Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room, shall we? Manners, the debut album from Cambridge quintet Passion Pit, sounds a hell of a lot like MGMT. This is not to say that Passion Pit are thieves, mind you; with three keyboard players, a bass player and a drummer, there are only so many ways your band can sound, especially when your singer has a helium-soaked voice like Passion Pit’s singer and songwriter Michael Angelakos. So yes, the band sounds like a streamlined version of MGMT (a.k.a. they don’t dabble in psychedelia), but let’s not throw the book at them just yet. Indeed, Manners is a rather impressive melding of ’80s synth-pop with modern-day technique. Lead single “The Reeling” is stunning, a pop makeover of the Chemical Brothers’ “Star Guitar” with a monster cut & paste drum track. “Folds in Your Hands” has its roots in early ’90s house music, and “Sleepyhead,” with its fairy princess backing vocal line, is insidiously catchy. Whether or not it falls in another band’s shadow, Manners is a good first step; it will be interesting to see where they go from here. (Frenchkiss 2009)
DJ Adam Freeland, recording under his last name alone, has finally released his second full-length album, CopeTM. Teaming up with Kurt Baumann for vocals and guitar work, Freeland stays well within his breakbeat roots while taking a romp through the many permutations of electronica and pop. With a full coterie of guest musicians, he creates an intriguing collection of songs that are more rock than dance, more driving than grooving. Influences abound: “Under Control” sounds like a perfect LCD Soundsystem track, “Rock On” is oh so Beck-ish, and “Silent Speaking” could be off of any number of Delerium discs… but all of this is a good thing. Freeland and Baumann tie it all together with distorted guitar synths and a constant energy that demands a fast car with a booming stereo and windows down, especially on “Only a Fool (Can Die),” which teams them up with Jerry Casale of Devo fame. At over six minutes, it is the longest and flat-out best song on the album. If there is any real weakness on CopeTM, it is the opening track, “Do You?” The listener has to get through this rather repetitive, non-melodic, simplistic opener to get to the good stuff, and this is unfortunate. It would be a shame to dismiss this very solid collection because one never got past the first song. Marine Parade 2009
Ripping off ’80s artists can work, but you have to choose wisely. Go for Depeche Mode or New Order, leave Kajagoogoo alone. Empire of the Sun’s debut album Walking on a Dream has been out for a bit now, and It is frequently being compared to MGMT’s breakout debut Oracular Spectacular. The comparisons, however, aren’t justified. While MGMT is a psychedelic band with a synth-pop side, Empire of the Sun are firmly synth-pop and electro-pop to the hilt, with a sound ripped straight from 1984. Whether or not that’s a good thing can be debated. Sure, they work as a throwback retro act, and songs like the ultra-catchy title track and “Half Mast” are well-made simplistic pop-dance numbers, but once you dig past the obvious singles, there isn’t much to Walking on a Dream. The second-half of the album has some touches of experimentation, such as the “Delta Boy” with its Flaming Lips freak-out vibe, and “Country,” which has a strange easy listening feel, but its mostly just boring and kind of monotonous. By the time that the closer “Without You” comes up, the duo from Australia have more than worn out their welcome. Still, the highlights are great; hopefully they can craft something a bit more consistent next time. (EMI 2009)
Everything is weirder in Iceland, that’s a scientific fact. Their pop singers are weirder (Bjork) their rock groups are weirder (Sigur Ros), and if Sin Fang Bous is any indication, their singer-songwriters are weirder as well. Sin Fang Bous is actually Sindri Mar Sigfusson, the lead singer of Seabear. If you’ve heard Seabear, that won’t really prepare you for Sin Fang Bous, since the former is indie pop and this is decidedly…different. The music on Clangour runs between glitched-out electronica to quiet acoustic rock, all facing a common bond in Bous’ off-kilter and utterly charming songwriting. One-of-a-kind romantic verses like “I will be the lumberjack and you will be the trees” populate left-of-center odes like “Clangour and Flutes.” Decipher that one? How about “Sinkership,” which has Bous proclaiming, “I’m coming down, I see eyes in the mirror / An old rhino sweeps in rolled up flames”? Give me a ring when you figure that one out, but even if you can’t they still work, as the dreamy electronic vibe of Clangour accompanies the out-of-this-world lyrics. High speed loops of bleeps and bloops are layered behind simplistic acoustic guitar strumming, creating a Bob Dylan-meets-Beta Band vibe. It’s not wacky or sample-filled like Beck, but very deliberate and low-fi. This isn’t dance music, and calling it “electronic” might even be a misnomer; this is acoustic singer-songwriter stuff that happens to be plugged in to a few computers and a drum machine, and it’s pretty amazing. (Morr Music 2009)
