Failing to see the difference

I miss the days when buying a single was an easy affair. Generally you looked at the tracks on the 12” to check if it had everything the 7” did. I always bought the 12” and then the 7” if it had a different mix or b-side.

With the release of ‘Together’ the Pet Shop Boys have confused me somewhat. Once I got my head around the myriad of mixes and formats both digital and physical I made my choices and paid my money. However, I am failing to understand the difference between the 3:30 Radio Mix of the title track and the 3:31 Ultimate mix. I consider myself to have quite good ears and especially for Pet Shop Boys tracks but I am left baffled as to the difference between these two uniquely labelled mixes.

Is there a difference? Does anyone know? Is it a typo? The web seems to give me no answers and nobody else seems to asking the question. Am I going mad or are my ears defunct?

a-ha are gone........

A recent trip to see Goldfrapp was so unengaging and frankly, boring, that I don’t even have the strength to write about it here. Last night I needed ‘a-ha’ to banish my memories of their insipid ‘Lifelines’ tour and renew my passion for the live concert.

I wasn’t that hopeful as I entered the Sheffield Arena, I knew this gig was set as a ‘half-house’ with 50 to 75% of the seating curtained off (a very curious affair that I have only ever seen in that arena).

Once inside the arena I headed for the merchandise stall. £15 for a program isn’t that unusual today. The phrase ‘value for money’ is not in the lexicon of bands, tour managers or program vendors, 99% of the time it is about ripping fans off with unscrupulous zeal. Happily, a-ha are marking their farewell tour with a tour book. And it really is a book!

Once the band took the stage I simply forgot any concerns or niggles about the arena and simply marvelled at the show unfolding in front of me. One of the most impressive live spectacles I have seen in many years. If you missed this tour then tough. They are finished. Over. a-ha will be no more by the end of the year.

Until they get short on cash or bored and then the reunion tour will winging its way to a city near you in 2015. But don’t get me started on band splitting up and reforming……..

Time to support the support

Everyone knows support bands are crap. Nobody pays them much attention and invariably they don’t deserve it. Everyone knows that. Right?

Well no.

Invariably I don’t turn up to gigs until a few minutes before the headline act are due to take to the stage, too much shit like “Où Est Le Swimming Pool” or “I Blame Coco” is not good for my ears. On a recent trip to Birmingham to see “Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark” a happy mix of bad timing and pure coincidence meant that we arrived in time to see most of the support act “Villa Nah”. Despite only catching ¾ of their set I was very impressed. Very impressed indeed. In fact I have spent more time since the gig listening to and thinking about “Villa Nah” than I have OMD.

Tracks such as “Daylight” and “Running On” are nothing short of genius. Hints of their skills were apparent in their remix of OMD’s “If You Want It” which was the only decent remix made available (indeed some of the others are amongst the worst I have head in a long time). There is a real craft and care taken in the work of “Villa Nah”. Nothing happens by accident; every note, snare drum, opening filter or vocal intonation sounds part of a wider aesthetic that is both familiar and new. Brilliant stuff and likeable guys.

So will I go to see support acts now? No. Absolutely not, but I am very glad I did this time. It must have been fate.

Don't judge a book by its cover

Artwork is important to me. Yes one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to new music, the front cover has the ability to repulse or draw me in.

Recently I have seen an album cover which really drew me in. As a vintage synthesizer geek, I was immediately drawn to Arnaud Rebotini's "Music components" album. It's downloading at the moment; the music could well be tosh, it could be great, but I'm trying it because the cover intrigued me.

The instruments featured on the cover represent a list of old analogue gear any electronic musician would kill to own. You can keep the Juno 2 and the TR-707 wouldn't see much action when you've got an 808 surely? But otherwise I want the lot. Now has that download completed yet?

Later..........

Yes, it has downloaded. Yes, it's everything I hoped it would be. It's quite brilliant. judge some books by their cover by all means.

Pet Shop Boys get it "Together"

Yes, there is a new Pet Shop Boys release on the horizon. “Together” is culled from another pointless ‘Greatest Hits’ collection due to be released next month. Happily, “Together” is a quite brilliant track that justifies the existence of “Ultimate” by itself.

