Album Review: The Call - Spitzer

The Spitzer brothers looking gloomy

Spitzer's album has been some time in the making with two years passing since their debut EP Roller Coaster.

It was time well invested though. Over the years brothers Damien and Matthieu have flirted with styles, moving through alternative rock to remixes of Kylie to, well... This. The Call feels like it borrows elements of the brothers' earlier experiences to create an overall much more enticing proposition. The dark near-gothic post-punk sensibilities combined with dirty clicks and pops and stark minimal in a way very reminiscent of Ivan Smagghe and the original Black Strobe incarnation he featured in.

The Call is likened by the promo material to a seventies prog rock record despite its electronic focus due to it's narrative arc and all encompassing diversity. I'm not sure I can read as much into the album's concept as the person trying to shift the units but the variety is certainly present. The record quickly shifts from building techno on 'Marsch', the kind of clanging acidic monster Simian Mobile Disco would make, to the live rhythms and sinister guitars of the cinematic 'Madigan'.

Guest vocals further change up the pace. Vocalist Fab, of Frustration (signed to the Parisian label Born Bad), turns in a rampant and breathless performance on 'Clunker'. It's less "good" than it is alive, messy and grabbing you for your attention but it doesn't totally fall flat either.

Kid A, who collaborated with the duo on their previous EP, provides a stronger contribution on the haunting 'Too Hard To Breathe'. The vocals are delicate and statuesque - like Björk buried in layers of grime, fuzzy bass and syncopated beats.

It's the instrumental work that stays the course and will come back to you though - the thick distortion and subtle Adonis 'No Way Back'-style bass of 'Breaking The Waves' and the shattered reverb and drone of 'Sergen'.

Spitzer have made a compelling and imaginative debut - dark and sparse and yet intricate.

The Call is released through InFiné on 3 September 2012.

EP Review: Trinket - Last Waltz

Image source: Dalston SuperstoreLast Waltz are trio Geoff Leopard, Mick Rolfe and El.Dee and when they aren't making electronic music they are celebrating it through their Dada parties set in England's North East. Trinket, to be released through the pretty much on fire Future Boogie, is their debut release.

The title track is a free fall through space, warm cosmic rays sweeping past the listener as half-formed refrains of piano echo past and a determined glockenspiels are scattered across the soundscape. And it keeps coming back to the same momentum establishing bass line - at times it drops away, emphasising the tightly wound constructions, but it always comes back.

In contrast 'Ashes' is steady, a drum beat marking the way forward like lights rhythmically illuminating the motorway. Still equally cosmic it also features a deep analogue melodic bass but the vicious toms and hi-hats drenched in reverb steal the show.

London-based Bad Passion provide a remix of 'Trinket' that is more direct. The smattering of percussion and the piano continue to work well but the drum beat feels needlessly harsh and the speed too fast in comparison to Last Waltz's effortless original.

Trinket is out now on vinyl and released on MP3 on 12 August 2012, available from Amazon.co.uk here and here when released respectively [affiliate links].

EP Review: Obstructing The Light - Tom Demac

It hasn't been long since Tom Demac's last release, a collaboration with up and coming Manchester band Silverclub, was giving me dark and dubby dreams of a hot and humid summer. Here we are with a follow-up, this time on Glass Table.

Given my experience of Demac's production work was previously confined to a collaborative effort I was surprised to hear this release. Silverclub's Duncan Edward Jones is on hand for the title track but there is an apparent pop element to not just that one but two of the tracks that make up the EP.

And so vocals weave in-and-out of themselves in a a swirling melange of melodies on 'Four Leaves Right'. It builds to a storming, sweaty climatic middle-third of fuzzy bass and cried vocals - it is just a slight disappointment that from here Demac seems unsure what to do next, the track hanging around for another three-minutes when it has already reached its peak.

'Obstructing The Light' itself feels woozy, a slow hot druggy trudge that feels like energy being sapped away by the time those vocals from Jones turn up. It's a soundtrack to hazy days of sunshine and losing your way and so whilst it won't feature in many peak time DJ sets it captures a disconcertingly paranoid mood.

Finally 'For The Love Of Grey' applies the same formula to a more focused minimal house structure. The same feeling of sunstroke and unease remains but the vocals are (mostly) absent, leaving a loosely structured cacophony of percussion and disjointed piano chords. Its conflicted feeling transcends the rest of the EP to create the real stand out moment of this release.

Obstructing The Light is released through Glass Table on Monday.

EP Review: Room Service - Citizen

Just in time for the (very delayed and probably very brief) British summer comes this hot and steamy release on Love Fever Records from Citizen.

Love Fever were born out of underground parties in London's east end and their sound is heavy on a sleazy erotica inspired by those parties and liberally applied to tech-house. Citizen is the alter-ego of South Londoner Laurence Blake and here he delivers three hot and sweaty electronic workouts.

