CHOON OF THE DAY: "MALIBU FUN" - Midnight Magic + "Free From Your Spell" Review

Summer 2010 was when Planet Music was first introduced to Midnight Magic. The arrival of the perennial bona fide disco anthem “Beam Me Up” was a sonic statement that echoed across underground dancefloors all over the globe. The band’s phenomenal debut single, released by Munich’s Permanent Vacation, was accompanied by Jacques Renault’s instantly anthemic remix and the song remains a truly authentic disco classic, reviving the genre’s vitality for the XXI century.

The vibrant mélange of space, afro and cosmic disco may have dominated this nine-person dance troupe’s first EP “What The Eyes Can’t See” but it was the undeniable synth-pop coolness of “Calling Out” which attracted the most attention.



“Drop Me A Line” quickly became Midnight Magic’s signature track with its delicious array of vintage synthesisers, delectably ever-changing melody and yet another exhilarating vocal performance from the band’s incomparable diva Tiffany Roth. Following the release of the single featuring mixes by an entourage of first class electronic producers (The Juan MacLean, Mano le Tough and Steffi) the Brooklyn disco funk ensemble dropped their highly anticipated debut LP, collaborated with Tommie Sunshine on the euphoric “I Found Love” and went on to support Holy Ghost! and Cut Copy during their tours.

The self-released “Walking The Midnight Streets” was a sleekly produced decadent explosion of hedonistic beats, rich horns, tropical flavours, early electro and slow-motion disco moments. A unique collection of songs, some of which could easily have passed for genuine lost gems from the 70’s or 80’s. The title track stands out as one of the prime examples of Roth’s exquisite and impressively wide-ranging vocal acrobatics.

Keeping continuously busy with countless dj sets, hi-energy gigs and remixes (for La Roux, Cut Copy, Holy Ghost!, Azari & III, Kamp! among others) Midnight Magic managed to return with some of their most sophisticated, if slightly darker, productions on their “Vicious Love” EP released in 2014 via Soul Clap Records. “Trouble T” was arguably the band’s most compelling composition at the time. An utter masterpiece beguiling the listeners with its impeccable vocal harmonies, a mosaic of fascinatingly unpredictable melody twists and the aura of an immediate dancefloor essential for all the underground disco aficionados. No wonder SHREM'S CAROUSEL OF ÜBER NERDINESS chose it as the 2014 Song of the Year in our annual countdown.

2016 sees Midnight Magic ready to enchant us once more with the much-anticipated birth of their 2nd studio album, the wondrously eclectic "Free from Your Spell". Going back to their roots in Los Angeles, Morgan Wiley and W. Andrew Raposo, alongside the rest of the boogie nonet, have prepared a refined feast of genre-bending songs. Tiffany Roth is confidently on top of her vocal game, somehow even more versatile than before, exploring the lower registers of her one of a kind voice like in the sensual “Malibu Fun”. The ravishing horn section is back. So are the imminent midnight stompers like the irresistible opening track “I Gotta Feeling” or the impossibly joyous, trumpet-laden “Dark Thunder” – your future party playlist must-have, a track which could be interpreted as a subtle homage to Grace Jones’ “Feel Up”. “Dark Thunder” is an amalgamation of 80’s disco, early house and summery dub, which fittingly introduces the next track, the exotic, quasi-reggae, sunshine-dipped moment that is “Black Cherry”. Almost Oriental with its clarinet solo, the song fades away hypnotically as if taken from some mysteriously unreleased David Lynch movie… It would sound spectacular live at Silencio should the band ever plan to return to the Parisian club.

The ever so diverse moods of "Free from Your Spell" make it a seductive journey. With each song mixed seamlessly into the next, the record coalesces into one long disco odyssey, reminiscing Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer’s concept albums "Four Seasons of Love" and "A Love Trilogy". The rare groove of “Own Me”, the meticulous, multi-layers of “Down Delay”, the bouncy, throbbing beats of “Sea Of Love” and “Bad Foot” with its funk à la Paisley Park, would be to name just a few of the LP’s highlights. Moods, genres and styles intertwine like an aural kaleidoscope, the album electrifying with its striking harmony. Whilst exuberantly borrowing from past decades, "Free from Your Spell" more than holds its own as a self-assured, innovative body of work.


