RODNEY CROMWELL - FAX MESSAGE BREAKUP E.P.

Rodney Cromwell's The Age Of Anxiety was one of my favourite albums of 2015 and it's still one I play regularly, the dark edge to the album's synthpop remaining interesting and, importantly, hugely enjoyable after multiple plays. Fax Message Breakup comes from the album and it's a track that pays homage to New Order circa Power Corruption And Lies and that is never going to be a bad thing.

The track was inspired by Phil Collins' fax induced marriage breakup many years ago, but mercifully sounds nothing like any of his works. Instead, dark swirling synths, melodica and some quite wonderful lyrics all mix, creating a superb track and one that deserves to be heard and loved.

There are a couple of great remixes of Fax Message Breakup here too.  Happy Robots labelmate Hologram Teen remixes the track superbly, the Hologram Teen's Video Suitors Remix taking the track in a glitchy disco direction and AUW's Obsessive Perfection Remix brings more than a hint of Depeche Mode to proceedings. As a reader of this blog, (1) you'll know that appeals to me and (2) it will certainly appeal to you.

The e.p. is finished off with remixes of album tracks Cassiopeia (the Leaf Library Remix) and Baby Robot (the Chris Frain Remix) which offer cool takes on both tracks. I am a sucker for an album-track-remix-as-single-extra notion. That started off for me with Something To Do (Metal Mix) featuring  on the limited edition 12"of Shake The Disease and it's something many more bands should do.

That needless Depeche diversion dispensed with, Fax Message Breakup is an e.p. you want to have in your life. Rodney Cromwell is one of the most interesting and inventive artists there is on the electronic scene just now - you'll kick yourself if you don;t check him out.

Fax Message Breakup e.p. is available now on Happy Robots Records on cd and to download.

Happy Robots Records http://www.happyrobots.co.uk/entry
Happy Robots Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/happy-robots

FIONA SOE PAING - ALIEN LULLABIES

I featured Aberdeen based electronic experimental artist Fiona Soe Paing last year as one of my new artists of 2015. Her debut releases were captivating and her single Heartbeat, released on Glasgow's Hot Gem Records, was a real treat. Its hypnotic feel points the way to many of the tracks on her debut album Alien Lullabies, but that only tells half the story. With this debut, Fiona has crafted a bewitching, powerful album that merits repeated listens.

What immediately strikes you about Alien Lullabies is the way it surrounds and immerses you. Opener Prelude/Meet Me Where The Rainbow Ends takes is a gentle start, taking you by the hand and leading you in the darkness, before the wonderful Tamin Sah Pade grabs you in its Massive Attack like black grasp, eerie but uplifting. It's built on a mysterious, repetitive groove, balancing its dark feel against Fiona's wonderful vocals.  Tah Stin Koh Mpor follows, like a reboot of Kraftwerk at their most alien during their Radioactivity period, an album that echoes throughout this release. Swamp Blues adds some beef to the sound with its treated vocals and Depeche Mode Songs Of Faith And Devotion era blues rock meeting Bjork's experimentalism head on. 

In general, this album has a sparse feel, but the space in the songs is perfectly judged, with each track saying plenty without overdoing anything. Ballad Of The Two Sisters and Winter's Day are perfect examples of that - both sounding like echoes of a song beamed in from somewhere else, but both captivating.  Behrot  and Roller Ghoster offer the same slightly unsettling but ultimately uplifting experience. The closing Time Clocks is the perfect end to the album, sounding like an escape from the alien atmosphere that cloaks the preceding tracks, providing hope beyond the darkness. Again, I've reminded of Kraftwerk's Radioactivity album in feel and sound and that is very much a compliment.

Scotland's electronic music scene is something we Scots should be proud of, and one of its key features is the sheer diversity of music within that very scene. With Alien Lullabies, Fiona Soe Paing has added yet another layer to the electronic music on offer in the country and she's added one of the most enthralling layers of all. Alien Lullabies is an album you really must check out. Dark, experimental and quite wonderful. Don't miss out on this one,

Alien Lullabies by Fiona Soe Paing is available now on Colliderscope. The album launch show takes place on Thursday 29 Septmeber at Stereo in Glasgow and it's free to enter so get along there. Fiona also supports Michael Rother at Glasgow Art School on Friday 30 September.

