. V/A (Monika Enterprise).
You probably know Gudrun Gut, she was the co-founder of the mythical band Malaria!, along with Betina Koester -yes, the one who toured Europe not long ago. Gudrun is also in charge of Monika Enterprise and Moabit records, hosts "oceanclub radio", a weekly 2 hour show of eclectic sounds on Radio Eins, Berlin and she... DJs sometimes. On Monika Force, the fourth compilation released on the label, women are in focus. 70 minutes of electronic music recounting, as did the three previous opuses, some of the 40 releases of the label. of course, some of the artists, such as Barbara Morgenstern and Cobra Killer have already achieved some international renown. I must say I am having an audio crush on Masha Qrella (how on earth can one pronounce this name?), whose LP I listened to the whole winter, on "Girl on Escalator" by Florida, for the parts in French, and finally  on "Daleko" by Chica+The Folder for the warm, enthralling voice. For thoses of you who missed their single, you can catch up with Buka Band from Kaboul (track 5 of the compilation) and their "Burka Blue", true UFO on the electronic scene, here in a Barbara Morgenstern mix... Barbara who signed three tracks on this record, including the video, closing the record. An excellent way to check out this rich catalog monika has... and to give in to the uncontrollable lust to keep on exploring it!

. Barbara Morgenstern & Robert Lippok : Tesri (Monika Enterprise).
After their  Series 500 they did for Domino, the two Berlin-based accomplice met again, but on Monika Enterprise this time -label on which Barbara has released her three last albums- for a project inspired by Turkey, where they both lived for a while.
In spite of the sparkling cover as well as the title of the album, "accelerate" in Turkish, the work as a whole keeps a nonchalant tone throughout -just like the recording itself of the peice, which took two years, because of the numerous projects of each artist.
Mainly instrumental, Tesri never gets boring, and can be, as a matter of fact quite intriguing. Barbara's voice, for example on "Sommer" only « hummmmmhummm » (humming)  is very efficient, though extremely simple. "Gammelpop" reminded me of the freshness of a Mùm album, whereas “If the day remains unspoken for” would not be missplaced on a Massive Attack record. A perfect way to be waiting for Barbara's next solo album.

 

. Vanessa and the O’S : La Ballade d’0 (Rushmore Recordings).
As Billy Corgan is shouting out into the void his wish to get the Smashing Pumpkins back together, Jame Iha is starting a new projet. As patners in crime, he chose two Swedes and a French woamn, THE Vanessa -not the Joe the Taxi one, the one from the title). Now you know the casting, let's throw an ear into the music.... It is difficult not to think of Brigitte Bardot on the track "PLus Rien"... A slightly more rocky BB, in the Ultra Orange trend, or the last AS Dragon. Never violent, the perfect mix if you want to add a "French Touch" to your parties.

. Sing-Sing : Sing-Sing & I (Aerial).
They had a hard time releasing this second album, but fortunately, they got great support from their fans. Thanks to all. Thanks to them. 11 tracks, 5 by Emma, 5 by Lisa, plus one they co-wrote. Pure harmony.
We open with » Lover », an efficient single that comes with a video my computer starts each time I want to listen to the cd, but, why? oh why? 'gotta switch software for a comfortable audio listening.« Come, sing me a song » is mid tempo pushing the listener to lustful dancing, it's summertime « oh yeah ». « Modern Girl » would be another perfect single. "I Do" is fresh as an ABBA in their days-of-fame track « Going Out Tonight » is haunted by the ruins of a now parted band (RIP) that Emma was once part of, but which name I promised myself not to mention - it would be a bit too easy, really.
The more I listen to this record the more I appreciate its numerous pop songs. these girls know the recipe.
WARNING! This album IS NOT distributed: you can only buy it from their website or at Rough Trade in London : https://secure-www.areti.com/sing-sing/catalog/

. Radio Vago : Untitled (Collected Records).
Following the 2002 Black And White Photo Enterprise EP and a switch of voc alist, these C alifornia girls strike back with a debut that was produced by Mars Volta's Omar A Rodriguez . On "Radar," the opening track, Mire Molnar's voice reminds you of Siouxsie in her punk years. On "Dandelion", I can picture Robert Smith singing the chorus.. and coming from me, yes, it is a compliment, I can assure you!