A definite step above the other unauthorized biographies in Sexy Intellectual’s catalog but not yet on par with the Classic Albums series, this look at the metamorphosis of Depeche Mode from cult electronic act to one of the biggest bands in the world makes one hell of an argument for the band as a worthy inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring interviews with several of the band’s producers (Gareth Jones, Dave Bascombe, Daniel Miller) and electronic peers (Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan, OMD’s Andy McCluskey), the documentary focuses on the band’s rather gutsy decision to explore darker territory, beginning with 1986’s Black Celebration and ending with 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion, by which time the band was topping the US charts. The claim that the documentary features interviews with the band members is a tad dishonest, as they merely include clips from the short films that Mute assembled for the reissues of the band’s catalog in 2006 (and only one clip per member at that). They also gloss over the reasons behind Alan Wilder’s departure from the band, a move from which the band has only recently begun to recover. However, there is enough here that will thrill fans of the band in particular and of electronic music in general. Who knew that Andrew Fletcher was a fan of heavy metal? (Sexy Intellectual 2009)
Back some years ago, the members of Devo thought it would be interesting to re-record a collection of their favorites in easy listening styles and release the whole damn thing as the E-Z Listening Disc. The sound they conjured on that release is the closest thing I can compare this album by Schleusolz to. It’s cheesy as hell, and the Casio-like quality of the drums on some of the tracks will have you loving or hating it, perhaps both at the same time. But what you have here is 16 tracks of instrumental goofiness that defies explanation – and perhaps even good taste. Yet it’s all fun. “Make My Heart Go Boom” rocks in ways it absolutely shouldn’t. “Detroit Teenage Riot” sounds like some leftover early ’80s synth nightmare. “Neo-Liberal Coffee Bar” could almost make Kraftwerk blush. That’s actually fitting, since these guys hail from the same country. Whatever this stuff is, it’s definitely worth hearing. Yes, it may induce a headache, but then where would we be without such classic, mind-bending albums as Trout Mask Replica? In a far worse place, my friends. Weirdly brilliant. (self-released)
Anyone seriously jonesing for new Scissor Sisters material would be wise to check out Litter to Society, the new EP from SS guitarist Del Marquis. Sporting five new tracks and “shadow” versions (think dub mixes) of three of those songs, Marquis unleashes his inner Shriekback - or is it Underneath the Radar-era Underworld? - on the title track, which merges a lyric not far removed from Diana Ross’ “Upside Down” with a bubbly but sinister electro beat. Fans of Marquis’ day job, meanwhile, will gobble up the day-glo “Any Kind of Love,” which could pass for a lost Belouis Some track. Shriekback? Belouis Some? Those are some seriously dated and specific ’80s references, yes, but it’s hard to argue with where Marquis finds his muse when the results are this entertaining. (self-released 2009)
Chris Corner is a member of the Sneaker Pimps, and seemingly not content be associated with the worst-named genre of all time (trip-hop) (Ed. Note: two words: riot grrrl), he’s branched out with his solo project IAMX into Electronic Body Music (EBM), the second-worst-named genre of all-time. Twitch-era Ministry and the work of Cabaret Voltaire and Front 242 are good examples of the genre, which is a dance-friendly hodgepodge of electro, industrial and synth-pop. It’s generally a pretty stupid but fun little subgenre, filled with over-the-top lyrics about sex and drugs and even more over-the-top synthesizers. IAMX embraced the sound with his first album, 2004’s Kiss + Swallow, but on Kingdom of Welcome Addiction he tones it down a bit, with most of the songs being slow, introspective ballads and mid-tempo pop songs that take the minimalist approach of trip-hop and transport them to a synth-pop environment with generally positive results. He seems to be going for an Imogen Heap vibe, a presumption made all the more accurate by Imogen Heap’s guest appearance on the haunting “My Secret Friend.” Even without the synth-pop diva to back him up, Corner usually keeps things going nicely, with “I Am Terrified” and “Think of England” especially standing out. Parts are uneven, and Corner’s vocals aren’t always up to task, such as on “An I for an I” where he weakly bellows in vain to match his throbbing industrial beats. Still, this is a surprisingly good and complex record that actually might make you yearn for a new Sneaker Pimps album. (Metropolis 2009)