Fiona Soe Paing Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fionasoepaing.music/

Fiona Soe Paing Official http://www.fionasoepaing.co.uk/

MACHINES IN HEAVEN - PHENOMENOLOGY

One of the most thrilling things about Glasgow trio Machines In Heaven is the near relentless way in which they develop. Never shy to push their own boundaries, the band have moved on quickly from their debut album bordersbreakdown, altering shapes and styles through the superb Hindu Milk and Displacer  releases and now we find them at Phenomenology.  As second albums go, it's hugely ambitious, mixing styles, jumping around here and there and sending you deep into a world of electronics. Happily though, it's wonderful album. There's none of the Machines do pop of Displacer or Feel Slow here but this band are all about development and trying new things so that's fine. Welcome to an entirely different world.

On first listen the album can seem a bit challenging. There's a lot going on all over the place and it's probably not designed to be taken in in one fell swoop. Once you've absorbed the whole thing though, you're hooked and each listen reveals further delights. Let's Hang Out At Pluto for example is a wonderful track built around a vocal that's distorted and treated, with electronic sounds and guitars bounding around either side of it, taking you on a cosmic journey. Logarithm  is my personal favourite, a wonderful electro symphony that stands up easily with the band's best work. It's a joyous track, bursting with synthy delights. The heavily vocodered vocals only add to the experience. A must hear.

Elsewhere on the album, you dip your toe into dark electronic waters with Ruix Con with its despairing lyrics ("I wish I'd known you/I wish I'd never known you")  set against a background of the kind of chilling noises that strike an immediate chord with you. Davey's vocals are really impressive here too, showing a real depth that matches the song. 8034 sees the band produce one of their heaviest sounds yet, as the track explodes into life in the last few minutes with the mix of electronics giving way to a full on post punk explosion of guitars and bass. It's exhilarating. Dr Whit follows a similar plan, but instead it's proggy, meandering electronics drag you in, before a burst of noisy but uplifting melody takes you home. Again, it's another track you want to here. The band even dabble in cosmic dicso with 20-XX and that too works beautifully.

Elsewhere, you'll find tracks with a space jazz feel to them, tracks with a Krautrock feel in places and, as you'd hope, scorching electronica. 

There aren't many bands like Machines In Heaven really. Their ability to make experimental music whilst simultaneously keeping it melodic enough to grab the ear and refusing to compromise on anything is quite brilliant. Phenomenology is yet another step forward for the Machines and they show no signs of slowing down or doing anything other than continuing to boldy go where very few other artists are brave enough to go. This is a proper, full on magnum opus of an album and, once you crack Phenomenology's code, you are going to be hooked.

Phenomenology by Machines In Heaven is out now on Hot Gem Tunes and is available in all the usual digital places.

Machines In Heaven Facebook https://www.facebook.com/machinesinheaven/?fref=ts

Hot Gem Tunes http://hotgem.co.uk/

MONKOORA - PALE SLOPES

Monkoora is the newest addition to Glasgow's Hot Gem Tunes, a label regular readers will know is home to some of the finest electronic music you can hear at the moment. Monkoora, a solo project of 22 year old Glasgow based multi instrumentalist Julie Crawford, is a blend of experimental sounds, ambient textures and soaring, haunting vocals all of which combine to make Pale Slopes, her debut mini album, a fascinating and quite enchanting release.

What immediately strikes you about Pale Slopes are the vocals. Throughout the record, they stand out, ethereal, powerful and incredibly striking. The brilliant opener Hiding Behind Horizons is a sparse electronic track with an organ drone running through it but layered over that are vocal line upon vocal line, intertwining with each other, creating a dark yet uplifting track that starts proceedings off wonderfully.

The standout track for me is the magnificent Catch With A Crystal Ball. Imagine Kate Bush fronting Yazoo instead of Alison Moyet - this track is what you'd get. It sounds just like that and, upon hearing it, you wonder why no-one has ever done that sort of thing before. It's certainly what you might call the album's poppiest moment and it's a track you want to hear. There are many styles whose influences you can detect on Pale Slopes. For example, To Run mixes a tribal type beat with angular detuned synths and Cocteau Twins like vocals, while Polly Anne Morris moves towards experimental electronica. The closing Dawn Mastered has the clearest vocals here ("I want to feel this heat/Again and again/With all of my friends"), emerging like a burst of sun through the haze of the preceding tracks, ending the album majestically.

For a label as young as Hot Gem Tunes, high standards have already been set and those standards have to be lived up to. Pale Slopes does just that and if this mini album is an example of what Monkoora is capable of, this is an artist to watch.

