Category: Synth-Pop

Quick Album Review: Atmosphere – The Day Before Halloween

Artist: Atmosphere

Album: The Day Before Halloween

Genre: Hip Hop/Electronic

Label: Rhymesayers Entertainment

Rating: 8/10

At this point in their career Hip Hop duo “Atmosphere” shouldn’t be sounding this refreshed and inspired with new ideas, but here we are over 20 years after the group’s formation and the two have surprised us all by sonically exploring new territories one with an old worn out cassette copy of Headshots Vol. Se7en would never see as a possibility for a new change in sound. I’ve never heard so many synthesizers on an “Atmosphere” record, let alone synthesizers that evoke the spirit of 80s “Horror.” Producer Anthony Davis drawing influence from “Horror” isn’t completely out of character, considering much of his early work featured samples from classic Horror films such as Night of the Living Dead, Suspiria, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and The Shining, but this deep dive into dark synth-driven Electro is a massive surprise. As for Slug, he isn’t exactly breaking new ground, but he solidifies his status as the ultimate MC who can unsparingly reveal his vulnerability and rap his ass off at the same time. This is the best “Atmosphere” has sounded in years.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Common Flaws Shares New Song “Happy House”

The old “Siouxsie and the Banshees” classic “Happy House” has gotten a dancey makeover by London-based Electronic producer “Common Flaws,” and it’s a dancefloor ready cover that stays true to the original all while putting a new synth-driven House-flavored spin on it. You can watch the music video for “Happy House” below:

Pixx Shares New Music Video for “Everything is Weird in America”

“Everything is Weird in America” isn’t exactly a new song from Hannah Rogers’ “Pixx” project, the track was featured on her debut album The Age of Anxiety back in 2017, but the sentiment of the song still rings true. After three years, Rogers has finally released a video she had shot for the song, and now seems like the best time to release it, because right now things are incredibly strange here in America. You can watch the music video for “Everything is Weird in America” below:

Gorillaz and Robert Smith Share New Song “Strange Timez”

Yes. You read that correctly. “Gorillaz” continue their unbeatable streak of impeccable singles with episode six of their “Song Machine” series featuring THE Robert Smith of “The Cure.” The track is titled “Strange Timez,” which is fitting considering the bonkers all-out shitfest of a year we’re living in right now. Oh 2020, what happened? You were the chosen one. “Strange Timez” is everything you’d want from a “Gorillaz” and Robert Smith collab and then some. You can listen to “Strange Timez” below:

New Order Share New Single “Be a Rebel”

Today “New Order” have shared their first new music since their 2015 album Music Complete. It’s a track titled “Be a Rebel,” and about the song frontman Bernard Sumner has stated, “In tough times we wanted to reach out with a new song. We can’t play live for a while, but music is still something we can all share together. We hope you enjoy it… until we meet again.” You can listen to “Be a Rebel” below:

Jessie Ware Shares New Music Video for “What’s Your Pleasure?”

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Jessie Ware released her fourth album What’s Your Pleasure? almost a month ago and I still listen to it daily. It’s utterly infectious from beginning to end and is quite possibly the best Pop album released this year by far. Jessie Ware has released music videos for the majority of the tracks off the album, and they are as addicting as the songs themselves. Mirroring the Disco grooviness of the tracks, each video is an incredible visual experience with much emphasis on the liberating nature of dancing. Her new music video for the title track “What’s Your Pleasure?” is no exception. It’s sexy, colorful, and features more and more dancing of course. You can watch the music video for “What’s Your Pleasure?” below:

Gorillaz and ScHoolboy Q Share New Song “PAC-MAN”

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Gorillaz continue their “Song Machine” series by dropping another banger of a track titled “PAC-MAN” which features “Top Dawg Entertainment’s” ScHoolboy Q. The music video pays homage to the classic video game which just recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary, but the track itself is a funky groove that shifts once ScHoolboy Q comes in with a fiery verse. You can watch the music video for “PAC-MAN” below:

LCD Soundsystem’s “This Is Happening” Turns 10

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On this day in 2010 “LCD Soundsystem” released their third album This Is Happening. Remember when this was supposed to be their final album? Remember when they released another album seven years later? Yeah, like any of us bought that the band were calling it quits for good, but if This Is Happening had really been the band’s final album, they would have gone out in a blaze of glory, because this was without a doubt some of the band’s best material. James Murphy and Co. delved even deeper into the realm of dance ready “Electronic” music on this album. Of course this was by no means new territory for the band, but it’s almost as if the band had the most fun making this record, and James Murphy not once loses his signature wit on this record. Perfecting a myriad of genres such as “Synth-Pop,” “Post-Punk,” and “House,” this album surprisingly never comes off as scatterbrained and each track flows into the other quite cohesively. This album showed us all that James Murphy is serious about what he’s doing, even though he might not take himself too seriously. Happy Anniversary!

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Devo’s “Freedom of Choice” Turns 40

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On this day in 1980 “Devo” released their third album Freedom of Choice. We’ve all heard “Whip It,” and we all know the flower pot hats, but aside from these staples of 80’s Pop culture, Freedom of Choice was Devo’s tour de force that both encapsulated the spirit of the dominant “New Wave” era, and offered something unique and immensely animated both musically and visually. This album saw the band incorporating even more synthesizers without sacrificing their guitar-driven Rock edge, and the satirical, absurd, and often tongue-in-cheek lyrics that poked fun at the human condition made the band everyone’s favorite aliens studying humanity. Happy Anniversary!

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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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