Midnight Magic - "Dark Thunder" from Salt Style on Vimeo.

Midnight Magic’s "Free from Your Spell" is an offer one can’t refuse. An attractive deal in the form of disco escapism, travelling through its various shades, emotions and incarnations, a comprehensive revival of the genre for modern ears. It’s Studio 54. It’s Moroder, Amanda Lear, Gino Soccio and Grace Jones. It’s a whole palette of 1980’s r’n’b and cosmic funk. Despite all the music references of past eras "Free from Your Spell" is very much a current album, a mature demonstration of genuine skills in songwriting, a multi-instrumental banquet of sounds, a coherent collection of ambitious dance tracks and a beautiful celebration of eclecticism. Add to this some of Tiffany Roth’s most memorable vocals to date and you arrive at one of the year’s most exciting releases. There is a strong reason for both “midnight” and “magic” in the name of the band after all.

Order your vinyl copy of "Free from Your Spell" HERE

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS GUS GUS

"Arabian Horse" - Gus Gus

If Björk is the queen and Sigur Rós are kings, then Gus Gus are definitely the dark princes of Icelandic experimental pop scene. This Reykjavík based art-collective-turned-band with an ever-changing line-up, has been pleasuring more demanding ears with mysterious, withdrawn and eerie club music for way over a decade now. After 15 years of perfecting their mixture of electronica and dark, haunting melodies Gus Gus still remain overlooked and criminally underrated, only known to an elite of listeners. Whether it's their take on post-trip-hop chill (look up “Superhuman”) or dancefloor anthem (the mighty “David”) it's always a hit, never a miss. Gus Gus deserves more recognition like no other Scandinavian group and as much I'd like to stay in this elitist club, I hope this album will bring them the commercial breakthrough they deserve. The faithful fans get a real treat here, despite the fact of more regular format of it. No lengthy, bass heavy tracks here, like on their previous effort, the enigmatic and hypnotic “24/7”, which carried some of concept album qualities. “Arabian Horse” sees further abandonment of their gritty, trippy house style for the pulsing, minimal techno beats full of smoke, volcanic dust and glacial snowstorms.

The album unleashes its force with the digital thunderstorm of “Selfoss”, one of the best instrumental tracks I have heard since Röyksopp's “The Drug”. It's severe and gloomy. The tension builds up for the first half of the track until the point when the sonic waves pass like an apocalyptic, yet cathartic, force of nature and leave us nearly deaf as the dust, the smoke and the snow settle. The following “Be with me” unveils album's reality of the haunting melodies against the economic techno beats that make sound “Arabian Horse” so matte and gray. I might be writing these under the influence by the striking image of the infuriated stallion on the album's cover. The hypnotic “Deep inside” throws in more trance synths that lower the gloomy clouds of ash gathering and constantly hovering over this long player. The club ready “Over” is Gus Gus' murky take on disco. The effect? A stripped down soul of the 21^st century clubland. Moody, smoky vocals poured over a steel progressive beats turn the track sound like something you wouldn't be able to confine within the walls of a club. “Over” takes it outside, onto the great Icelandic plains where the nature, the folk mysticism and the industrial infrastructure coexist. The images from Sigur Rós' stunningly shot and edited documentary, “Heima”, spring into mind while listening to the most parts of album. The deserted industrial buildings and steel constructions slowly digested by the rust and growing into the volcanic landscapes somehow would make a perfect dancefloor for this album. The sweaty title track brings us back inside, to another extreme of a claustrophobic space haunted by Daníel Ágúst's ghostly voice. The recurring accordion solos (in “Selfloss” and “Deep Inside”) seem to be a clear nod to Iceland's folk, mysticism and troublemaking nature. After this harshness of an album, we're being shipped off the island with “Benched”, a sentimental twin to the opening track. A soothing send-off.

