Electronic – Page 4 – MELT REVIEWS

E.P. Review: Bliss My Heart – Morningstar

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Artist: Bliss My Heart

EP: Morningstar

Genre: Electropop/Synth-Pop

Label: Self-released

Rating: 8/10

Drawing inspiration from her three varying influences, Bauhaus, Depeche Mode, and Lana Del Rey, Paris born musician Jenna has crafted an E.P. under her “Bliss My Heart” project that’s incredibly focused and never emulates her influences. Morningstar is the name of the E.P. It’s her debut, which is hard to believe seeing as how these three tracks are sharply constructed and her knack for catchy songwriting is unmatched. It’s evident she’s been writing music for years, because no one sounds this good on a whim. This music can be labeled “Electropop,” but it’s got distinct qualities that can be traced back to 80’s “Synth-Pop,” 2000’s “Electroclash,” and even a little “Gothic Rock.” Especially on a track like “Cross You,” which sounds like it could be a “Clan of Xymox” song with its backing operatic vocals and moody guitar. Her vocals are immensely unique and have the potential to place her in the same boat as other unique and creative vocalists such as Miss Kittin or Karin Dreijer. To say she has potential is an understatement, because though her sound contains shades of the aforementioned genres, she’s already developed her distinct sound that separates herself from her peers, and we’re only talking about three songs! That’s undeniably impressive.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

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New Order’s “Low-Life” Turns 35

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On this day in 1985 “New Order” released their iconic third album Low-Life. Following the release of their highly successful and influential single “Blue Monday” in 1983, “New Order” released what became known as their finest work. Low-Life is an album that found the band perfecting the “Electronic” style they hinted at in prior singles and deep cuts off their previous album Power, Corruption, & Lies, and the synths, samplers, and synth bass combined with their usual Rock elements thanks to Peter Hook’s high-end bass and Bernard Sumner’s guitar saw the band developing the distinct “New Order” sound. This album was the complete transformation that departed from their earlier work that featured shades of their previous band “Joy Division” with it’s gloomy Post-Punk dominated sound. This album also featured Bernard Sumner sounding his most confident vocally and even writing simplistic but impactful lyrics with themes such as love, alienation, and even an anti-war song that opens up the album. Very few records are flawless, and this is one of those rarities. Not a skippable track on this thing. Happy Anniversary!

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E.P. Review: Inalab – The Commons

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Artist: Inalab

EP: The Commons

Genre: Orchestral/Electronic/Pop

Label: Self-released

Rating: 9/10

Hailing from New Delhi, musician Gaurav Balani has played with numerous musicians primarily playing bass, so he is an experienced musician who knows his away around collaborations, and his ambition most definitely shows on his debut E.P. The Commons under his project “Inalab.” Assembling musicians Shruti Dhasmana on vocals, Suyash Gabriel on drums, and Archit Anand and Shashank Singhania on keys and flute, Balani has composed a grandiose work of art that’s carefully constructed as opposed to sounding too self-indulgent. Rich in orchestral arrangements and a hint of Progressive Rock, The Commons fearlessly blends various genres and the result is an epic journey that contains a large cinematic tone. This E.P. ranges from jam band excitement to roaring songs with Dhasmana delivering soaring vocals that perfectly reflect the infectiously dramatic tone. There is never an empty space on this E.P. as the rhythm section manages to be distinct but never overbearing, the keys and sound textures add an Electronic element that brings forth a spacey and atmospheric tone, and the flute arrangements are undeniable as they soar majestically. Dhasmana’s powerful vocals grounds the music and makes it human contrasting the otherworldly sounds of the instrumentation. This is the perfect example of how a musical composition can be immensely detailed without sounding over-produced and can be translated flawlessly live, and that’s no easy feat. The Commons is some of the most inspired and utterly addictive music i’ve heard all year. I’m begging to hear more.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Caribou’s “Swim” Turns 10

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On this day in 2010 producer Dan Snaith released Swim under his “Caribou” moniker. This album found Snaith departing almost entirely from the “Neo-psychedelic” nature of his previous album Andorra, incorporating various sounds and production techniques associated with “House” music due to his growing interest in “Electronic” music. However, his attention to experimental detail is still present throughout this record as he combined the danceable sensibilities of minimal House with flute, guitar, and the reverbed effects that dominated Andorra.” Elaborating on the album’s title, Snaith has stated that he wanted the album to have a fluid sound to it, which he definitely achieved. This album can also be considered the quintessential album when it comes to his complete dive into “Electronic” music not only with “Caribou,” but also his second project he developed called “Daphni.” This album was a massive turning point for Snaith, and is one of the best “Electronic” albums of the 2010’s. Happy Anniversary!

