Music reviews

!!! (Chk Chk Chk): Let It Be Blue

Expect the unexpected. That could be the motto of this US band with the unpronounceable name. The opener „Normal People“surprises with conventional singer/songwriter folk with nylon guitar strumming and with the subsequent „A Little Bit (More)“they celebrate the finest dance funk à la Fat Boy Slim. Nine more tracks follow, in which Nic Offer and his band show themselves as eager to experiment as ever. Whether 70s dance, acid house or hip-hop - the music, which was created via file sharing, knows no blinders. At the same time, the instrumentation is deliberately sparse, after the band used to like to release somewhat overloaded records. Features with Maria Uzor, Angelica Garcia and Meah Pace round off the album, which sounds deliberately anachronistic and has more the charm of a compilation. And yes, as a listener you should be open-hearted.

Genre: Dance | Label: Warp Records

Ana Fosca: Poised At The Edge Of Structure

First impression: a cacophony. The lovely-looking Danish artist seems to like noise, because her music is so noisy that one wonders whether the term music is even appropriate. You could also call it abstract sound collages. Shuttling between industrial, drone, noise and ambient, the tracks sound painful, dissonant, claustrophobic and bizarre. The artist herself calls it the mathematics of grief. Perhaps this is what it would sound like if Stockhausen made an industrial record, or if you set the films of Kurt Kren or the writings of Simone de Beauvoir to music? The fact is, there is no light on this album. It‘s dreariness set to music. That can have its charm, but you should be aware as a recipient that you open the gate to hell when you put „Poised At The Edge Of Structure“into the player - despite all apparent loveliness.

Genre: Industrial, Noise | Label: The Helen Scarsdale Agency

Archive: Call To Arms & Angels

Archive used to be known as very eager to release, but the last proper studio album „The False Foundation“dates back to 2016. Well, it should also be mentioned that it was not quiet around the Brits since they released the quadruple compilation „25“and the remix album „Versions“in the meantime. It seems a lot has accumulated, because „Call To Arms & Angels“is a double album of over 100 minutes that really captures all facets of the London collective. Among the 17 tracks are balladic moments marked by a lonely piano, cool pop sounds, fat electronica vibes, prog and post-rock reminiscences, abstract-experimental moments, larger-than-life atmospheres, analog synth gimmicks, heavenly ambient excursions and soundtrack-art. And all this as usual with a wide variety of singers. In short: there is a lot to discover. Probably so much that it is enough for the next six years!

Genre: Electronica, Progressive Rock | Label: Pias/Dangervisit/Rough Trade

Bottler: Journey Work

If you google the name Bottler, you first come across various wineries and other business activities of families with the name Bottler. In this case, however, it is a New York duo, which presents its debut album with „Journey Work“after various EPs. The gentlemen Pat Butler and Phil Shore are reluctant to be pigeonholed and love it versatile. The Bottler sound oscillates between electronica, indie pop, dance and melancholic balladesque piano elements. The 11 track album remains instrumental for long stretches, but also contains some beautiful vocal tracks that bewitch with male and female voices. Danceable beats and fat synths compete for attention with catchy pop melodies and spherical wide pads as well as some rather experimental sounds. Means in plain language, for a glass of wine maybe not necessarily the ideal music - unless it may be a glass on the dance floor, because club potential is definitely present here.

Genre: Electronica | Label: InFiné

Moderat: More D4ta

How time flies. Also since the last Moderat album „III“six years have passed. As is well known, the members of the two Berlin projects Apparat (Sascha Ring) and Modeselektor (Sebastian Szary and Gernot Bronsert) are behind Moderat. The fourth collaboration of the trio again brings a nice mix of electronica and IDM into the players. It feels like the vocals as well as the pop appeal have been taken back a bit and more space has been given to the instrumental sequences. In addition, the record seems to be less pleasing and to show a little more courage to experiment. For long stretches, however, it is danceable as well as atmospheric. Sometimes even ethereal electronica with a pleasantly warm production dominates, so that all those who see an album as a complete work of art and do not look at hit singles, get nice food for thought here.

Genre: IDM, Electronica | Label: Monkeytown Records

Röyksopp: Profound Mysteries

The two Norwegians Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have been among the spearheads of electro-pop since 1999 and should be able to further consolidate their exceptional status with this album. Led by the excellent single „Impossible“(together with Alison Goldfrapp of Goldfrapp), „Profound Mysteries“is a diverse album that has a lot to offer between sensitive melancholy, irresistible dancefloor appeal, pop catchiness, ethereal expanses, analog nostalgia synths and skillful production tricks. In addition to Madame Goldfrapp, other female voices that make the record magical are Susanne Sundfør, Beki Mari and Pixx. A skilful bridge between pop, disco, ambient and electronica soundtrack, which invites you to play it in a loop.

Genre: Dance, Electronica | Label: Embassy One/Dog Triumph

Satori: Dreamin’ Colours

The fact that this album was recorded on Ibiza (Sonic Vista Studios), you somehow think to hear, because it sounds sun-drenched and uplifting - just like the musical equivalent of an Ibiza vacation. But it is not classic Deep or Ibiza House, as one would spontaneously associate with the island, but a very unique sound. Produced with equipment from the 70s and 80s, the 9 track record uses dance and electronica and combines this with organic sounds from the world music universe and ethereal-mystical influences, so that you mentally travel to distant worlds. The Dutch artist Satori collaborated with various artists such as Ariana Vafadari, Kalima, Mybaby or El Mundo, who provide exciting splashes of color. In addition, „Dreamin‘ Colours“also seems to be interwoven with sounds from the Far East and the Balkans as well as folk and blues and yet manages to put all the different elements into a danceable context. Really beautiful!

Genre: Dance, World Music | Label: Crosstown Rebels

Stefan Goldmann: Vector Rituals

The days when techno consisted of static four-to-the-floor beats are long gone. Nowadays, it takes a bit more to excite listeners used to extremes. Stefan Goldmann has been excelling with creative approaches for over 20 years. His new album is also based on classic techno/house sounds, but reveals a rather avant-garde approach thanks to the use of polyrhythms, sophisticated microrhythmic phrasings, abstract sound designs (keyword: noises like ringing, crackling and scratching) and lovingly layered textures. „Vector Rituals“is art turned into music. With electronic sound generators he creates a symphony that sounds sometimes metallic, sometimes noisy and dissonant, sometimes ambient-like floating, sometimes rhythmically knotted and then again hypnotically driving. A sophisticated album for techno nerds who like to dive deep into details.

Genre: Techno, Avantgarde | Label: Macro Records