Pale Slopes by Monkoora is out now on Hot Gem Tunes and is available digitally on Boomkat, Juno and ITunes. Monkoora's debut live show will be at The Old Hairdresser's, Glasgow on 15 June

Monkoora Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Monkoora/?fref=ts

Monkoora Twitter https://twitter.com/Monkoora

WEATNU RECORDS - YEAR ONE

WEATNU Records (We Are The New Underground) is an immensely impressive organisation of electronic artists with a mission to expose as many of their collective's works to as many people as they can. Combining an internet radio station, a record label and a magazine, the label plugs loads of new artists each month, covering all possible areas of electronic music from head melting experimentalism to ambient to drone electronics to classic synthpop and beyond. It's certainly one to watch as there is so much fascinating music to discover even with just a cursory listen to the odd track. They first came to my attention when vvsi remixed a track by How Hot Is Your Cloud for a remix project. Having loved vvsi's debut album Dispersions (https://vvsimusic.bandcamp.com/), I checked out their remix, the original artist's material and the WEATNU label itself and found more than enough to grab my attention.

Anyway, WEATNU Records is now a year old and to celebrate that they've released a compilation called Year One. There are many reasons for you to get this. Firstly, it features 72 tracks. That's right - 72 tracks. Radiohead have only released around nine tracks in the last 6 years. This has 72 tracks straight off the bat. Secondly, it only costs $8. Now, I'm no economist but that's remarkable value, and that's before you even translate the cost into Pounds Sterling. I've listened to the whole lot twice (not in one sitting I might add) and there is a remarkably high success rate for this many tracks with the contributions by How Hot Is Your Cloud, Anodic8 and Terminator Benelux ones that jumped out at me straightaway. There are many, many more cracking tracks there though and for the price, it's impossible to argue that Year One is anything other than an absolute steal. Have a spin through the tracks below then get over to WEATNU's page to get the album. You won't regret it.

Here's the link http://weatnu.com/product/weatnu-records-year-one/ The album is up on Mixcloud too. Here's part 1 and you can find part 2 at https://www.mixcloud.com/synthoelectro/

WEATNU Records Year One Part 1 by Almark on Mixcloud

WEATNU Bandcamp https://weatnurecords.bandcamp.com/

WEATNU Home http://weatnu.com/about-weatnu/

WEATNU Twitter https://twitter.com/weatnu

THE ALMOST PREDICTABLES 2015 NO.1 - BEST NEW BAND

Every year, I hand out awards to artists who have made my musical year. Whilst these awards don't carry any cash value or even physical prize, they are designed simply to say thanks to the bands and musicians that I've featured - thank you for the music as Abba might say. Anyway, instead of one big post this year, there are going to be five over the first five days of December and the first one is Best New Band.

One thing this blog tried to do this year was take a look at new bands as they popped up on the blog's radar. Scotland, and Glasgow especially, has had a remarkable year for new music and the number of acts I've come across and the sheer talent of those acts, has been quite stunning. The bands I've featured in our New Bands 2015 (or at least new to the blog) section have been:

Twi§ted http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-1-twissted.html

Malmo http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-2-malmo.html

Fiona Soe Paina http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/new-bands-2015-3-fiona-soe-paing.html

Kill The Waves http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no-4-kill-waves.html

Tongues http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no5-tongues.html

Kloe http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/new-bands-2015-no-6-kloe.html

Shards http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-5-shards.html

Turtle http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-8-turtle.html

vvsi http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-8-very-very-small.html

Stillhound http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/new-bands-2015-no-10-stillhound.html

Monogram http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/new-bands-2015-no-11-monogram.html

Miracle Strip http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-12-miracle-strip.html

Aquafaux http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-13-aquafaux.html

Bunny & The Invalid Singers http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/new-bands-2015-no-14-bunny-invalid.html

HQFU http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-15-hqfu.html

Smash Williams http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-16-smash-williams.html

Our Future Glory http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-17-our-future-glory.html

Eyes Of Others http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/new-bands-2015-no-18-eyes-of-others.html

Add to that list the likes of Mt Doubt and The Deadline Shakes and you have quite a collection of acts. There can only be one winner however and we're delighted to award this year's Almost Predictable to HQFU an act that has had a ridiculously successful year. Despite only having released two, admittedly outstanding, singles (Dust & Dirt and Ca$hle$$ Lip$), HQFU has attrracted plaudit after plaudit and ultimately ended up supporting Chvrches in London in September at their album launch show. HQFU's music has been one of this year's standouts for me and a really fresh take on electronic music and so it's a pleasure to name HQFU Best New Band.  Sarah Stanley a.k.a HQFU kindly took the time to answer some questions for me.

APA: Congratulations on winning the Almost Predictable for Best New Band. How's 2015 been for you?

HQFU: Thanks so much for the award and for giving a shit! I appreciate it hugely. 2015 has been a very busy year for me, especially after the release of Dust & Dirt mid-year. It gained a lot more attention than I expected and things kind of took off from there music wise and since then I've just been gigging my ass off trying to get a feel for my new live act and get some people interested in live sows I guess. I've also been on a steep learning curve with everything the "industry" has had to throw at me over the past few months. I'm just glad no-one has told me they hate me and my music is shit and my fragile ego has managed to remain intact so far.