Back in the first half of the ‘90s, “dance music for your mind” was basically anything bouncing around the ambient and trance genres. To some extent, those charlatans known as Enigma would have also fit in there somewhere. In the case of La Forza (a.k.a. Divina Klein and Doug Mackar), though, the title translates into something more succinct as “cheesy desktop PC-created electronica.” Face it: if there’s one genre that is a completely hit-or-miss affair, it’s electronica. It might be because it’s so damned easy to create these days, or it may just simply be because there are no real “rules” to follow when making it. Whatever the case, this album is simply a snooze from start to finish. With titles like “Vision Quest,” “Approaching Levitation,” “The Sound of Clouds” and “To Connect to Eternity,” you can pretty much figure out what this is going to sound like before you even press play. Lots of listless, tranquil droning sound montages that never go anywhere “intended to support contemplation, incite imagination, and increase neuro-plasticity.” Sure, whatever you say. It’s probably safe to say that your imagination will be better sparked simply by opening your nearest window. And if you’re really concerned about your “neuro-plasticity,” you might want to crawl right out that window and get outside some more. Let’s hope there’s not a second volume in the works. (self-released)
The power pop community is still abuzz over Catnip Dynamite, the second proper solo album from Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr., which makes one wonder what they will do when they hear Hype-Moi, the new album by Montreal multi-instrumentalist (and Manning sound-alike) Patrick Pleau. Our guess is that more than a few heads will explode, because Hype-Moi is the French equivalent of Catnip Dynamite, only…better? An argument could certainly be made in Pleau’s favor, considering his tendency to let the music do the talking and to know when enough is enough. The songs are huge, mind you - swirling, psychedelic jangle guitars, triple-decker harmonies, hyper-treated keyboard effects and Moogs abound - but compared to the absurdly over-the-topness of Catnip, Pleau is the model of restraint. The irony of ironies is that Hype-Moi sounds like a long-lost collaboration between Manning and French ambient synth popsters Air (particularly “L’écran Bleu De La Mort”), who have worked together on multiple occasions but have never put a meeting of the minds to tape quite like the one Pleau does on their behalf. You don’t need to speak French to appreciate the beauty of this record. (Orange Music 2009)
Writer’s Note: I don’t speak a word of French, so I cannot comment on Pleau’s lyrical prowess. Based on the complexity of these melodies and arrangements, though, I am pretty sure that he is not a moon/June guy, nor is he talking about date rape, incest or murder. At least I hope he isn’t.
Julien-K is a side project by two of the guys from Orgy, but don’t ask which two because it doesn’t really matter. They’re better than Orgy, but lowered expectations should not be a pass, and hoping something is better than Orgy is about as low as expectations get. This is synth-pop-influenced electronic music, but it has more in common with Linkin Park or even ’90s industrial-dance like Stabbing Westward than the ’80s synth-pop that the group is obviously trying to emulate. That makes sense, since Chester Bennington of Linkin Park has worked with the duo before with his side-project Dead by Sunrise. Chester makes a guest appearance on Death to Analog, dropping some backing vocals on the single “Kick the Bass,” and his emo whine is the least annoying part of the instantly forgettable excursion into ’80s pastiche. The amount of ’80s music that Julien-K rip off is truly staggering, adding only some slightly more aggro synthesizers to the mix; imagine the Pet Shop boys by way of KMFDM. Their obsession with the synth-pop of the past turns into downright theft with “Disease,” which blatantly steals portions of “West End Girls” without apology. The Handsome Furs had to pay New Order because their song “All We Want Baby, Is Everything” sounded too much like “Temptation”; precedent has been sent, the members of Julien-K should be forced to hand over their synthesizers as payment to the Pet Shop Boys. It would not only serve as restitution for the theft, it would also mean Julien-K wouldn’t be able to record new music for at least a short period of time, making everyone a winner. Even worse than that uncredited rip-off is the credited one, as the duo cover Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never,” which for some reason is spelled out in txt-speak as “Nvr Say Nvr.” But haphazard vowel removal is the least of the song’s problems, which removes the original’s classic saxophone solo with an oppressive synth riff while the singer tries to go the creepy, throaty whisper route with the vocals, presumably to make the song sound more aggressive and threatening. But there’s no way to make “I might like you better if we slept together” sound scary. Death to Analog just isn’t bad, it’s insulting, and on second thought it might actually be worse than Orgy. (Metropolis 2009)
The 23rd annual induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is coming up, and with it comes the annual bitchfest by music fans and critics as to which bands deserve to get in and which do not. The general public has no say in the nomination or induction process; instead, an anonymous committee chooses the nominations, which are then voted on by an equally anonymous group of 500 “rock experts.” Bands are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Usually there’s little controversy when it comes to the artists chosen for induction, with the real debates circling around those artists who have yet to be recognized by the Hall of Fame.
