"Dresden" is the second single to be plucked from "English Electric", the twelfth longplayer from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.
The song is classic OMD with shades of "Enola Gay" well represented by Andy McCluskey's driving bassline and Paul Humphrey's sparkling synth melody.
The lads even had time to lens a beautiful, brightly colored video for the track which starts out with a short James Bond reference and follows a couple as they fall in and out of love in the space of a three minute pop song. Something tells me this little ditty was inspired by Paul's recent divorce.
Clearly, one of many highlights from their current elpee which is chock full of amazing songs and quirky sounds. The album contains all the best bits of OMD distilled into one album.
And as luck would have it, I was commissioned by the label to reswizzle the single. Have a listen and boogie around your handbag.
Barely a year after the release of "Elysium", their eleventh longplayer, Pet Shop Boys return with "Electric", a much less subdued affair on a brand new label. In fact, it's the first time Neil and Chris have not issued something through Parlophone, the division of EMI that was their home for the last 28 years. Their new label, the appropriately named x2, will be issued through Kobalt.
"Axis" is the first taste of ver Boys new album and it's quite a striking change of pace for them. It's not a pop song. It's an 80s retro dance track. Very nearly an instrumental except for some spooky whispered words from Neil. Big synths, chunky drums, twinkling bells and a great big nod to Giorgio Moroder which is all the rage in reference these days. Thank you, Daft Punk.
Produced by electronic wunderkind, Stuart Price, "Electric" will include the following nine tracks.
1. Axis
2. Bolshy
3. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct
4. Fluorescent
5. Inside A Dream
6. The Last To Die
7. Shouting In The Evening
8. Thursday
9. Vocal
While "Axis" is the first track to be heard from "Electric", rumor has it that "Love Is A Bourgeois Construct" will be the first official single. "Thursday" features British singer/rapper Example and "The Last To Die" is a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song which original appeared on The Boss' album, "Magic", which was released in 2007.
"Electric" will hit the "shops" on July 15.
Basement Jaxx are back, Back, BACK! The duo have resurfaced with "Back 2 The Wild", a manic, slightly cartoonish track that borders on the verge of ADHD. In other words, it's brilliant and loadsafun!
Continuing their tradition of featuring different artists on their singles, this time ver Jaxx installed South Korean singers Miss Emma Lee and Baby Chay on vocal duties. The track is loopy, grin inducing and full of Afrocentric rhythmic joie de vivre. Another one for the crates! It's also the first single to be lifted from their forthcoming seventh longplayer.
And my ears detect some unlikely influences. A bit of Tom Tom Club and a dash of Thompson Twins?
Hands up! Who remembers Johnny Hates Jazz? Well, ver Jazz are back, Back, BACK! More than twenty five years after their debut album, Clark Datchler and co. have returned with a brand new single, "Magnetized", from the album of the same name.
It's a well produced, timeless sounding song which sounds as if it could've been plucked from "Turn Back The Clock", their first longplayer which was home to four smash singles in the UK - "Heart Of Gold", "I Don't Want To Be A Hero", the title track, and the ubiquitous "Shattered Dreams". Turn back the clock, indeed!
Some people may think this is a bad thing. However, I staunchly disagree. Not everything has to feature a rap breakdown or a dubstep break to be a great record these days. Gimme a great song and it will always deliver. And "Magnetized" is the top notch kind of pop that puts a smile on my face.
Trimmed down to a duo of Mike Nocito and Mr. Datchler, Johnny Hates Jazz have gone through three incarnations across three albums. First, they started out as the trio of Mike, Clark and Calvin Hayes, fresh from cutting their songwriting and production chops at the legendary RAK studios in London.
After the success of their 1987 debut, Clark left for a shot at a solo career while Mike and Calvin recruited legendary producer and songwriter, Phil Thornalley, to front the group. They issued one album called "Tall Stories" which didn't yield any significant hits. Fast forward to today and JHJ mark III feature the return of Clark alongside Mike without Calvin.
"Magnetized", the single, will be hit the "shops" on April 29 followed by the elpee a week later.
And maybe it's just me, but there's something about the new JHJ single that reminds me a bit of "This Is Not America", a hit for David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group in 1985. Take particular note of the second verse of "Magnetized". I'm not suggesting they sound the same. They simply evoke the same feelings for me, particularly in the chord structure in the verses of "Magnetized".