APA: How have you found the reaction to HQFU?

HQFU: It's been very positive and I seem to have fooled many into thinking I'm 22 or something so for that I'm very lucky! I think I'm old enough and stubborn enough not to come across as a cookie cut performer. I hope, and I feel I like maybe people think it's something new, I don't know. It's very hard to perceive your own self and your own work because of the angle at which I'm making it, and the angle others are consuming it at. I'm glad, though, that there have been things said that sound like people don't see me as a run of the mill construct, as I don't think I am. I'm not just a musician and I'm also very serious about the integrity of my work, regardless of how people perceive it.

APA: Both Dust & Dirt and Ca$hle$$ Lip$ are stand out tracks for me this year. What or who are your influences when writing?

HQFU: Well they are the only tracks I was "allowed" to release right now! I'm learning to take the PR advice of more seasoned experts haha! I've no idea what influences me day to day or when writing. If I'm being honest, I both dread and pre-empt this question in every interview. I don't have time to sit and note down what influences me. When I write, I might have a different person in mind per line, or I might be imagining something from someone else's perspective, but in my words. Making inspires me more than anything. I'm a maker at heart, and so when I start making the rest comes into focus. Then you hone and edit and get rid of the redundant content. I know I'm diverting from the question here - if I gave a list of musicians or artists who I like, it would merely be to pacify this question and it wouldn't mean shit to me so I won't. Sorry for maybe seeming antagonistic! (APA - not at all!) I just don't know who has time to sit and think to remember what influences them. I think we're all just inspired by our surroundings and environment and if you have the type of mind that turns that into music or art, that's just consequential.

APA: What's been your highlight of the year?

HQFU: Maybe Sandi Thom's youtube video of her crying because Radio 2 wouldn't play her track. That was fucking hilarious

APA: What are your plans for 2016?

HQFU: Well it's shaping up to be a busy year by the looks of things. My new extended EP goes to press this month, so should be ready to pre-order bang on 2016, the I'm doing Vic Galloway's first Quay live session of 2016 on January 4th so that's nice. Then it's really gigging and punting the vinyl once it's made. There will be a few wee tours outside Glasgow, starting with my first London headline show. I think I'll be kept plenty busy - I'll also be working on the album. I'm quite a prolific writer, so there will hopefully be some studio time in there as well so there will be plenty to select from when compiling the album. Other than that, fuck knows what I'll end up getting up to.

APA: Finally, given how this blog began, there's an obligatory Depeche Mode question - what's your favourite DM track?

HQFU: Maybe, Master & Servant. I do like to play games and master and servant sounds like a lot of fun ;)

Thanks very much to Sarah for taking the time to have a chat. I'm really looking forward to the EP and album and you'll hear all about them here next year. Thanks too to all the bands listed above for the time you gave me this year. Look forward to hearing lots more from all of you very soon

HQFU Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HQFUHQFU/?fref=ts

HQFU http://www.sarahjstanley.com/HQFU.html

SHARDS - SAD SAYONARA, GOODBYE

One of this year's most interesting new Scottish electronic bands Shards have returned with their third track Sad Sayonara, Goodbye (Errant Media) which is available as a free download from their Soundcloud page.

Shards continue their foray into the sound they have dubbed melancholitronica with Sad Sayonara, Goodbye and, to be honest, that's as good a name for this type of sound as any, Experimental, but with a pop twist, the song is a haunting track that builds and builds to a wonderful climax. As with Shards' previous two releases, Just To Get Something Started and Afterwards, Sad Sayonara, Goodbye has the ability to hook you in and keep you returning, time after time. As I said above, it's a free download too, so you really have to check it out.

Shards Sad Sayonara, Goodbye is releases on Errant Media and is available now as a free download

Errant Media Twitter https://twitter.com/errantmedia

OKRAA - VULTUR E.P.

Hot Gem Tunes is one of the labels I keep banging on about ( see also Night School Records and Hand Drawn Dracula. Oh and Mute - always Mute) as each release on the label is a joy. Following on from releases by Machines In Heaven, Fiona Soe Paing and YuTaNi, Hot Gem has now released Vultur e.p.  by OKRAA a.k.a Colombian producer Juan Carlos Torres Alonso and it's a cracker. The combination of South American electronics and Glasgow based record label seems like a match made in heaven.

