LADYTRON - LADYTRON

One of the finest pieces of music news I got in 2018 (other than confirmation that the Depeche Mode tour was finally ending meaning I could put the Global Spirit Tour Project to bed and reclaim my life) was that Ladytron were coming back. For reasons I've never been able to understand, Ladytron have never been given the recognition their immense back catalogue deserves - if this album doesn't put that right, I'm officially giving up on holding out any hope for the public's taste in music.

Since 2011's Gravity The Seducer, the members of the band have been off doing their own thing. Helen Marnie's two solo albums Crystal World and Strange Words And Weird Wars were two exceptional albums much loved by this blog, both of which moved away from the dark electronics of Ladytron into a poppier area. On Ladytron, this poppier, lighter feel combines wonderfully with the band's trademark sound, producing an album rich in quality and bursting with wonderful tunes. 

Opener Until The Fire opens the album perfectly with a real statement of intent, leading into the already released The Island. Both The Island and The Animals were issued last year to rightful acclaim, but when you hear them as part of the album, they sound bigger and even better. They, and indeed the whole of this album, seem to suggest that Ladytron have found a new level of confidence, making them sound better than they ever have done. When you compare this album to Chvrches sadly forgettable third album, there is a marked difference.

It no doubt seems over the top to say this, but it's very hard to pick one highlight out from this album because the whole thing is excellent. It's not too often a 13 track album will hold the listener's attention its full duration, but Ladytron manages this effortlessly. Tower Of Glass is a stunning track which, like the album's penultimate track The Mountain, brings to mind Helen Marnie's solo work.  The blazing electronics in Paper Highways are just superb and Mira's lead vocal on the track is sublime. A Mira track is always welcome. At the band's comeback show in Glasgow last year, Black Cat was a standout as it always is. If the band tour this album (and let's hope they do), Paper Highways will doubtless be a similar highlight.

Even though the job of a review is to review the album in some depth, I'm going to ignore that and just once again say that this album is excellent. You really do have to listen to it. Ladytron have been away far too long and not many bands come back after such a break with the same magic they previously had. Ladytron have not only come back impressively, but they've come back sounding bigger and better than they ever have done. Ladytron is an album you really don't want to miss.

Ladytron by Ladytron is out on 15 February on !K7. Find out more at https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ladytron

REVIEW: MARNIE - STRANGE WORDS AND WEIRD WARS

As Depeche Mode take a brief pause on their world tour, I can take a brief pause from the Global Spirit Tour Project to write a review of the new Marnie record Strange Words And Weird Wars. Listening to the album, as I have done many times already, I can't help but think she'd make a fine support act for DM's global trek, firstly given how popular she is among the Black Swarm anyway, but secondly because these songs played live would be a great way to open a Depeche show. Perhaps if they get round to confirming a Glasgow show for later this year? It makes sense Martin and co.

Anyway, to the album. This is  Helen Marnie's second solo release and it is a real treat for fans of electronic pop, building on her wonderful solo debut release Crystal World, adding a new layer of crisp pop to great effect. By now you should all know lead single Alphabet Block which kicks off the album and which I reviewed a while ago (review). As part of that review, I had a quick chat to Helen and asked about the new album and during that she said that the new album was "definitely a pop effort"  and that's apparent throughout. As Alphabet Block and the second single, the magnificent Lost Maps, show though, this is more than a straightforward pop album - it's a beautifully crafted, intriguing gorgeously synth laden album that is surely bound to be looked on as one of this year's finest.



Bloom and G.I.R.L.S follow Alphabet Block, a faultless opening trio, with G.I.R.L.S boasting a chorus that even the dead would dance to, before recent single Electric Youth slows things down a little with its mix of 80's power pop and pure synthpop a real joy. The video (below) reflects those influences and, as I'm a huge fan of an HQFU, it's cool to see Sarah Stanley both in the video and as a key part of Marnie's live set up.



A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night and Summer Boys both show off a darker synthpop side and both a re wonderful with Summer Boys sounding like the sort of single Mute would have loved to have released in their early days. The distorted sounding synths on that track are one of those things that, if you're a bit of a synth nerd, are music to your ears. Glorious. The closing track Heartbreak Kid is another standout, containing yet another chorus that's impossible to ignore and impossible to get out of your head.