Possibly best described (or probably not), as a ¾ techno pop stomper, “Together” is just the sort of track I have been longing for. “Miracles” was another great single designed to promote a greatest hits which sounded contemporary and yet rich in Pet Shop Boys DNA. Yet following on from this Trevor Horn was handed the production reigns and everything went a bit conventional (I mean - drums and bass guitar! for god’s sake!). As a primarily electronic band, I have always liked Neil and Chris’s music when it was raw and driven by the pulse of the dance floor. OK, so dancing to something in ¾ isn’t easy (unless you want to waltz) but “Together” is just the sort of record I want to hear them making in 2010 and is instantly a favourite in this house.

Don't belive the reviews. or me.......

Reviews. Do they mean anything? Can you actually judge anything by the opinion of others on something as subjective as music? I no longer think you can.

Reading reviews has helped me discover some great music in the past. Albums such as “Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release” by Simian Mobile Disco and “Happiness” by Hurts were completely unknown to me until I read favourable reviews and decided to purchase them. There have been multiple times when music has been recommended to me and I have loved it. I now begin to wonder how many times I have missed out on hidden gems by reading negative comments.

 

These thoughts have come into my head because of the Underworld album “Barking”. Underworld are one of a few bands that I like but do not necessarily buy everything they release and their last two albums left me decidedly under whelmed. So, on deciding whether to buy “Barking”, I read a few reviews first. Admittedly I started in one of the worst places possible: Amazon. These are a few comments that struck me immediately:

Former creative giants lose their way – 1/5

Oh No! This is just not good – 2/5

I don’t know what to say to this – 2/5

Underwhelming underworld – 2/5

Meow, to me it seems such a lame collection of lightweight pieces with no real substance or elegance -1/5

Worst underworld album easily! – 1/5

Bore to the floor – 2/5

Thus, I immediately moved on to something else. A few days later I decided to google for some more opinions on “Barking”. I found some real contradictions to the notorious amazon reviews:

“this is the sound of musicians with nothing to prove and everything to give” BBC
“Barking, then, is a return to form not because it's the best album Karl Hyde and Rick Smith have put out in a while (and it is), but because this record sees the duo returning to the more beat-intensive, complicatedly beatific realm of everything from "Pearl's Girl" to "Two Months Off." RA Reviews

Hell, I thought. I’m ordering it and will make up my own mind. I am so glad I did. The naysayers are simply wrong. This is a rejuvenated Underworld, and Underworld who have found their mojo, their best album since “secondtoughestintheinfants”.

But don’t take my word for it.

The future of the Past (or something like that)

When a band re-forms and releases new material it is always a tricky affair. No matter what new music a band produces, they are fighting a losing battle. Winning over your ‘loyal’ fans is a huge challenge. It’s like re-releasing ‘Star Wars’ with lots of nasty computer generated effects and cut scenes reinstated. You’re meddling with people’s most cherished memories. Knocking off their rose tinted spectacles and sticking in a sharp stick in their eye is not advised.

So why have Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark reformed and released the horrendously titled ‘History of Modern’? Is it a sharp stick for a fans ear or is it a band reborn? Well, in truth it’s a bit of both.

The tracks included here are a mixture of previously discarded material which has been dusted down and re-polished, coupled with some album fillers of varying merit. Tracks come and go and leave little impression. A bit of Kraftwerk peeks through in some tracks; other tracks are a direct homage, others an undeviating rip off (not a bad thing you understand). ‘Sister Marie Says’ sounds just like a discarded ‘Sugar Tax’ track (it’s not but ‘The Future, The Past and Forever After’ is) and ‘New babies: New Toys’ is akin to their seminal ‘Architecture and Morality’ album.

Essentially there is a mixture of styles with a few individual moments of excellence (‘The Right Side?’), but taken as a whole, the album sounds inconsistent and rushed. Personally, I feel it sounds too much like McCluskey was sat in front of the computer holding the mouse and Paul Humphreys only got to make a contribution when McCluskey went to the loo. Given the excellence of the work of ‘OneTwo’ maybe Paul should be allowed to sit in front of the computer next time.

Yet, you can’t help but admire the fact that that they have released a new album rather than just release another ‘greatest hits’ and toured with the same old material (no matter how good it might be, Kraftwerk take note). They didn’t need to make this album. They didn’t need to spend all their time and energy finding a new label, releasing, promoting and touring new material. Rather than moan or criticise, fans should just be grateful. Ahem…..

LCD Genius

I didn’t really appreciate the eponymously titled LCD Soundsystem album until the more accessible ‘Sound of Silver’ came along a couple of years later. Seeing Mr Murphy perform live recently confirmed my suspicion that he is actually something of a musical genius.