The e.p's four tracks are a glorious riot of beats, electronica and melody that is spot on from the off. The opener and title track starts proceedings off perfectly, combining 2 step with some big analogue sounds quite wonderfully and then the e.p's highlight, the sublime Utica lands, with vocals reminiscent of Jonsii from Sigur Ros over a shimmering, euphoric backing. It's brilliant. Aalasu follows, mellower in tone with beats and bleeps in all the right places, before we end on Trianae featuring Amilie which is the most dance orientated track here and it finishes the e.p. with a proper flourish. 

Vultur is a fascinating release and one that immediately grabs you. It sounds fresh, modern and keeps on eye on hooks throughout, meaning that you're extremely likely to find something you want here. Well worth checking out straightaway.

Vultur e.p. by OKRAA is available now on Hot Gem Tunes via Itunes, Amazon, Juno and Bookmat with physical formats available from Rough Trade and others.

Hot Gem Tunes http://www.hotgem.co.uk/OKRAA.html

Rough Trade http://www.roughtrade.com/albums/97975

DEATH OF HI FI - SWIM AWAY

Oxford's Death Of Hi Fi have returned with a new single Swim Away, their first to feature new member and vocalist Lucy Cropper. The single sees the band show a softer, more melodic side to their sound with a mix of reverb laden guitars, their trademark beats and electronics and Lucy's vocals producing one of their best tracks yet. As the lyrics suggest, the song has a floaty, almost dreamlike feel - indeed it verges on a dreampop feel in places which is a new direction for the band. 

The single comes with a remix of Swim Away called The Truck Mix which is a really cool take on the track which tweaks rather than overhauls it to impressive effect. One of the band's earlier tracks Lazarus also features on the release. 

Swim Away is available now. To get your hands on it, head to the band's Bandcamp page (http://deathofhifi.co.uk/) or ITtunes and all other digital retailers. 

Death of Hi Fi Facebook https://www.facebook.com/deathofhifi?fref=ts

SCOTTISH ALTERNATIVE MUSIC AWARDS 2015

The 6th Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs) take place on 8th October at The Garage in Glasgow. The SAMAs are a hugely important thing as they shine a light on Scotland's remarkably fertile music scene, exposing a whole number of bands to a wide audience and gaining them much justified publicity. Initially started by Richy Muirhead as an alternative to the usual industry nonsense of the BRITS etc, the SAMAs have taken on a life of their own and this year's ceremony features a string of excellent bands up for a number of awards. 

There are 8 categories in total which you can read through on the SAMAs page (links below), but for this blog I'm having at look at only one - Best Electronic. 

1. SEQUEL

There are six nominees competing in this category and I feel sorry for whoever has to choose the winner as the nominees are all superb. First up is SEQUEL (@sequelsoundx) who produces some of the crispest, loudest techno electronica type slices of noisey joy I've heard in ages. Brimming with the sheer joy of loud electronic music, tracks like Fear Party (below) and Rocky are just frankly brilliant and music that you HAVE to hear. Head to SEQUEL's Soundcloud page for more (https://soundcloud.com/sequelsoundx)

2. BDY_PARTS

Next up we have Bdy_Parts (@BDY_PRTS) who fuse guitars, electronics and a keen ear for pop melodies to give us something incredibly catchy and quite wonderful. Cold Shoulder (below) is a prime example, with the band's trademark sound taken in an R&B direction but still retaining the edge and feel of earlier tracks like IDLU.  Check out their Soundcloud page for more (https://soundcloud.com/bdy_prts/)

3. OUR FUTURE GLORY
Our Future Glory are the next nominee and regular readers will know that I'm already a huge fan (see http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/new-bands-2015-no-17-our-future-glory.html ). One listen to Battleheart (below) is going to convince you I'm right to be excited and, trust me, if you get a chance to see them live do it - absolutely incredible.




4. CRASH CLUB
Crash Club are one of the bands playing at the award show on the 8th and their brand of electronic rock is bound to impress on the night. My inevitably baised Depeche Mode tuned ears note hints of then Basildon boys darker moments in Crash Club's tracks and that is absolutely fine by me. Sometimes, this type of electronic music can sound a bit clunky, but not here. Crash Club produce something very fine indeed as you can hear on their Soundcloud page (https://soundcloud.com/crashclubmusic). Check out Jawbreaker  below for a hint of what they can do


5. DJ CLYDE ROUGE
DJ Clyde Rouge produces quite excellent stripped back house with teeth juddering bass at levels that will help even the shyest persons on earth dance. Sometimes all you need is music that you can dance to and DJ Clyde Rouge knows how to produce music for that very purpose. Have a list to the magical Too Hip (Preview) below for an idea of what's going on here, then head to the Soundcloud page (https://soundcloud.com/clyde-rouge) for much, much more

6. LOCKAH

Last but by no means least we have Lockah who produces house and R&B influenced electronics that give nods to the likes of classic era Human League, melting together a host of styles to produce  something quite superb. Almost every track is a winner and Lockah's recent It Gets More Cloudy album is a cracker. Head to http://www.lockah.net to listen then buy it - to help you out, here's the excellent Heate Legend

Like I said at the start, good luck to whoever has to judge this category. Choosing 6 bands alone from the immense amount of electronic music in Scotland just now is hard enough - choosing one from these six is nearly impossible. 