Last year Gus Gus closed a long artistic period with the “15 Ára” compilation and now they've opened the next chapter with this near perfect production. “Arabian Horse” is a fantastic album and one of the best of all this year so far. The only sin of this release is its lack of diversity, which makes it hard to listen from the beginning to the end, without loosing the interest. Some tricks get repeated, coming back in the second part as a distant echo of the ideas from the side A. “Changes come” is forgettable, unnecessary even. That doesn't mean the quality drops drastically near the finishing line, but some songs differ from each other so little, circulating around the same formula and amid the homogenous sound. But given that nowadays it is very hard to find an album that is both diverse and perfect from the start to finish, “Arabian Horse” is above anything that came out lately. A monolith album that creates its own universe and another electronic ode to Iceland. The gray colour never sounded so good.

[9.5/10]

Piotrek Czarnecki (nosnobsallowed.tv)

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS GANG GANG DANCE

I'm absolutely delighted he's back! Here's Piotrek's long anticipated return to my carousel in the role of my favourite music reviewer out there. Please read this intricate study on Gang Gang Dance's latest outing. Mr nosnobsallowed-Czarnecki has promised me to be a more frequent guest here from now on. Fingers crossed...

"Eye Contact" by Gang Gang Dance

There's a mutual dependency between the mainstream and indie pop. This secret relationship results in the little exchange of ideas and admiration. An example? Solange Knowles covering The Dirty Projectors or even teaming up with the avant-pop’ers Of Montreal on stage. On the other side of the barricade we've got The Knife and the band's front lady's solo project, Fever Ray or Hot Chip for that instance. These guys are clearly infatuated with the mainstream's approach to melody and harmonies, but are not willing to leave their weapons behind. The other thing is that pop “borrows” its ideas from the indie scene as it swallows everything that it finds on its way of the progression. Hence the dubstep wobblers in one of Britney's latest singles. Anyway, some of the regularities of the pop tunes like the “verse-chorus” structure are still going strong and remain unchallenged, There are exceptions here though: Beyonce's shouty “Run the world (Girls)”, for example. Unfortunately, those moments are still a rarity and if you're looking for some ambitious, aesthetically challenging pop music you should look away from the charts as far as you can.

So let’s take it down to the pop frontiers, where the experimental groups are brewing up the pop music's future hooks as we speak, making as many steps forward as cacophonous mistakes. Which brings me to the Gang Gang Dance's forth album, entitled “Eye contact”. The riotous musical past of the New York avant garde noisemakers seems to be tamed on this one. But don't expect them to storm the charts anytime soon or anything. The result of this move towards more formalised language is the most eerie record of 2011 so far and everything but regular. The irregularity is the main ingredient here.

Some might find it uneasy, desperately looking for some regular patters within it. Some may disregard it as a little bit off and out of tune. But, silly me, I like when music is a bit off. The vocal delivery not quite in tune, off melody and the production going a little bit outside the expectations is something I have a soft spot for. This would explain my love for Hot Chip and their electro weirdness. Yet, this record doesn't disconnect with the pop world entirely, remaining on the border of “catchy” and “danceable”. Just. Not to be accused of banality for even a second. It may seem that the band just let sounds happen, which effects in a beautifully crafted improvisation. Even though “Eye contact” is full of synthesizers and electronic tweaks it sounds very tribal, feverish, exotic and primal.