The EP opens with title track 'Room Service' on the a-side, a large echoey track with soft, soulful vocals in juxtaposition to rough layers of distorted synthesiser. Blake teams up with Detroit's Jimmy Edgar on 'Deeper Touch' and they create a slightly softer but snappy techno track with snippets of drum patterns and bass layered together whilst a female vocal is twisted and manipulated over the top.

The second solo cut and final track on the EP is Citizen's 'You Give Me That Something' and it's the best of the three. A cow bell melody builds an warm, open atmosphere whilst another soulful male vocal builds to a drop that rewards listeners with warm pads and a deep, dubby bass line. It's the most fully realised track here and wraps you in a warm stillness perfect for outdoor dancing. Roll on summer!

Room Service is released on Love Fever on Monday.

Album Review: Confess - Twin Shadow

Image source: Metrojolt

If Twin Shadow's debut album Forget was a collection of brilliant synth-laden hook heavy R&B new wave then new album Confess successfully takes every single element up a notch.

I was definitely a fan of Forget but had nowhere near the affection for it that I've already developed for Confess in just a couple of weeks. Where Forget benefited from Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear's hazy production, Twin Shadow's real world personality George Lewis Jr. takes the reigns here. He never feels anything less than in complete control. Confess is a tight album of eighties new wave bass and Lewis' impassioned vocals that punch through the wall between the record and the listener - it's hard not to feel everything he bellows down the microphone.

Interestingly this album actually feels a little less focused, with greater variety than the last. There's a gruff rawness in 'Run My Heart', for example - it's like someone took Springsteen and injected it into a Flock of Seagulls record, and you can even actually imagine the lyrics coming from either artist, yet the staggered drum beats and swirling atmospherics make it Twin Shadow's record through and through.

And the only criticism you could make of Twin Shadow is that at moments you can pin the inspiration perhaps a little too clearly at time - the verse of 'The One' sounds so like Morrissey that the use of the electronics is the only thing that gives away that it can't be him. The hooks on this record are so strong though, and the influences so broad, the overall record so bright that nothing feels derivative.

When the pieces come together Confess is a genre agnostic celebration of emotion and dance. Listen to the guitar solo crash in over the throbbing live bass and massive orchestral synths on 'Beg For The Night' and try not to turn up the volume. The climatic closer 'Be Mine Tonight' borrows a touch of the bass sound from Berlin's 'Take My Breath Away' and gives it to a beautiful curtain closing ballad. It's such an utterly irresistible ballad that it even throws in a key change that makes Lewis' optimistically needy vocal hard to resist.

Just like this record, then.

Confess is out now, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Stream Confess below on Spotify [account required]:

EP Review: Kisses - dOP

Having just got back from on tour this new EP on Circus Company sees dOP bring back some new influences and a fresh sound.

'Your Feelin'' on side-A is a synth-pop / soul / house blend that conjures thoughts of sweaty nights of unfulfilled promise on the dance floor. It is the result of meeting of minds with Pillowtalk when in San Francisco - this being what the two groups ended up collaborating on once dOP were back in Berlin. Pillowtalk have already impressed with their mixture of house and R&B and this shines just as bright - it's a strangely sparse track for either group. The restraint creates an uneasy tension, giving the vocals a neediness that feels like a vice gripping the vocalist tighter so he can't escape.

'Kisses' is similarly withdrawn but more reflective. The gentle looping chords and deep drums form a very minimal texture to a track that sees the trio pause for thought and give thanks. It's both deep and contemplative, bittersweet in its execution, gradually building around a mood.

The Kisses EP also comes with an acapella version of 'Your Feelin'' and an instrumental of 'Kisses', but your focus should really be on the two original versions, which boast a greater subtlety than expected.

Kisses is released on Monday through Circus Company, available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

EP Review: Baby Let Me Finish - Bwana

Having previously signed tracks to Diplo's Mad Decent this is Bwana's debut release for Somethinksounds. And it's a pretty good start for the 21 year old Canadian-born kid from Leeds.

'Baby Let Me Finish' is a tight but soulful dub-step track built around a pitched up female vocal. The style feels a little like the sunny tracks of Joy Orbison meets the vocals of Burial. This is a spacious track - the filtered bass and treble heavy claps create a lot of ambience but the cut-up vocal sound adds complexity and wraps it up into a soulful package.

Three additional mixes make up the release including one masquerading as an original track in 'Nami Swan'. This transforms it into a Euro deep house with a melancholic bassline and early nineties synthetic drums. It's a brilliant demonstration of Bwana's versatility.

The other remixes remain truer to the original. The 14th Remix retains much of the original but gives it a less stuttering feel - it is just a step closer to rolling drum 'n' bass territory and here the vocal is more natural with less tweaking.