For the full run down on the SAMAs and to read about all 8 awards categories head to http://officialsama.tumblr.com and keep an eye on the SAMAs Twitter feed for all the information you need (@OfficialSAMA). Get yourself along to The Garage on the 8th of October to join in this celebration of al that is good about Scottish music and buy Richy a drink to say thanks to him too. He deserves it for his excellent work.

TURTLE - IT'S A GOOD THING

Hot on the heels of May's Colours E.P, Glasgow's Jon Cooper a.k.a Turtle has just released his debut album It's A Good Thing through Bandcamp. To these ears, it's a huge leap on from Turtle's previous releases, stripping the music back and going for a more minimal, lo-fi feel in places, which helps the raw emotions of certain songs shine through. Cooper's vocals are prominent which makes tracks like the superb Adverse Effect and Just A Test stand out, giving the songs a Thom Yorke like feel which is a delight. The latter track's instrumental last minute and a half is pure electronic heaven too.

Fans of Turtle will recognise all the elements that brought Turtle to so many people's attention from the off with clever electronics merging with genuine songwriting talent throughout. For a debut album though, there's an impressive degree of confidence here and justifiably so. Slower instrumentals like Point Of Change,  an Eno like piano led piece, merge happily with dancier tracks like Solar or Bruce Lee, and the album flows nicely from beginning to end. 14 tracks is maybe a track or two too many but that's a minor quibble - when there are hazy, gorgeous songs like Body and Daytime Television to lose yourself in, you can easily forgive that. All said and done, It's A Good Thing is an album that is bound to appeal to electronica fans of all types as there is an awful lot here to love. It's an album I'd highly recommend.

It's A Good Thing by Turtle is available now on Turtle's Bandcamp page at http://iamturtle.bandcamp.com/releases

NEW: SHARDS - AFTERWARDS

You might remember Shards' superb debut track Just To Get Something Started which I featured earlier this year and which also popped up on Volume 3 of Almost Scottish Fiction.  Well, the good news is that today they've released their second track, Afterwards, which you can download at no cost whatsoever below.

A more upbeat take on their trademark melancholitronica, Afterwards is a combination of darkly romantic lyrics and swirling electronica that is as instantly loveable as Just To Get Something Started and just as mesmerising. There's something very impressive about Shards and I can't wait until their next release.

Shards Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shardsmusic.band

NEW BANDS 2015 NO. 15 - HQFU

OK, strictly speaking this is a solo performer rather than a band per se, but it means I get to keep these new acts in a sequential order which will be important come the end of the year.

Anyway, the newest act to come across my radar is HQFU, the musical project of Glasgow based Sarah J Stanley. She produces quite marvellous eletronica that displays influences as diverse as straightforward synthpop, experimental electronica and even 90's dance music, an influence of Sarah's from tapes she used to nab from her brother. Here's the superb Dust & Dirt as a taster:

There are currently 4 tracks to have a listen to on the HQFU Soundcloud page (click). I'd particularly recommend Dust & Dirt and the excellent Sunburst which you can hear below.

HQFU's debut e.p. form which Dust & Dirt is taken will be released on 6 November. Catch HQFU live in Glasgow this Friday too at The Hug & Pint and keep an eye out for more dates via the links below. I'll have a review of the e.p. up here as soon as possible - I can't wait for this particular release.


HQFU official http://www.sarahjstanley.com/HQFU.html
HQFU Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HQFUHQFU?fref=nf

TONGUES - YOU NEVER KNEW ME

Hot on the heels of July's excellent Religion (review), Tongues return with the next track from their debut e.p. which is due out in a few weeks' time.

You Never Knew Me is, for me, the best Tongues track to date. Filled to the brim with Kraftwerk like bleeps and beeps, overlayed with superb beats, the track builds to a surprising but excellently powerful ending. What's exciting about this track and indeed all Tongues work, is that every new track represents a progression from the last. I'm looking forward to seeing how they top You Never Knew Me as it's really rather special.