As the “Glass jar” lifts up its lid, it slowly releases a reluctant at first swarm of colourful sonic wasps. It takes a few spaced out minutes before these insects start to sting. Then the shamanic voice of GGD's singer, who sounds like Kate Bush with the ghetto swagger, joins and takes us for a trip into space, to the zero gravity environment, where she has more room for her vocal experiments. This is the moment when the album really kicks off, showing its true palette. Later there's another clear nod to the First Lady of the Looney Pop in the stadium sized “Romance Layers”. The squeak of Gang's singer's voice is accompanied by Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor whale-like chants here. The ethereal, funky subconscious pop of “Chinese high” takes a short detour via 80's rock. “Sacer” is incredibly light and spaced out tune bathing in waves of cold synths. But it's the “Mindkilla” that is the centrepiece of the album. A feverish kaleidoscope of manic African drums, digital stabs, sharp string slashes and vocal acrobatics. The recipe for this record evidently crystallises in this tune. The Arabic spiced and groovy “Thru and Thru” nonchalantly ends the album with digital voice asking “Do you want to live forever ?”.

“Eye contact” is so hard to pin down and describe with words, which is what I'm desperately trying to do here. But this it what makes it so pleasurable, so mesmerising and seducing. You experience “Eye contact”, rather than just listen to it. And this experience can be compared to looking at some creature from the depths of the jungle or the bottom of the ocean performing its hypnotising mating dance. “The organic version of The Knife” might be an accurate analogy, because “Eye contact” is the most uncompromising album that balances between the pop and experimental since Fever Ray's solo outing. Less dark and evil, but still very mysterious and spiritual. I wonder how this richness of sound would translate onto their live shows. I'm so craving to find out. I can only imagine how this music would travel over the festival skies this summer. And one more thing, be careful not to overdose “Eye Contact” like I did while writing this review, because it's very, very, very addictive. It will mesmerise you with its insect eyes before eating your soul and spitting out half digested. Avoid the direct eye contact and you'll be fine.

[8.5/10]

Piotrek Czarnecki (nosnobsallowed.tv)

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS TORO Y MOI

It's been a while since Janelle Monáe's review but I'm thrilled my muso-friend Piotrek Czarnecki aka Pan Di-Dziej and now also the man behind the ultra-brilliant and über-eclectic nosnobsallowed.tv is back on my carousel with another juicy review... One of the most subjective and non-snobby souls I know this time writes about the sensational and hype-stirring the-coolest-kid-of-now Toro Y Moi... Enjoy...

"Underneath the Pine" by Toro Y Moi

Most of you might have missed it but the analog sound of the double christened chillwave/glo-fi movement was the last year's blog-o-craze. It was the first music scene not unified by the particular place of origin, but the internet and the sound. Gazillions of outfits with random names emerged sharing an ocean of own material, remixes and giving away free EP's on Bandcamp. It was really hard to keep up with it all and gradually I started to loose my enthusiasm and appetite and began to stick to “the big guns” like Neon Indian, Memory Cassettes, Millionyoung, Small Black and Toro Y Moi. And now it's the defining moment for the scene. It's either time to take the sound beyond the bedrooms and blogs or slowly descent into the oblivion. And with dubstep already catching mainstream's attention, it's time for chillwave to follow. To me the ones to watch were always the artists with the ability to construct their blurry sounds around proper melodies, rather than just playing around with some blurry soundscapes. And as the scene will diffuse, only the most progressive and innovative will survive.

Chaz Bundick, the man behind Toro Y Moi outfit, definitely belongs to the latter group. On his second album (if you don't count the unofficial, semi-acoustic “Woodlands” release), Chaz takes a giant leap forward. Out goes the chill, in comes the big warmth. Out goes the pretentious, amateurish sound, in comes display of multi-instrumentalism and songwriting talents. “Underneath the pine” moves from the half remembered childhood dreams of the 80's to the hazy memories of teen years of 90's. Smooth edged, laid back sounds with groovy organ solos, soft rock vocal harmonies, juicy basslines and lush melodies fill the mere 40 minutes of “Underneath the pine”. And all that from one amazingly talented guy.

