| Artist |
| The Glimmer Room |
| Title |
| I Remain |
| Format/Cat |
| CD A-FRAME 012 |
| Label |
| A-Frame Media |
| Style |
| Electronica |
| Date of review |
| 11th July 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 8/10 |
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Hard-Wired Electronica Reviews |
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| Review ratings: | |
| 1. Avoid | 6. Not Bad |
| 2. Poor | 7. Good |
| 3. Weak | 8. Very Good |
| 4. Worth The Effort | 9. Excellent |
| 5. Shows Promise | 10. Must Have |
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This latest offering from The Glimmer Room AKA Andy Condon takes its inspiration from nuclear arms &, judging by the abstract/industrial images that grace the cover, nuclear power. If that suggests to you that this is going to be a dark & uncompromising piece of work then prepare to eat that humble pie as this is an emotive, haunting & often quite beautiful offering, almost a lament for the beauty of the natural world that the power of the atom could so easily destroy (the chilled-out electronica of the accompanying DVD video is something of a surprise, however!) Divided into nine tracks but best listened to as one complete entity 'I Remain' continues the excellent work of his previous releases (most notably the excellent The Grey Mirrors) as the sound of rain leads the way into a stunningly beautiful opener, it certainly won't leave you unmoved as the music ebbs & sways through a number of different yet similar 'scenes' while maintaining that all-important cohesive edge & while the middle sections display a decidedly more upbeat edge, the underlying percussive effects providing an effective contrast to what has gone before, the latter sections up the emotive ante still further courtesy of some superb piano work & when the epic strings, backed by some appropriately stately percussion, take the lead during the very last section your heart is sure to melt; it's certainly a fittingly beautiful end to a superb piece of music. The debt that this superb album owes to certain American synthesists from the 80s cannot be ignored nor denied (I was reminded of Steve Roach's Dreamtime Return on a couple of occasions while other sections such as the decidedly brighter mid-section, are reminiscent of the music of Patrice DeVincentis) while lovers of John Foxx's Cathedral Oceans will also find much to love here but the fact remains that Andy constantly equals the high standards set by such august names, making this another recommended offering from this criminally-underated musician. | |||||||||||||||||||
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After completing the 'Black' trilogy with the release of the superb Crossroads & the fact that it coincided with the (thankfully temporary) demise of Dependent Records it was fully expected that any subsequent releases from messrs Poiss & Hadwiger would be a very different kettle of fish from what had gone before. Even so, I'll bet no-one saw this one coming! What they've done is to look back to their formative years in the 80s & particularly the Commodore 64 computer, even reworking some of the famous game themes of the time & taking the raw potential of such well-loved themes as Parts 1 & 3 of 'Last Ninja', the former of which proving very similar to the theme from The Terminator while the latter boasts some superb lead lines, as well as 'Light Force' (originally composed by Rob Hubbard, the maestro of C64 game music) & 'The Last V8' & transforming them into powerful & full-sounding offerings embellished by the typical C64 effects that are sure to evoke pangs of nostalgia in anyone who ever used such a machine (myself included!) while 'Shades' proves it was well ahead of its time by sounding totally relevant now! That this is a very personal revisiting of the duo's past is made clearer still by the all-new tracks which pop up later such as 'I Love 64' which offers an intriguing take on a famous question from The Beatles (listen to it to see what I mean!) & '8 Bits', both of which see the return of the unmistakeable MIAB computer voice that soon makes itself at home on these pleasantly poppy offerings (the latter has been released as a single &, you never know, could just became a surprise hit, it certainly has the potential!) while the symphonic & stately 'Whatever Mattered' which features human voice for a change & the remix of 'Mind Killer', which stems from the duo's days of working on computer game soundtracks of their own, should both appeal to fans of JM Jarre & the like. But, should this nostalgia have left you pining for the return of yesteryear one title offers the sobering truism that 'We Cannot Go Back To The Past'; wise words indeed! |
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Back in the 80s there was a style of lively & rhythmic instrumental synth music that became known as 'Brit Synthrock. In contrast to the more dreamy, spacey European styles it gave the EM scene & much-needed kick up the bum but, sadly, it was to fade away as most instrumental synth artists started churning out third-rate Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze clones rather than developing their own styles. This album from the then London-based Pete Beasley was originally released on cassette (CDs were out of the reach of most amateur musicians in those days!) in 1987 & re-released on CDr during 2007 & it remains one of the best examples of 80s British synth music. Alongside Beasley's undoubted melodic talents what makes this album stand out is his sequencing skills, a legacy of his past playing drums in rock bands, that only the most talented musicians have ever equalled. This is particularly important on the 21 minute magnum opus 'York Aspiring' which moves from its atmospheric, majestic opening through several rhythmic passages, each one merging seemlessly into the next with a constant flurry of thoughtful melodics keeping interest high throughout. The manner in which the pace of the latter sections changes once the rhythm line is fully built up is particularly worthy of note & testament to his skills. As well as this, there are four shorter tracks (which made up side one of the original cassette), starting with the memorable 'Hunger Hill' (named after a part of Nottingham, fact fans) which kicks the album off in fine fettle with a memorable dynamic & totally digital feel (the DX7 reigns supreme here!) & is followed by the improvised numbers 'The Swaggering' & 'Nullified' which again demonstrate his melodic skills while Gary Attwood's guitar work adds further strength to the pacey & instantly memorable 'QWERTY UIOP', the loose feel of which hints at more improvisation! As a bonus there are earlier versions of three of the tracks although, for those who were around at the time, it's a shame that none of the tracks from the AMP Records Compilation album were included (I wonder why they weren't?). Still, even now this remains a worthwhile listen & a reminder of how good Brit Synth Rock was! | |||||||||||||||||||