Keep an eye on Tounges Facebook page for all info about the forthcoming ep https://www.facebook.com/tonguesmusic?fref=ts

TONGUES - RELIGION

Tongues are one of the bands I've featured on my ongoing New Bands 2015 series (right here) and they caught my ear because the superb Colours In The Dark and Anymore were two of the finest examples of synthpop I'd heard in a long time. Anymore also featured on the second Almost Scottish Fiction e.p. which you can still grab at no cost at all here. It's no surprise that Tongues have continued to attract praise from all sorts of places and their recent set at T In the Park on the BBC Introducing stage unsurprisingly went down a storm.

The excellent news I have for you Tongues have released a new track today and that track, Religion, is available for you to listen to below. Religion is a cracking track; a combination of chants, vocoded vocals, laid back beats and instantly catchy synth melodies that you can easily see a packed venue bouncing along to very happily indeed. This track is a prime example of why Tongues are fast becoming talked about in more than just blogging circles. Religion is a prime slice of clever, hook laden electronic music that you are bound to fall in love with.

For more info about Tongues, check out their Facebook page

INTRODUCING....DEATH OF HI FI

Death Of Hi Fi are an trio from Oxford comprising Andy Hill, Dan Clear and Lucy Cropper. Performing a rather tasty mix of electronic, dub and hip hop, the band have been picking up quite a following down and, this weekend, they're playing a huge show at the Truck Festival, sharing a bill with the likes of The Charlatans, Public Service Broadcasting and Peter Hook & The Light. I caught up with Andy Hill, a friend of mine and fellow Liverpool FC sufferer to find out a bit more about the band.

APA: So - who are Death Of Hi Fi? 

AH: It started off as idea I had in my bedroom to make weird, challenging electronic music, very much influence by the L.A. Beat scene (Flying Lotus, Mr Dibiase etc) - short experimental tracks with clipped kicks and snare, filters and off beat rhythms. Things changed when I met Dan at Record Store Day and we decided to work together. Dan brought the opposite; long songs with structure and melody which seemed to work quite well. It was a loose project originally based around working with rappers and singers from all over the world, but that meant it was impossible to play the tracks live so we looked for a permanent vocalist. Luckily, we found Lucy who was looking to work on some new material With her on board, our style evolved with more chord progressions and richer, deeper "proper" songs.

APA: Tell us about your sound

AH: It's basically a compound of all our influences. I come from a Hip Hop production background, but grew up loving electronic music such as Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and Jean Michel Jarre (I was young). (APA - nothing wrong with a bit of JMJ now and again). Dan came from a more metal background but also had a love of dance music. Lucy has very wide tastes and I wouldn't know where to begin describing them. This means that elements of all these influences can be felt in our tracks but we always try to make the music sound natural rather than contrived. It's why our next album will take in several genres because we want to make tracks we feel are natural rather than try and focus on one genre too much.

APA: You're already one album plus numerous live shows into your career following 2012's Anthropocene. How does the first incarnation of Death Of Hi Fi compare to the band that will take to the stage at Truck Festival?

AH: It's a totally different animal. We used to hide behind our stage masks as we felt a bit self conscious about playing in front of people whilst standing behind laptops. That was why we used to make weird videos to distract the crowds from the us seemingly doing nothing. With Lucy on board, not only has the sound evolved, but live we are much more engaging. 

Death Of Hi Fi - (L-R) Dan, Andy, Lucy

APA: Looking at the festival, you've ended up on a high profile bill with the likes of The Charlatans and Peter Hook there. How did it all come about?

AH: We've enjoyed strong support form the guys at BBC Introducing for a few years and we got on the shortlist to play a couple of times but never got picked. This year I think the evolution in our sound maybe convinced them that we belong there. I'm proud that we are an electronic act who more than hold our own in the midst of a more indie focussed city in Oxford.

APA: What can we expect from you at the festival?

AH: It depends on whether or not I'm allowed to drink before we go on! Seriously though, we've been putting together a high energy show that will hopefully satisfy the people that already know us and interest some new folk as well. Either that or I strip naked and run amok. (Not happening!)

APA: What are the band's future plans?

AH: We are releasing an e.p. at the end of August/beginning of September so we're finishing that up just now. We're also going to record the bulk of the album over the Summer. It's all written and demoed but needs putting together. It's hopefully going to tell a story; the first album was a wider look at humanity from a neutral point of view whereas this one is a much more personal look at an individual's world.

Thanks very much to Andy for sparing the time between rehearsals and the studio. The band have given me a free track for you all to download. Go to http://deathofhifi.co.uk/ and grab yourselves Serenity which I know you're going to love

Meantime, if you're going to Truck Festival, make sure you catch Death Of Hi Fi and keep an eye out here, on their website and on their Facebook page for news of the upcoming e.p, album and future live shows.