In my late teens and early twenties, I was a bit too young to understand the nature of politics, both locally and globally. As people did in previous decades, I got some information from my favorite artists and records.
I didn't live through Margaret Thatcher's rule first hand. We had a mess on our own shores with Ronald Regan, whose presidency is currently in revisionist mode. While I was aware, I wasn't engaged.
Here are three records from the Thatcher era that made me look a little more deeply into a place I have called my second home for nearly twenty years. Strangely, they all seem timely today in a slightly unsettling way.
The first one is the parenthetical prefix of "(Celebrate) The Day After You" by The Blow Monkeys featuring Curtis Mayfield from the longplayer, "She Was Only A Grocer's Daughter", whose title referenced Thatcher's familial ties. Released in 1987, it outlines the party plans after the Conservative party has been deposed.
The second Thatcher era single that gave me a reason to try to understand what life was like in the UK, before I started traveling there regularly, was one that I knew directly affected me.
"No Clause 28" was a brave and honest move from Boy George. It highlighted the heinous, controversial and bigoted addition of Section 28 to the Local Government Act of 1988, an amendment which stated that a local authority shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality or promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.
The track begins with a sharp slap to the face by a Thatcher impersonator - "The aim of this government is to make everyone as miserable as possible." Yikes! Imagine how that sounded upon first listening to this funky house track.
George is unforgiving in his delivery. It was a way of putting a bit of distance between him and his past with Culture Club. The gender bending was still at the forefront, but the loved up sounds and songs took a back seat to something close to George's heart. His identity and that of so many gay men and women.
Of course, the political nature of the record along with his then recent drug charges didn't help the single garner significant airplay. But it was an important record which included a cheeky pre-sampling clearance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", some Public Enemy shout outs, and a severe rap in the middle of it which was the first time I heard AIDS mentioned in a pop song. An important record, especially in light of the LGBT struggles we face today.
Here is the third and final Thatcher era tune that turned me toward the UK newspapers.
Slice of Red Wedge anyone? Paul Weller was no stranger to political activism. His social commentary during his days in The Jam held steadfast and strong when he transitioned into The Style Council.
In 1984, in the thick of promotion for TSC, Paul Weller recorded "Soul Deep", a funky slice of politics. He invited a few friends over to record this charity record, under the moniker of The Council Collective, in support of the debilitating and violent miners strike which horrified many citizens of the UK.
The paragraph on the back sleeve of the single said it all:
"The aim of this record was to raise money for the Striking Miners and their families before Xmas but obviously in the light of the tragic and disgusting event in South Wales resulting in the murder of a cab driver, some of the monies will also go now, to the widow of the man.
We do support the miners strike but we do not support violence. It helps no one and only creates further division amongst people.
This record is about Solidarity or more to the point - getting it back! If the miners lose the strike, the consequence will be felt by all the working classes. That is why it is so important to support it. But violence will only lead to defeat - as all violence ultimately does."
And they managed to perform it on "Top Of The Pops"! Scandalous! Those were the days. Education in the grooves when you're let down by the news.
Actually, I forgot the single that first brought my attention to British politics. The riots and racial unrest. The encroaching industrial wasteland. The feeling of desperation. And it went to number one on the UK singles chart."Ghost Town" by The Specials was the one that caused you to feel the winds of change in Great Britain.
In the early days of MTV, this video received quite a bit of airplay. The haunting, howling feeling throughout the record is a bit frightening. It's the stark, bleak, smothering sound of something evil approaching. The only diversion from that sense is the ska meets dancehall breakdown which sounds like its bleeding out of a radio broadcast from the past. This was the one that first piqued my interest in politics as a source for pop music inspiration.
What was happening in the land the inspired me as a musician and a music fan? I needed to know more.
With their promotion machine in motion, Depeche Mode are ready to drop the second single from "Delta Machine". "Soothe My Soul" is another in the Basildon boys' ever growing arsenal of stomp n' boogie blues numbers.
They certainly haven't lost their penchant for something slightly sleazy. And Dave's vocal gets more lascivious sounding with every new album. The chorus nearly borders on being joyous! A rare excursion into uplifting sonic territory for DM.
Texas are back, Back, BACK! Sharleen Spiteri and co. are about to unleash "The Conversation", their eighth studio longplayer and their first one in eight years. It's also the collective's return since bandmember Ally McErlaine was hospitalized after he collapsed with a massive brain aneurysm in 2009.
