DEPECHE MODE - WHERE'S THE REVOLUTION

After months of near frenzied anticipation among the Depeche Mode fanbase, the band are back with the release of their new single Where's The Revolution. Go on any Depeche forum, Twitter, Facebook and more and you'll see thousands of different views on the song ranging from the "IT'S THE BEST THING EVER!!!!!" to "This is why Alan HAS to come back" and covering all points in between. Is it Depeche's BEST THING EVER? No, it isn't. What Where's The Revolution is however is a storming return by the band, marking a return to the politics of Construction Time Again and showing that there is a lot of life left in these old electro dogs yet. 

Martin's lyrics haven't sounded as relevant in years. Gone are notions of universes, souls and knees and being down on them, with these themes replaced by a fire that hasn't been seen often enough in recent years. I mentioned Construction Time Again above and on my preview a couple of days ago and I think that's a genuinely relevant comparison. The naive socialism of that album sought to suggest that better times could be around the corner ("All that we need at the start/Universal revolution/That's all")  but that naivety is no more in Where's The Revolution. Instead we find Martin writing about the fact we've all been had ("You've been kept down/You've been pushed round/You've been lied to/You've been fed truths.") before demanding that someone springs to life and starts the revolution. In the post Brexit times we're living in in Britain, the lyrics strike a particular chord following the manipulation of facts and truths that led to the catastrophic result of the 2016 referendum. Reference in particular to "patriotic junkies" in the song seems particularly apt when you consider what's happening in Government here now. Similarly, the current plight America finds itself with the Clown In Chief in charge seems to be present here. Ok, the song wasn't written last week, but lines such as "They manipulate and threaten/With terror as a weapon" seems incredibly accurate given what's happened in American in the last 7 days.

Seem to have a got a bit political there which I usually avoid in these reviews but, do you know what? The fact that my favourite songwriter of all time is back with a song with lyrics that strike a chord with me is a beautiful thing. Who'd have thought that it would be Depeche Mode of all the "big" bands speaking out for the masses after all these years? It's great to see.

Anyway, what of the actual music? Since James Ford was announced as producer, I've been really keen to hear how he's contributed. Musically, we're not a million miles away from Delta Machine with layers of bubbling and droning electronics flying all over the place here. The production seems to be much crisper however, with each sound distinct from the other, unlike places on Delta Machine where it became a bit muddled. The pace of the song is very close to The Sweetest Condition from Exciter and the slide guitar parts in that song are echoed here in Where's The Revolution's chorus. I first listened to the song on headphones and that allowed me to hear most of what was going on. If you're a bit uncertain about it having heard it on the Polish radio preview last night or on BBC6 Music this morning, stick on your headphones and give it a go. 

After two rounds of verse/verse/chorus, the song takes an unexpected turn (3 minutes 6 seconds in) to a section with almost ambient textures behind it where we're told "The train is coming...So get on board"  in an almost lullaby like way. That part seems to have irked some people this morning, but it all fits for me. If we're not having a revolution just now, one can't be far away, so Martin's suggesting we all get ready to join that. Again, it's more of an aggressive call to arms that we had in And Then all those years ago ("Let's take a map of the world/Tear it into pieces.")  but that fits the song's theme.

So what does all the foregoing over analysis tell us? Well, firstly Depeche Mode are back and that's only ever a good thing. Where's The Revolution sees them return with a relevance they haven't had for a while and whilst it may not be a necessarily obvious lead single for an album, that's never been an issue before. Usually, that means there's even better to come on the record itself. 

Is it THE BEST THING EVER? No, no it's not. But it's an intriguing track and a very, very good one. And when Depeche Mode are very, very good, they're better than most other bands you can think of. 37 years in, still fighting and still pushing themselves. Welcome back Depeche Mode. It may be that you've returned at just the right time.

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. 

DEPECHE MODE CONFIRM NEW SINGLE AND ALBUM

The wait is over. The band's official site depechemode.com has confirmed this morning that the band's new single Where's The Revolution will be released on 3rd February which is only two days away. A snippet of the track was played at the band's Milan press conference last year and, as much as a snippet is not something to get excited about, it was exciting so I'm very much looking forward to the single. All signs point to something loud and political. Construction Time Again with guitars maybe?  Who knows. Come back on Friday for my inevitably over the top reaction that'll make me sound like a 16 year old. The single artwork can be seen below. As for any tracklist or release formats, nothing has been confirmed yet. I guess it'll be digital first with a physical release confirmed for a later date.

Courtesy of depechemode.com

The keen eyed among you will have seen two pictures above, The second is the cover of the new album Spirit which is coming out on March 17th. There's no other news about that just now from the official site though Dave gave away a little in an interview for Ukranian TV recently. It seems he's written 5 songs for the album, one of which is a co-write with Martin though who knows if all 5 will appear on the album itself or if some will be spread over a deluxe Delta Machine style release. He also mentions And Then... from Construction Time Again being a song Martin might consider playing live, though that isn't confirmed as the translation of the interview on Home (www.depeche-mode.com) isn't verbatim. That song with lines like "All that we need at the start/Universal revolution/That's all" would certainly chime with the theme of the lead single.

Anyway, we have news. More will no doubt spill out over the next few days and I'll update this as much as I can. Let the Revolution begin...

Press Release link http://www.depechemode.com/article/depeche-mode-to-release-single-wheres-the-revolution-on-february-3rd.-new-studio-album-spirit-available-globally-on-march-17th-on-columbia-records

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.

ELECTRONIC SOUND MAGAZINE CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN

If you read this blog, there's an excellent chance that you also read the wonderful Electronic Sound magazine. What started as an app in March 2013 has now blossomed into the must read magazine for electronic music fans. Every month's edition is crammed with great articles, reviews and, most worryingly for my bank account, a section of new gadgets that will one day see my house filled with strange little synths and other objects. The amount I've learned about electronic music of all forms since I started reading the magazine is remarkable - no matter how much you think you know about the genre, you will always find out more by reading this publication.

The magazine is currently in the midst of a crowdfunding campaign which is something you really must look at if you're a fan of the magazine. Through this, this already indispensable magazine will continue to blossom, preserving and developing the only title dedicated to electronic music. Each level of investment has different rewards for investors and you can chip in as little as £10.

Please note that the campaign only has ten days left to run, so act quickly.

Check out this page https://www.crowdcube.com/companies/pam-communications/pitches/bk9NGl for all the details you need.

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