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. 

BE CHARLOTTE - ONE DROP

Be Charlotte are a band hotly tipped to do big things in 2017. The Scottish trio combine a riot of electro, hip hop and pop to create tracks that burst out of your speakers, radiating an infectiousness that's hard to ignore.

One Drop is a perfect example of that. A compelling track that is up and at you from the off, One Day more than justifies the praise Be Charlotte have received. Charlotte Brimner's confident vocals are the centrepiece of a collision of beats and sampled vocals and she ensures the whole song comes together wonderfully. It would seem that One Drop is only the start of the Be Charlotte story and, on the evidence of this track, there is much, much more to come.

One Drop by Be Charlotte is out now on AWAL/Kobalt Label Service and is available to stream on Spotify.

HQFU - POISON/SUB SUB BASS

The new year has kicked off with new music from HQFU and that is a very good thing. Two new tracks, Poison and Sub Sub Bass are available now from the HQFU bandcamp page and both are well worth investigating.

Posion builds on the dark, clubby feel of HQFU's self titled debut album, adding new darker, more powerful layers and overlaying the lot with crisp electronics. If you were a fan of that debut album, and you really should be, then this will be right up your street. 

While Poison gives off a late night, few drinks in vibe, Sub Sub Bass takes you even further into that night out. The track features Amandah Wilkinson of the superb Bossy Love and the contrast of her breathless vocals with HQFU's own which blast into life in the chorus, the song's focal point, is a masterstroke. 

As ever, HQFU stands out from the crowd with her trademark dark, uplifting music taking on an almost poppy edge in places here. You'll do well to find a more exciting electronic talent in Scotland, let alone Glasgow. 

HQFU Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HQFUHQFU/

KING TUT'S NEW YEAR'S REVOLUTION - THE INSOMNIAC PROJECT AND MT. DOUBT

Tonight sees the opening night of King Tut's New Year's Revolution featuring a set by Apache Darling, one of this blog's favourite Glasgow bands. There's around three weeks worth of gigs to come showcasing the best local talent such as Stillhound and The Van T's, but as a preview of every show would make this as long as one of our usual Depeche Mode pieces, we've picked two gigs to focus on. If you're going to go to any of the 14 King Tut's New Year's Revolution shows, make them these two.

January 15 - The Insomniac Project

This year is going to be The Insomniac Project's year. Their superb disco infused electronic pop has come on in leaps and bounds and their live shows are unmissable. It is only going to be a matter of time until your friends start talking about them, so get in there first and head to King Tut's on Sunday January 15. The band are supported by Elle Exxe, North Atlas and Stray Saints with a DJ set from Vinyl Noise Blog there too. 

Tickets here http://theinsomniacproject.bigcartel.com/product/the-insomniac-project-king-tuts-new-year-revolution-headline-show

January 16 - Mt. Doubt

There's not much to say about Mt Doubt that I have already said in previous blogs. There is no other band that sounds like Mt Doubt on the local scene just now and, like The Insomniac Project, this year surely has big things in store for them. Powerful, dark yet uplifting melodic post rock tunes enhanced by a stirring live band are what to expect and, if you haven't heard Mt Doubt, then this gig would be the best place to start. The band are supported by Crow's Feet, Sea Captain and Skjor with a DJ set from Podcart.

Tickets here https://mtdoubt.bandcamp.com/merch/mt-doubt-at-king-tuts-new-years-revolution