FIONA SOE PAING - HEARTBEAT

Fiona Soe Paing featured as one of my New Bands of 2015 a while ago, a feature that was borne of my failure to pick up on her superb work earlier than this year. Rather superbly, Fiona has now signed to Hotgem Music home of Machines In Heaven and one of the coolest labels you're going to find. Her single, Heartbeat is released on 19 June ahead of her new album and it's a wonderful, wonderful thing. 

Let's not forget that Fiona's work has been complimented by none other than Mr Vince Clarke, a man who any reader of this blog will know is someone that I consider to be one of the most important electronic musicians there has ever been. When Vince says you should listen, you really should and Heartbeat is a track that you really must listen to. Fiona specialises in experimental electronic music that never fails to draw you in and Heartbeat combines a hypnotic feel with powerful vocals that builds upon her earlier works and adds new layers and depths to them. It's mighty stuff and is hard to put down even after repeated listens, even if that phrase doesn't quite work in these digital times. The video (below), as premiered on the 405 this week, is quite mesmerising too, albeit fairly scary but on a good way.

Bring on the album I say. This is electronic music as it should be.

Heartbeat by Fiona Seo Paing is released on Hotgem Music on 19 June. Fiona is performing at the Edinburgh Festival this year as part of Creative Scotland's Made In Scotland showcase

Fiona Seo Paing http://www.fionasoepaing.co.uk
Hotgem Music https://www.facebook.com/hotgemtunes?fref=ts

MIAOUX MIAOUX - SCHOOL OF VELOCITY

Glasgow based producer Julian Corrie returns with the second Miaoux Miaoux album, some three years after the superb Light Of The North. School Of Velocity carries on with the beautifully crafted electronic indie pop theme of that debut but adds many extra layers, producing a really rather wonderful album.

The album is littered with perfectly executed electronic pop, a prime example of which is the brilliant Star Sickness. Combining bleeps, beeps and guitar to perfect effect, topped off with a superb chorus, it's one of the standout tracks here and is one is surely destined to grab a lot of attention. Luxury Discovery is another cracker too, bringing to mind, at least to my ears, Prince in his synthesizer dominated years. The track that was used to preview the album It's The Quick is just superb too, taking a much dancier route and even adding the odd Vince Clarke analogue bleep here and there which is always welcome. Peaks Beyond Peaks sees The Cairn String Quartet join in to produce a yearning love song which halfway through turns from an electro ballad into a trance like affair before turning back again and pulls it off which is quite a trick. The album closes with the beautiful Mostly Love Now which like Ribbon Falls on Light Of The North brings the album to an end perfectly. It's a stunning track, wrapping a beautiful melody in wave after wave of warm electronics. The best thing about a track this good ending an album is that it makes you put it back on from the start and listen to it again and again. 

School Of Velocity is a real treat and, if there's any justice at all, it's going to see Miaoux Miaoux become bigger than ever before. Highly recommended.

School Of Velocity is released on Chemikal Underground and is available on limited edition of 300 heavyweight vinyl (I got one!), cd and download.

Miaoux Miaoux Facebook https://www.facebook.com/miaouxmiaoux 

Miaoux Miaoux Twitter https://twitter.com/miaouxmiaoux

Chemikal Underground http://shop.chemikal.co.uk/index.html

NEW BANDS 2015 NO. 8 - TURTLE

Ok so this is more new to me than new in general as Jon Cooper a.k.a. Turtle has rightly been making waves for some time with his beautiful brand of electronica. His new e.p. Colours comes out on Monday May 11th and the whole thing is streaming on Soundcloud. Have a listen below

As well as the digital release next Monday (https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/colours-ep/id958694522), the e.p. is available on limited edition white vinyl 12" which you can pre-order here (https://beatnikcreative.bandcamp.com/album/colours-ep)

The e.p. itself is a wonderful thing. Songs like The Floor and Lavender simply exude electronic beauty whereas Us and Silent Weapons are more ambient in places but still have an edge to them that is quite brilliant. Hugely inventive and inspiring stuff all in and something that you all must check out 

NEW BANDS 2015 No. 7 - SHARDS

Shards are an Edinburgh based duo consisting of Stephen McLaren and Sean Ormsby who produce a what they deem melancholitronica, a melancholic take on electronica. Their debut track, Just To Get Something Started is available as a free download from their soundcloud page (link below) and it's a really cool track that's well worth checking out. Combining an ambient feel and experimental electronics with pop sensibilities, Just To Get Something Started is a hugely promising debut track and we're looking forward to hearing much more. Watch the video below then head to soundcloud to bag your self the song. The band will be releasing more tracks throughout the year.

Shards Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/shardsmusic/just-to-get-something-started

Shards Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shardsmusic.band