunder storm; when itâs music, thatâs a good thing.
Moons And Melodies 