The Hall has its prejudices when it comes to selecting those worthy enough for induction. Heavy metal, punk and prog rock have a hard time getting in, while anyone with an obvious blues or country influence seems to be a shoe-in. It also helps to be American or British; no artists from mainland Europe, Africa, South America or Asia have been inducted yet.
With that in mind, Bullz-Eye has selected 10 artists, listed in chronological order of their eligibility, that we feel have been given the shaft by the Hall. These are by no means the 10 “best” artists who have failed to be inducted; just 10 “of the best” who have not yet gotten their due.
The Stooges
Eligible since: 1994
The Stooges self-titled debut came out in 1969 and it’s hard to imagine just how abrasive and loud the Stooges must have sounded to audiences at the time. Try putting them in context: the biggest albums of that year were Abbey Road, Blood, Sweat & Tears’ self-titled record that had the hit “Spinning Wheel” and the original cast recording of “Hair.” One of the biggest singles was “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies. Contrast that with “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and a sense of just how far ahead of the times they were begins to develop.
Rush
Eligible since: 1999
We are loath to use album sales as a measure of a band’s true worth, but it’s worth noting that Rush’s first 16 studio albums, spanning 22 years, have sold a minimum of 500,000 copies each. The only band with a longer gold-or-better sales streak is the Stones. Aerosmith is just behind Rush, with 14 straight gold-or-better albums, and U2 will probably get there if the band doesn’t kill Bono first. Fittingly, Aerosmith, U2 and the Stones are all in the Hall; Rush, however, are not, and their exclusion can be boiled down to three words: critics hate prog.
Motorhead
Eligible since: 2002
They may have paved the way for Anthrax and their thrash metal ilk, but Motorhead’s influence can be heard in punk music of the ’80s and ’90s, alternative rock groups such as Queens of the Stone Age and even in electronic and new wave music (industrial music is basically thrash metal with keyboards). The Hall hates metal, for some reason – it even took them 11 years to get off their asses and induct Black Sabbath. And if Ozzy and company can barely squeak into the Hall of Fame, an underground act like Motorhead doesn’t have a prayer. Pity.
This news will make our friend Heidi happy: Metric are about to release Fantasies, the band’s fourth album, and if the first single, “Help, I’m Alive,” is any indication, these guys are about to make the jump into the big leagues. Nice combination of electronic flourishes and acoustic instruments, and a Velcro hook in that “Beating like a hammer” line. Check it out.
And for you Metric fans who want more more more, the band is also giving away an acoustic version of “Help, I’m Alive,” for the low, low price of…your email address.
It physically pains us that Kylie Minogue isn’t big in America. Heaven knows that we’ve embraced singers with thinner voices and weaker tunes, not to mention there are few pop stars on the planet as awesomely hot as the Divine Miss K. Capitol thought they had lightning in a bottle when “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” exploded, but once “Love at First Sight” scratched and clawed its way to #23, they learned the same lesson that Geffen learned a decade before: in radio terms, Kylie’s not a girlfriend - she’s a one-night stand. With the release of Boombox: The Remix Album, it appears that Capitol (who shuffled the contract off to hipster indie Astralwerks) is fulfilling their obligation to releasing Minogue’s records, and the choice is a curious one. On the one hand, compiling the remixes will rope in her gay club-going fans, but will they be satisfied with edited versions of the mixes? Astralwerks better hope so, because the mixes on Boombox are not going to play to mainstream dance popsters. The mash-up of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” with New Order’s “Blue Monday” is cute, and the Chemical Brothers add a nice dose of sleaze to “Slow,” but the majority of the mixes are relentless, thumpa-thumpa-thumpa dub-style mixes (”Wow,” in particular, is hacked to bits). If we had our way, Boombox would use single edits, with a bonus disc of full-length remixes. With any luck, a more commercial-friendly version of Boombox is in the works. (Astralwerks)
There’s something tasty about Daniel Lenz’s electronica forays. It might be that it echoes some of the more carefree aspects of Information Society back in the early ‘90s, but then again the 15 tracks here sound like a lot of the stuff that was coming out back then – for better and for worse. The good news is that there’s a lot to enjoy here if you’re of the dancefloor crowd. The bad news is that like a lot of the other stuff in that genre, this album can wear a little thin before it’s all over. Still, solid tracks like “I Do It Again,” “This and That,” and “Time to Rock” are the kinds of things that would work amazingly well in some summer blockbuster action movie or even a video game. A few too many vocalists spoil the groove here and there, but overall Lenz is a lot better at doing this thing than many other similar-minded artists. (self-released)