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ADULT. Share Music Video for New Song “Total Total Damage”

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Electronic duo “ADULT.” are set to release their new album Perception is/as/of Deception on April 10th via “Dais Records,” and today the Detroit duo have released another new track off the upcoming album as well as a new music video to accompany it. The track is titled “Total Total Damage,” and the music video was made in quarantine and features the two completely annihilating the set they had built for the video with sledgehammers, which perfectly reflects this stir crazy time we’re forced to endure at the moment in quarantine. You can watch the music video for “Total Total Damage” below:

Nine Inch Nails Release New Album “Ghosts V-VI”

“Anybody out there?” asks Trent Reznor as he and Atticus Ross casually drop a new “Nine Inch Nails” album. The band’s new album is titled Ghosts V-VI, and it is a continuation of the Ghosts series they dropped for free back in 2008. Like Ghosts I-IV, the new installments of the series are available for free on the band’s website. Reznor has described the album as “Some of it kind of happy, some not so much.” You can download Ghosts V-VI from the link below:

GHOSTS V: TOGETHER AND GHOSTS VI: LOCUSTS

Album Review: Machine Girl – U-Void Synthesizer

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Artist: Machine Girl

Album: U-Void Synthesizer

Genre: Electronic/Hardcore/Breakcore/Industrial/Drum and Bass

Label: Self-Released

Rating: 8/10

Listening to Machine Girl’s music is like being sucked into a tornado carrying the most abrasive elements of various genres, and I do mean ABRASIVE. What a long way Machine Girl has come from spewing out tons of “Electronic” instrumentals on “Bandcamp” to getting even louder and louder with every release while lead member Matthew Stephenson screams his guts out. Following the highly successful The Ugly Art, Machine Girl has returned with his follow-up U-Void Synthesizer, and somehow this album is even noisier than it’s predecessor. Like The Ugly Art, this album incorporates live drums that give this album a fuller sound that evokes the fast-paced and brutal spirit of “Punk,” but just keep in mind, this isn’t “Dead Kennedys.” This is Synth-Punk meets Industrial meets Breakcore meets just about every abrasive genre known to man. It’s uncompromising, it’s discombobulating, but that’s part of this album’s charm. Sure it’s not for everyone, okay, sure it’s not for most people, (anyone who hasn’t acquired this taste will think that all of their electronic household appliances got together to have an orgy) but this is futuristic “Punk,” the result of the massive influence “Death Grips” have had on a younger generation of DIY artists such as “Deli Girls” and “Five Star Hotel.” Machine Girl is undeniably the torch carrier for this generation, and though they can be lyrically absurd with lines like “I don’t want you on my dick so suck my shit,” that absurdity combined with loads of cryptic content is fun to decipher and formulate your own interpretation. U-Void Synthesizer isn’t much of a departure from The ugly Art, but it’s louder and noisier and Machine Girl’s sound hasn’t lost it’s appeal quite yet.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Gorillaz “Plastic Beach” Turns 10

On this day in 2010 “Gorillaz” released their conceptual masterpiece Plastic Beach. Five years after the release of their groundbreaking album Demon Days, the band released an album even more ambitious with a myriad of features perfectly utilized and an environmentalist theme that doesn’t bombard you with over-serious preachiness. 10 years later this album still holds up, and is a prefect representation of how “Pop” music can be as thoughtful as it is fun. Happy Anniversary.

ADULT. Announce New Album “Perception is/as/of Deception,” Share New Single “Why Always Why”

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Being over 20 years in the music world, Detroit duo “ADULT.” still manage to sound fresh and reinvent themselves with every release. Their last album This Behavior was a back to basics triumph that recalled the Electroclash sound of their early work, but with a veteran sense of focus the band improved on that sound incorporating the darker EBM-laden grooves we’ve come to know the band for. Now, just two years after that release the band have announced they will be releasing their follow-up Perception is/as/of Deception on April 10th via “Dais Records.” The band have also released the album’s debut single “Why Always Why,” a synth-heavy track that is as urgent sounding and anxiety-inducing as it is danceable, because you know with “ADULT.” it’s anxiety always (if you know you know.) You can watch the music video for “Why Always Why” below:

Album Review: Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

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Artist: Tame Impala

Album: The Slow Rush

Genre: Psychedelic Pop/Electronic/Disco

Label: Island Records

Rating: 7/10

It seems as if “Tame Impala” have had acclaim from the start. Lead by sole member Kevin Parker who composes and arranges the majority of the music, “Tame Impala” has been an inescapable name in both the “Indie Rock” world and the “Pop” world, but what “Tame Impala” once was is not entirely the same as what “Tame Impala” is now, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Kevin Parker we knew back during the time of the Psychedelic-heavy Innerspeaker, and the vulnerable Kevin Parker we knew on the introspective Lonerism, an album that was a voice for the lonely and those whom suffer from society’s misguided view on introversion is now a new Kevin Parker, but he hasn’t abandoned introspection and vulnerability. In fact, the majority of the tracks on his new album The Slow Rush are incredibly introspective with lyrical themes heavy on existentialism and nostalgia, but at this point in time it sounds like Parker is instrumentally more concerned with making us dance, trading in the LSD-soaked Psychedelia and fuzzy guitars of his early work for lush synths and Electro-Pop melodies drawing from Funk, Disco, and Synth-Pop. Very much like what he was doing on his previous album Currents, and there lies the good and bad of The Slow Rush. Not much has changed on this album, which prompts one to believe that Parker is either playing it safe, or truly isn’t finished experimenting with this sound but isn’t reaching anything that is breaking new ground. Though both albums are cut from the same cloth, The Slow Rush isn’t without it’s gems. The opening track “One More Year” is a message to the fear of life becoming stagnant, “Breathe Deeper” is a lush and sexy banger with a refrain that will stick in your head for days, and “It Might Be Time” features a surprising contrast of joyful instrumentation and existentialist lyrics. However, a lot of these tracks sound like Currents throwaways and don’t quite deliver anything memorable or anything that keeps them from being disposable. That isn’t to say this album isn’t a smooth listen though, because when this album shines, it SHINES, and much of it is cohesive, but I feel like the next “Tame Impala” album needs to be vastly different, or Parker needs to hone this style and create an album with consistent replay value.

Written By: Steven Sandoval