Thus, I have looked forward to the new album ‘This is happening’ for some time; happily it does not disappoint. There are many marvellous electro tinged gems and electronic grooves to covert here. The opener ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ is a brilliant combination of analogue synths and conventional drums (who would have thought I would ever say that). The TR-808 gets a work out on the sublime ‘I Can Change’ and ‘You Wanted a Hit’ is underpinned with sublime EMS and Moog sounds. ‘One Touch’ is a particular favourite of mine with its TR-606 beat and Casiotone…. errrr tones.

Having seen the band perform live, I was intrigued as to which (obviously analogue) synths they were using. Happily the sleeve of this album tells us most of the gear used. As well as the afore mentioned TR-808 and 606 the EMS VCS3 and Polysynthi seem to have been used quite heavily, there is a smattering of CS60, Simmons Drums, Moog Rogue and the very random Moog Cordovox CDX amongst others. All in all there is a very healthy amount of synth on this album.

On the down side, ‘All I Want’ sounds like an annoying pastiche of Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ and ‘Somebody’s Calling Me’ qualifies as the most annoying song of 2010 (no, it really is very very irritating). The cover art is dire and a couple more tracks would not have gone amiss.

Furthermore Murphy has hinted that this may well be his last LCD Soundsystem album. The cynicism of ‘You Wanted a Hit’ coupled with Murphy’s recent pleadings to fans not to leak the album before its release date smack of an irreversible disenchantment with the recording industry. This is both a sad and rather disturbing position that I sincerely hope Murphy does not stick to.

Yes, kill off the LCD Soundsystem moniker if you must, but don’t stop recording and releasing material. I beg you James; your moments of genius are beyond my comprehension.

Way Out West: Way good

I have never been able to pin point quite why I love the music of Way Out West. Ever since I first heard ‘Domination’ in 1996, I have been entranced by the band’s output. Album tracks such as ‘Sequoia’, ‘Activity’, ‘Call Me’ and ‘Ultraviolet’ are amongst the best pieces of electronic music ever composed.
Whilst their music is heavily influenced by the pounding beats demanded of the dance floor, there is always something far more intelligent in the work of Messers Warren and Wisternoff. Their best tracks do not rely on melody in the same way that Jarre or Vangelis might and yet they are far far more than just ‘grooves’.

I also strongly admire the fact that they do not feel the need to ‘mix it up’ and include slow or ambient tracks in order to create a ‘balanced’ album. It’s as if they are saying ‘we are an electronic dance group, so that is what you’re going to get from start to finish’. This is an idea I love and wish other artists had the courage to pursue.

I have become obsessed with the idea of Way Out West producing tracks for Pet Shop Boys. That would be a dream combination for me. Even a remix would do. Look into in someone and make it so. Thank you.

Oh but 'Don't Look Now' should be avoided. No really. Don't.

Live drumming

In case anyone should be interested, this is how I feel ALL electronic musicians should work. Yes, using a real drummer creates an energy and a vibe that programming just can not match. But it's seriously lame when your original work was purely electronic.

Forget an acoustic kit for your drummer. Do this:

Vinyl Factory

OK, so they are only trying to sell me stuff. But boy do I like what they are trying to sell me. The Vinyl Factory send me an e-mail every now and then letting me know how good their latest product is. Trouble is, I get tempted far too often.

I've sung the merits of vinyl before on this blog, and my love of the 'Ultimate Edition' of the Pet Shop Boys album 'Yes' should be familiar. So my affinity with the products provided by The Vinyl Factory makes perfect sense. The quality of both the vinyl and the artwork produced by this company are second to none and it is no wonder an increasing number of artists are turning to them to manufacture their limited editions or vinyl pressings. So do yourself (and your ears) a favour and order your next purchase from them.

And this should come as no suprise to anyone.

Kraftwerk sell me a box

“Without them there would be no hip hop, no house, no ambient music, no electro.” Q Magazine

Like them or not, you cannot deny the influence of Kraftwerk on electronic music and a whole generation of musicians. Personally, I find a large part of their work cold and impenetrable. Whilst “Computer World” and “The Man-Machine” are two of my favourite albums of all time, little of the rest of their back catalogue sounds nearly as good to me. Part of my ambiguity towards Kraftwerk is as a result of their attitude towards the press, their fans and the world in general. I hate it when people are aloof ‘just to be interesting’ or ‘arty’. It’s wank. Grow up and get on with life. Yet, I am constantly drawn back to Kraftwerk and their music as if it were some irresistible force.