Like I said earlier, this album is surely going to be considered one of this year's finest. I'm biased of course being a huge Ladytron fan, a Glasgow based blogger who goes on a tad too much about electronic music including of course Depeche Mode and someone who loves Crystal World, but in all honesty, this is a superb album. There's so much incredible music coming out of Glasgow just now but, despite the competition, Marnie has raised the bar. This is an album you don't want to miss.

Strange Words And Weird Wars by Marnie is out now and is available on all the usual digital places. Ignore them though and head to her Bandcamp pages for cd's and a grogeous clear vinyl release. 

Marnie Bandcamp https://helenmarnie.bandcamp.com/
Official site http://helenmarnie.com/

EXCLUSIVE - MARNIE INTERVIEW & ALPHABET BLOCK

Helen Marnie's solo work to date is a wonderful thing with her debut album Crystal World and standalone single Wolves both must haves in anyone's collection. Her new solo album Strange Words And Weird Wars, released under her solo guise Marnie, is due out on 25 March and it's been preceded by the gorgeous single Alphabet Block.  The track is as fine an examples of synthpop as you'll hear at the moment, showing the many artists who have been influenced by her solo work and, of course, her work with Ladytron, just how this type of music is done.

Mixing a new poppier direction with shoegaze and dream pop influenced electronics, Alphabet Block is a powerful, mesmerising track that demands repeated plays. The verses and the chorus juxtapose perfectly with the former's darker feel giving way to the shimmering space of the chorus magnificently. As you can hear below, Alphabet Block is a special track and one you're going to love. It's a great taster for the album too and that record is going to be one of the must hear releases this year. You don't want to miss it - once again, Glasgow proves itself to be the new home of electronic music.

I had a quick chat with Marnie to find out a bit more about Alphabet Block.

APA: Welcome back Marnie! Alphabet Block is quite a way to announce your return. Tell us a bit about the song.

M: Thank you. It's great to be back! The song is a co-write with producer Jonny Scott. He produced the album Strange Words And Weird Wars and I've been working with him since I wrote Wolves in 2014. I thought Alphabet Block would be a good album opener, a little sneak peak at what to expect. That being said, the album is quite different to Alphabet Block. AB is a wordy little number, which i would describe as shoe-gaze electropop. I love all the swirling guitars and arpeggiators. Lyrically, it's actually really dark. I wrote it at a time of personal uncertainty. However, I think it does come across as warm and that is due to the instrumentation.

APA: The song has a real classic synthpop feel to it. Does the song represent a move towards a poppier sound generally?

M: I would agree with that, yes. It's funny, when I did my last album Crystal World, a few people advised me not to move in that direction. As in, I'd be wrong to do that. So, this is basically my 'fuck you' to them. Nobody should ever tell me what kind of music I should make. I can make my own decisions and create whatever I want.

APA: Were there any particular influences in mind when you wrote the track? The chorus has a real dream pop feel to it for example.

M: Because the verses are so lyrically full, it was important for me create some space and depth with the choruses. And I did that be introducing that dreamy vocal feel. Elongating the words. Creating more breath and layering the vocals. The guitars also give a sense of space. I like that the song enters like a club track, but then completely changes and transforms into something different.

APA: Looking forward, your second solo album Strange Words and Weird Wars is out in March. Can we expect a similar, more pop focussed approach?

M: I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have the album coming out. It will be over 2 years in the making. And, as seems is usual with me, not everything went as smoothly as i would've wished. It's definitely a pop effort, there is no denying that. But I think there's also a lot more to it than that. It's intelligent, it's melodic, it's not overly produced, it's guitars, it's synths, it's my voice, and it's a good ride. I'm hoping people will be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks very much to Marnie for taking the time to have a chat. As I've mentioned earlier, Strange Words and Weird Wars is destined to be an album that a lot of you are going to love this year. Alphabet Block is a wonderful way to reintroduce yourself to Marnie.

Strange Words and Weird Wars by Marnie is released on 25 March. Alphabet Block is out now.

(c) Almost Predictable Almost 2017. Not to be reproduced without permission. 

