May 2005

On the turntables this month in Montpellier :
The Silk Demise : Untitled (Self Produced).
Mass Kokti : Chodz Zobaczyc (Emancy Punk).
Maria Solheim : Frail (Kirkelig Kulturverksted).
The Bravery : The Bravery (Island).
Electrelane : Axes (Too Pure).

On the turntables this month in Oslo :
50 Foot Wave : Golden Ocean (4AD).
The Shaggs : Philosophy of the World (Third World).
Future Lisa : No Head for You (Self-Release).
Neulander : Smoke + Fire (Disko B).
X.lover : Demotrax05 (Honeymilk).

What Babes in Boyland wrote about you.......

X.lover : Demotrax 05 (Honeymilk).
The perfect band! and for once I am being totally objective. X.lover are only getting better and better beyond any expectation you might have. Here are a few of the long list of reasons why you cannot not love x.lover:
Reason #1: their thorough exploration and twisting of sound, their intelli-ireverent craftart.
Reason #2: their total mastering of pop tools -in their use and abuse of them whether it's a tongue in cheek Chris Rea guitar sound or a Kinks line- their pop “attitude”.
Reason #3: their acid themes and faked superficiality... it is third stage of second degree humour AND authenticity with elegance and style.
The list should be longer, but I am running out of time. Just listen! Round goes the bass, exploding into raw, short guitar storms. The keys range from white-light, disco rainbow to dark tones. Finally, this demo, the way I see it: soft, pop vocals jumping into screaming whirlwinds ("Sunday never Comes"), Sonic Youth meet Fox and Wolf meet Rita Mitsouko meet Bis all being revisited ("Prostitution" and "Sunday never comes"). "Connection" and "Jalouxie" are pure 80s new wave hits. Dare the x.lover experience and put some white light electrodiscopop passion in your musical landscape, it's about time popular music get exciting again, start NOW!
PS : I was about to forget : the incredibly amazing Kick It video is also on the demo... and the subliminal message is: THERE IS NO SOUND IN SPACE.... Understand now why I don't have much time less to write reviews?

Neulander : Smoke+Fire (Disko B).
A huge thanks to Rosa for playing this pearl of melodic, poetic, electronic new wave to us. I remember we played the opening track: "Sex, God & Money" over and over again. It was loud, in a dark hall, light centered on the turntables. Perfect setting. Erevan memory. Neulander were not total strangers, though. Indeed, we found out later that one part of the duo was at one point in charge of keyboards+arrangements for Echo and the Bunnymen. His name is Adam Peters and he has also been assciated to Siouxsie and the Banshees, among others (more recently, he worked with Beth Orton). But I am not here to read people's CV, I agree. On the female side of the duo, ladies, ms, boys, cool cats and those who think they are, please welcome : Korinna Knoll. She also is the vocal part of the band, adding layers of darkness and emotions, with a slight Germanic accent (especially on the track in...geman, Schauspieler)-simply beautiful. "Flying" will certainly attract your attention from the first hearing, with rains of strings and stripped beat stretching over purring atmospheres (mind the roarings). This is only the beginning! You are bound to be touched by the album sewn in electropo silk, one hearing after the other. It will follow you from your bedroom to the dancefloor (come on, I know you dance). Smoke and Fire= what would come out of the crucible, where the best sounds of new wave, dark wave, no wave (ok, many not so much of the last) and synthelectro pop would melt down and give out a concentrate of the purest pop, between Jesus and Mary chains and Ladytron. Convinced yet?

Gin Palace : Kicking On (Artrocker).
Straight forward garage punk rock n roll, filled with booze and raw energy, like the CBGB's moved to the UK or som'thin'. Bitter as gin, riff and tonic, sweaty as rock when it was (and still is, sometimes -but rarely) exciting. Loud, deep, biting vocals by Meaghan Wilkie emerge from a guitar/drum fire. No bass, just guitar chaos (it IS a compliment). Definitely more Gossip style than White Stripes', in the freedom of the structure too, with violent blue explosions. Be prepared, they won t compromise.

Rhythm King and Her Friends : I am Disco remixes (Kitty-Yo).
No need to introduce the RKAHF anymore: they are the queer electrogodess of artfeminism (and see interview in the last OvaryAction, as well as the reviews in previous issues). This record is number too of the 'she considered capitalism not to be eternal' collection. It features
"Discontent" and "I am Disco", remixed by RKAHF themselves, while Ada, from Areal Records (www.areal-records.de) and M.IA. (Substatic label) add their own subjectivity to the tracks. A fine piece that should rock all the dancefloors. An extra "I love you" for the "you’ve got the money, we’ve got the soul" message hidden on the vinyl... of course, you have to look for messages ;-)

> page 2
> go to the ups and downs archives section