In order to appreciate their music more I felt I needed to know more about the band. Thus, a few years ago I purchased the book “Man, Machine and Music” by Pascal Bussy. I purchased the second edition of the book in 2001 when Flür and Bartos had departed, but the integral duo of Hütter and Schneider remained intact. Reading the book did give me a greater insight into the band and also an appreciation of the experimental nature of albums I did not like such as “Radioactivity” and “Autobahn”. Yet I still had limited admiration for people I could not connect or associate with in any way.

Consequently, I decided not to purchase any of the remastered albums or the box set ‘The Catalogue’ when it was released last year and was content with my motley collection of original releases and imports. Yet something has drawn me back to ‘The Catalogue’ and during one late night shopping trip on amazon, that irresistible force acted once again. Almost before I knew what was happening I had ordered ‘The Catalogue’ on CD and was contemplating the vinyl versions of my favourite albums.

I really didn’t think too much about what the package would actually look like or consist of and thus when my box set did arrive, I was very impressed indeed. You see, like the ultimate edition of the Pet Shop Boys album ‘Yes’, ‘The Catalogue’ is as much a thing of beauty, as it is a collection of music. As an item it is very nice to own.

But the music: the remastered audio. You will read contradictory reports about the audio on the internet. This is with good reason. Some of the albums sound better thanks to their digitalisation and some sound worse. Personally I like the dynamic range of the new ‘Computer World’ and the noise reduction on ‘Radioactivity’ makes it a more pleasurable experience for me. Yet some bemoan the lack of background noise and dislike the new mixes and reconstructed tracks. Its all a matter of taste. For some albums I will revert to my old versions, for others I will go to the remastered ones.

Orbital (but not On+On+On)

For some reason I re-evaluate my opinion on certain artists every so often. I’m never sure why I do this. Is it to ensure my taste is what I think it is? Am I really so unsure of myself that I have to check to see if I really enjoy the music in my collection? Yet, I’m glad I do this, as I sometimes learn to appreciate the genius of artists I have previously dismissed.

One group I knew carried all the ingredients for great music, yet one I never warmed to, were Orbital. My brother was always a big fan; but somehow they left me cold. I disliked their music chiefly because of the track ‘Halcyon’. The reason I hated this track was because it samples of the abhorrent ‘Opus III’ track ‘It’s a fine day’. I found the original song intensely irritating and it doesn’t matter how you reverse, fade and otherwise manipulate the sound of the vocal, I will always dislike it. Ok, so I shouldn’t dismiss an artist because I didn’t like one of their biggest hits, but I hated (and still do) that track intensely.

Another reason I never liked Orbital much was because ‘Chime’ was always too slow and had been surpassed by the time I became fully aware of it in the early 90’s. The more electronic and experimental nature of Orbital’s back catalogue passed me by as I became obsessed with the frenetic dance music that was abundant in the 1990’s. The next time I became aware of Orbital was when ‘Style’ was doing the rounds in 1999. I hated it. Still do.

So what possessed me to buy ‘Work’ in 2002 I will never know. I liked a few tracks but not enough to listen to it more than a handful of times and certainly not enough to rip it to my hard drive. Their version of the theme to ‘The Saint’ and their remix of Kraftwerk’s ‘Expo 2000’ were good and made me realise there was a true ‘Orbital Sound’, yet it didn’t really make me want to listen to their work.

For some reason 2010 finds me quite obsessed with the music of Orbital. Some kind of early 90’s nostalgia has brought me back to ‘Belfast’, ‘Satan’, ‘Remind’, ‘Lush’, and ‘Choice’. More recent work such as ‘Funny Break’, ‘Illuminate’ and ‘Nothing Left’ are also mesmerising to me.

Having purchased their entire back catalogue, I still feel it is something of a mixed bag in terms of quality. They definitely have a tendency to be over indulgent and some tracks (‘Bath Time’, ‘Style’, ‘Halcyon’ etc) I find intensely irritating (I can’t warm to ‘The Box’ at all either I’m afraid). Yet when they get it right, well, Orbital are capable of hitting highs no other artist is capable of. Listen to tracks such as the live version of ‘Remind’ from their last ever Peel Session in 2004 and you will realise that Orbital were at one time, a groundbreaking and indispensable part of not only dance music, but electronic music in general. Make no mistake: they are important.