LIVE REVIEW: MARNIE, GLASGOW SCIENCE CENTRE, 5 JUNE 2015

As part of a show put on by Detour at the Science Centre in Glasgow, Marnie played a set on Friday 5th June that once agains showcased the strength of the songs on her most recent album Crystal World. The Science Centre atrium really is a spectacular venue for a gig and the electronic sound of Marnie, Lockah and Errors seemed tailor made for the venue.

Marnie, live at Glasgow Science Centre, 5 June 2015 (Photo by me)

Marnie's set was mainly taken from Crystal World with opener The Hunter kicking things off brilliantly. It was followed by my favourite track from the album, We Are The Sea,  which is as strong a synthpop song as you'll hear this or any other year. Sugar land and Hearts On Fire were up next before Marnie's most recent track Wolves which was superb. Ladytron's Seventeen came next, highlighting the difference between the starker sound of Ladytron and Helen's solo work. That's not to say it wasn't great to hear that track as it remains something of a favourite of mine. The set then ended with an extended version of Submariner which rounded it all off nicely.

It really was an impressive show with the Crystal World working really well live. I had a chat with Helen afterwards and she said that work is going to commence on the next solo record soon. If it's anything like Crystal World we'll be in for a treat and if she's playing live near you, go to the gig. 

MARNIE - CRYSTAL WORLD

For someone who professes to write about as much Glasgow based or related electronic music as possible, I've no real excuse for not picking up on Helen Marnie's ace debut album Crystal World until now. I love Ladytron, bought the RSD 12" of The Hunter, but somehow overlooked the album until this week. It was released in June 2103 for God's sake! Thankfully, I've now put that right and, since the weekend, haven't stopped playing it. If you're a fan of electropop, synthpop or whatever you want to call it, you really should give this album a go.

The album opens with the brilliant The Hunter (video below) which is a pulsing electropop song which, inevitably I guess, brings to mind Ladytron albeit a Ladytron not frightened to put a pop sheen on things. As with most of the tracks on here, the song has a ridiculously catchy chorus and it's a really strong start to the album. It's topped however by track 2, We Are The Sea, which is as good an electronic song as I've heard in years. Chvrches have rightly had much praise over the last couple of years but We Are The Sea is as good if not better as anything on The Bones Of What You Believe. The chorus again is the key here - it's stunning. If you try one song from the album, try this one. Two tracks in and you're hooked and Hearts On Fire keeps you there. A moodier slice of synthpop than the openers, it brings to mind Pet Shop Boys more mournful moments like Kings Cross or Behaviour which is certainly no bad thing. I will stop going on about choruses at some point as it's probably boring you now but once again, the chorus here is brilliant. Helen's ear for melody and the way her voice mixes with the electronics throughout really makes this album stand out and the opening three tracks are as good as any opening to an album as I've heard in a long time. Next up, Violet Affair has a 60's feel to it, mixing a French pop style with a slight psychedelic feel to great effect before The Wind Breezes On, slows the pace with a slice of moodier electronics that still retains a pop like feel quite marvelously.

Sugarland is a really cool track; it focuses more on beats and has a more driving, pulsing feel to it than anything on here bar The Hunter. The different styles of song used throughout all work which is something worth noting. Nothing stands out in a bad way or seems out of place. High Road returns to the pop theme, sounding like an updated version of Yazoo, producing a perfect slice of synthpop, before Laura then transforms the mood again. It's a really interesting track, layered with different vocal effects and reminiscent in places of Goldfrapp's quieter moments. The penultimate track Submariner is one of the album's standouts. A nearly 8 minute long electronic pop masterclass, the song is a superb example of how good electronic music can be when it's kept clean and simple and its extended outro brings to mind the poppier side of Vince Clarke's more experimental moments. We then end on Gold, a brilliant end to a brilliant album, a track that once again has one of those choruses that you can't help but fall in love with.

Like I said at the outset, I've no idea at all how I missed out on this album when it was released. It really is a gem of an album and it's one that anyone who has even a passing interest in electronic pop should hear. There may be easy comparisons to be made with Ladytron or Chvrches but doing so misses the point. This album stands on its own and, if you do want to compare it to The Bones Of What You Believe, then it is at the very least the equal of that and is deserving of as much attention as that album has had. Go and check this out right now.

Crystal World is available from Les Disques Du Crepuscule ( http://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/ ) and on download.

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