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This hefty, 27-track double compilation from the German Major Records label seemingly has but one purpose; to do the business in the clubs & the fact that the vast majority of the tracks are remixes only adds to this feeling. In fact, the early tracks on disc one led me to believe that the idea was to provide industrial artists with some 'normal' club crossover; this seems to be the case especially where any 80s artists are involved as Kim Wilde's 'Loved' & Yazoo's classic 'Don't Go' being given a clubbier edge by Piledriver Vs. Beam & Todd Terry (ooh, trendy!) respectively while even Oomph's collaboration with Marta Jandova & Covenant's 'Happy Man', which is given a radical overhaul by Seb, wouldn't sound too out of place at your local pulling joint. As the album progresses, however, certain tracks do remain closer to their industrial origins, not least the offerings from Mind In A Box, Assemblage 23 ('Sorry', not one of his classics but it fits in here well enough), Diary Of Dreams & Diorama while some are given a notable adrenaline shot. This is particular true of Boytronic's 'Living Without You' which is given a quite superb overhaul by Ronan Harris in the epic style that VNV don't do anymore & Obscenity Trial's "My Mind Your Mind' which is likewise given a boost by Darkstar Music Club (no, me neither!) while the epic power of SITD's 'Kreuzgang' is not diminished in the slightest by Angels & Agony's attentions.This also explains why Apoptygma Berzerk are represented by Mesh's remix of that golden oldie 'Mourn' rather than any of the tracks from either Harmoniser of Welcome To Earth (APOP later do a similar job for JAW's 'Creature Of Masquerade) & why Rotersand's 'Lost', which opens proceedings, doesn't sound out of place one iota. One major surprise is the powerful remix of Edge Of Dawn's 'Pray For Love', the harder rhythms working well off Frank Spinath's typically heartfelt vocals whilst reminding us all of how good this duo is. You futurepoppers will also want to check out the offerings from Janosch Moldau, Syrian, who team up Marian Gold on 'Supernova' (& this didn't need remixing either!) while Blighty's very own Mechanical Cabaret (whose latest album was released on Major) offers a remix of 'See Her Smile' which only belatedly matches the infectious qualities of the original. All in all, then, this offers a good selection of artists & while it is mainly geared towards the clubs you might well find some new names that prove to be worth checking out. | |||||||||||||||||||
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With its bright pink cover this is one album you're certainly not going to miss but while the bright colours might catch your eye the music is more than capable of catching your ear & your imagination. Aided by Seb Komor (who even plays guitar on a couple of tracks!) & one or two other partners in crime, Jennifer Parkin has put together her most confident & mature release to date, boasting a whole host of constantly infectious & exciting songs that grab your attention from the word go & which pack a whole host of emotions & feelings. From the no-nonsense duo of the opening 'Bad List' & 'The Gun Song' with its no-nonsense delivery emphasising the poignant & sadly all too topical lyrics, through to the sadness of 'Invisible', where the slightly less-than-perfect vocal performance actually adds to the vulnerable feeling that provides a strartling contrast to the catchy synthpop elements, it's a constantly engaging release. The equally poppy closer 'Girl On The Floor' even bears a resemblance to Gwen Stefani's What you Waiting For in the backing & there's no reason why it shouldn't prove just as popular. Throughout, the vocals emphasise the music's potential as Parkin displays a new level of confidence, maturity & versatility (in fact, I did wonder if the spoken parts crossed the line into rap once or twice? If so she's one of the few white people who can!). In fact there's not a bad track to be found here with 'Analog Trash' proving to be both funky & quite touching while the dancefloor fillers come in the shape of the no-prisoner-taking 'Six Seconds' & the stomping '1000 Transmissions', where the strong IOC similarity suggests that Komor's contribution was an all-important one. Likewise, the importance of Joe 'vOLD' Byers' guitar work in making 'My Poison' the dark & grinding piece of industrial rock excellence that it is & Jeremy Pfohl's composing of the muscular & dynamic 'Blue Alice' cannot be underestimated as both are among the finest tracks on the album. It's probably fair to say, then, that this is very much a team effort but whichever way you look at it it's a superb album that you'd be foolish to miss out on. | |||||||||||||||||||
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With this latest EP, the Australian duo of Aaron Potter & Daniel Brunet have finally released a worthy follow-up to their fine debut album Aeon & marks an important step forward for them. The problem with the Aeon Expand EP that followed the album was that, with only one original track on offer, it didn't really give the listener any real idea of what the band are about but with three new tracks to get your teeth into here, this is a far better bet, especially when it's of such a high standard. The title track, for example, is a fine piece of dark melodic electro that should appeal to any fans of Depeche Mode, FLA (the vocals continue to pay homage to Bill Leeb!) or Dismantled, who the band have always quoted as an influence & who again lends a hand with a rhythm-heavy remix while the pask.requiem version makes the most of its extended duration to build from its ambient opening via a variety of rhythms that continuously bear new musical facets in their wake. Even better, though, is 'Forgotten Dreams' which marries dreamy chords & pacey Drum n bass rhythms which came as a massive surprise to me, in fact, I thought it was a remix at first! Another fine piece comes in the shape of 'King Of Kings' (a cover, it seems) that benefits from some nicely expressive melodic work while Angel Theory inject a good dose of dancefloor potential into the title track to close the album on a lively note (Charles Fenech seems to be acting as the same kind of patron saint to up & coming Aussie bands as Tom Shear is for American ones!) In many ways, the importance of this EP cannot be underestimated, it certainly came at just the right time as the high standard of the new material should give the duo a renewed impetus as they make their way towards bigger & better things. | |||||||||||||||||||