Furthermore, "The Conversation" marks their departure from Universal where Texas spent their entire career. [PIAS] Recordings is their new home.
The first single from their forthcoming album is the title track. It's a dark, bluesy number almost hinting at their modest beginnings while still keeping the pop shine they developed during their
The tracklisting for the album include the following twelve tunes.
1. The Conversation
2. Dry Your Eyes
3. If This Isn’t Real
4. Detroit City
5. I Will Always
6. Talk About Love
7. Hid From The Light
8. Be True
9. Maybe I
10. Hearts Are Made To Stray
11. Big World
12. I Need Time
"The Converstaion" will hit the "shops" on May 20 in two configurations, the standard twelve track version and a two disc, deluxified edition with a bonus disc of live recordings of song from across the band's nearly twenty-five year career.
Thanks to a bit of geo blocking, those of us based in the USA were denied access to the video for "When I Was Your Girl" for nearly a week! Outrageous! Thankfully, we waiting patiently for it. Panic was held at bay.
Of course, the single is the first to be lifted from Alison Moyet's eighth solo longplayer, "The Minutes", even though a previous track, "Changeling", was leaked a couple of weeks ago as a little taster of things to come. Comparing the two tracks, it's easy to believe the album will features a wide variety of sounds.
Alison looks absolutely stunning. Such a gorgeous woman with a stunning voice. To these ears, the feeling, fire, emotion and passion of the song is reminiscent of her Jules Shear cover, "Whispering Your Name".
"The Minutes, which hits the "shops" on May 6, had its knobs twiddled by electronic master, Guy Sigsworth. This bodes well for the album as it puts Alison squarely back in the shoes she wore when she was one half of Yazoo in the early 80s, while still maintaining the singer/songwriter sound she started developing with "Hoodoo" and carried on through "Essex" and "Hometime". This is not a retro retread!
The following are the eleven songs that make up the entirety of "The Minutes".
1. Horizon Flame
2. Changeling
3. When I Was Your Girl
4. Apple Kisses
5. Right As Rain
6. Remind Yourself
7. Love Reign Supreme
8. A Place To Stay
9. Filigree
10. All Signs Of Life
11. Rung By The Tide
Hard to believe next year will mark the 30th anniversary of her solo elpee, "Alf".
This is a year of triumphant returns from many quarters. The Blow Monkeys just splashed their new video across the interwebs. The single, "Oh My", is the first taster from their forthcoming album, "Feels Like A New Morning".
It's a slinky groover that features a circular riff which runs around throughout the song while Dr. Robert ruminates about the pitfalls that come with the race for riches.
While it's closer to the slower, blue-eyed soul of breakthrough album "Animal Magic", the album is rumored to feature a few grittier, T. Rex inspired songs, a sound which dominated their debut "Limping For A Generation". Apparently, there are a couple of dance oriented tracks, but nothing as housed up as the Chicago flavored barnstormers they released toward the end of the 80s and in the early 90s.
"Oh My" will be released on April 1. "Feels Like A New Morning" will hit the "shops" on April 29.
It was only a matter of time, with the expulsion of Parlophone when Universal devoured EMI, that Pet Shop Boys would find themselves a new home for their recordings. And that's exactly what they did recently.
After a staggering 29 year relationship with the iconic UK label, Neil and Chris have parted ways with them and signed a deal with the ever-growing Kobalt Label Services. Such a sexy name, n'est-ce pas? It sounds like they are signed to an insurance company or a car manufacturer. Still, PSB have not had much luck with Parlophone over the last half-decade even in the face of career defining albums like "Yes".
Having just released "Elysium", their eleventh longplayer, only six months ago, ver Boys are on track to release their twelfth elpee, the suitably titled "Electric", this June. And by the sound of the snippet below, it's an electronic album with splashes of Giorgio Moroder, nu disco and trance. An update on the sound that made them popular nearly 30 (*cough*) years ago.
Certainly, it's more dance friendly than its mellowed out predecessor. This should be music to their fans' ears who, in general, found "Elysium" to be rather dull. Personally, I grew to love it after only a handful of listens. It was refreshing to hear PSB wrap themselves in a slightly different sonic soundscape.
Produced by electronic wunderkind, Stuart Price, "Electric" will be accompanied by a tour which is sure to feature quite a few tunes from the album, as well as a helping of songs from "Elysium". Here's a little taster of what to expect from the forthcoming PSB longplayer.
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