The final mix - the Black Orange Juice remix - is slower, with a bouncing bass line. It plays with layers of the vocal, adding different pitches and a new mail counterpart. It is more commercial than the others but sadly lacks a lot of the thrill of the original.

Overall Baby Let Me Finish is a quality release. Given his apparent versatility it will be interesting to see what direction Bwana evolves his sound into.

Baby Let Me Finish is released on 30 July through Somethinksounds.

Single Review: Eroica - Royalty

Royalty's debut EP caught my ear a few months back, duo Chesca and Yorke creating a selection of polished dark Italo pop moments. If that was the promise this might be the pay off.

Whatever slight rough edges existed on their debut EP are nowhere to be found here. Title track 'Eroica' emerges from the depths like a seductive harlot through crude oil - shimmering jet black and irresistible. Dark stabs of grit and bass punctuate the rhythm whilst the vocals encourage us to kiss on the dance floor. It's almost all a bit too much, big snare drums drowning in reverb against cinematic melodies and amped emotions.

Along with the original and an instrumental version Yorke turns in his own Atlantean mix, which slows it down to a mean funk - this is what R&B would sound like if it was made for grimey basements with beers and Jack rather than stadiums and champagne flutes. An incessant key tone marks out the chorus with a hint of determination that perfectly reflects that of the vocals.

The other original track comes in the form of 'Vector Glide'. The name befits the track's straight lines and menacing atmosphere. Opening with thick analogue bass and crisp hard drums it is what your Tron dreams sound like - an electronic gravy of Com Truise and John Carpenter.

Royalty's sleazy cosmic pop hits just right - if you like Chromatics, Glass Candy et al you won't be disappointed.

EP Review: Changes EP - Francesca Lombardo

As Crosstown Rebels approach their 100th release they show little signs of showing and this debut release from Francesca Lombardo instantly marks her out as one to watch.

Classically trained in piano, Lombardo transitioned to electronic music and started work on Changes after a chance meet with Crosstown Rebels label owner Damian Lazarus at the Miami Winter Music Conference last year. Taking twelve months to create the result is an EP that evidences a producer's hand much more refined than you would expect from a debut release yet. It's a varied suite though - the subtler moments balanced at times with more overtly dance floor focused tracks.

Things open with the title track. Of the four songs included here it is one of the more balanced moments, a groove based minimal tech cut. Expect filtered and distorted vocals and some big melodic keys contrasting a big kick drum.

Next up is the ethereal 'Is It True', an atmospheric piece with brittle vocals and watery echoes. It certainly isn't a dance floor cut despite some big bass and at times large drums. The melodic synth that creates the track's climax and plays out to the end mirrors a sparse beauty in this track and as good as 'Changes' is it is helplessly out-outshined here.

On side B 'Old School Anna' is the most focused dance track, a Detroit influenced minimal track with jacking drums and hi-hats. It's a pretty amazing contrast to know this came from the same head as 'Is It True' and yet I can't help but admire the ambition and versatility in that contrast. The EP closes with 'Sofiel', which maintains a tight bassline and some shuffling drum patterns whilst treating itself with a series of warm melodic pads and a lush progressive ambience.

Changes is released through Crosstown Rebels on 16 July on vinyl and 30 July digitally. You can pre-order the digital release through Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Get a taste of Lombardo's work by streaming her Crosstown Rebels mix on Soundcloud below:

EP Review: Teen Collection - Hot Jam 96 by Various Artists

This latest release from VisionQuest features not just one artist but three. The whole release plays with VisionQuest's trademark tech influenced house sound and is geared up for summer but aside from that this represents a pretty varied release.

The EP opens with Lauren Lane who enlists Jaw from dOP to create 'Lazer Eyes', a soulful cut with a disco edge. It has the crisp treble and deep base of a more minimal track but there is pretty obvious crossover potential in the sun flecked guitars and sultry falsetto vocals.

Next up is 'Alice' from QBeck featuring Julia Govor and it is a very different track. Govor's feminine vocals are fragile and yet even more sultry whilst the track itself is dark tech-house. It is a well balanced track though, with a bridge of slowly collapsing rhythms and just the right amount of loose jazz in the shakes and live bongos to offset the heavy, clinical bass line the runs through the majority of the song.

The final track comes from Clarion, one half of Footprintz - whose 'Utopia' was VisionQuest's second release in March last year. Here he closes this EP out with 'All Over All Kinds' and it is closer to the 'Alice' than 'Lazer Eyes' in it's minimal tech sound. Once again it's a vocal track with Clarion providing his own tones for a dark and deep epic synth journey. It borrows liberally from Art Department's sound but feels a little less hamstrung by its own ambition - this feels enjoyable in ways that, for me at least, their music never really has.

All in all a nice set, though the tracks are sufficiently different that it is unlikely all three will rest easy in any single DJ's box.

Teen Collection - Hot Jam 96 is out through VisionQuest now.