From the distorted beginning of the instrumental “Intro Chi Chi” emerges the sublime, ethereal organ solo ala Air's “Voyage de Penelope” and sets the mood of the record. Out of the noise, the sound is reborn into the druggy harmony of “New beat”, which even by its title signalizes the change of direction. I wouldn't go as far as comparing “Underneath the pine” to “Moon safari”, but the spirit of Air's legendary debut is here somewhere, buried underneath the lush layers of thicker sound. It is definitely chilling out in style. You can point out so many influences while listening to this record. The record is certainly injected with cool of the 70's America via the French 90's invasion. Stereolab come to mind when Bundick occasionally sprinkles his tunes with strokes of a Moog keyboard. “How I know” show his love for the vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys and in “Light black” for subtle storm of trippy, pulsating Krautrock beats.

The laid back mood of this album is so enchanting that you wish to be someplace else, where you forget the meaning of the word “snow”. The best tune of all here, “Still sound” simply bathes in a faze of Californian sun and makes a perfect summer track. The smart addition of the barely dancable, funky basslines prevents from falling into a comforting nap. You can sway, you can groove,you can even dance to it. It's bit too early to crown “Underneath the pine” as one of the records of the year, but it is the one so far. Beautiful, soft, warm, rich, tropical and as tasty as its cover.

[9/10]

Piotrek Czarnecki (nosnobsallowed.tv)

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS JANELLE MONAE

"THE ARCHANDROID" - Janelle Monáe



Two years ago Beyonce's younger, but not less talented sister, Solange Knowles, tried to put some cool experimental and eclectic twist into soul music. The list of producers on “Sol-Angel and The Hadley St. Dreams“ raised some eyebrows among the music moguls community. The effect: an ambitious version of her older sister's artistic endeavors and, sadly, less successful. Janelle Monae is another American soul singer and songwriter who tries to do the same. After an Ep and couple of a download only singles, later combined into her first mini-album “Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase)”, Janelle has set out to seriously stir up the pop world. Her first full release “The ArchAndroid” continues the genre-bursting journey into the cinematic future-retro world. As an inspiration Janelle lists, among others, Alfred Hitchcock, cabaret and the early sci-fi masterpiece “Metropolis”. Musically the album is a mix soul, funk, disco, jazz, hip-hop, musicals, vaudeville, symphonic soundtracks, even choral music and folk. A very eclectic mix indeed, which reminds me a lot of Andre 3000's “The Love Below”.
I'm not a fan of concept albums, which tend to get pompous, self-indulgent and mostly boring. They're full of distracting skits, pointless short instrumentals and revolve around some serious theme taking all the fun out of the music. By putting out an album like that, pop artists are painfully trying to prove of being more than “just” a pop artist. Apart from a few, like “ The Love Below” I've mentioned before, most of concept albums proved to be nothing else than quickly forgotten artistic cul-de-sacs. Fortunately The “ArchAndroid”, ambitious in both, form and content is anything but boring. The 70 minutes of the album is divided into two suites, each beginning with an overture reminiscing the orchestral scores of golden age of cinema. The plot, around which the album revolves, involves time travel, human cloning and Janelle's android alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather. It all would be very confusing, if the story was bigger than the music. Thank goodness it's the opposite. The plot just holds the album together and it doesn't get in the way of the music. There are ultra catchy songs and some clever production ideas here. The standout tracks and already singles, “Cold War” and “Tightrope”, prove that pop doesn't have to be brainless to be fun. The ultra sweet “Wondaland” is catchy and instantly makes you sway. Sunny “Locked in inside” is sharpened by Santana-like electric guitar. Smooth ballad “Sir Green-down” sounds like “Moon river 2010”. The album flows seamlessly from the beginning, merging the colorful tracks into delightful R'n'B cocktail. Janelle definitely knows the ingredients and who to mix them well with.

Her vocals are also a pure delight. Janelle hops between singing and rapping, melting both delivery styles into something of her own. From flawless rap on “Dance or die”, through the silky and warm soul in “Oh, maker” to Judy Garland style crooning in the closing “BaBopByeYa”. The cabaret-rock hybrid “Come Alive” sounds kinda punky with Janelle shouting over heavy guitar riff. There's also a collaboration with her old tour mates, flamboyant indie shouters, Off Montreal. Their quirky indie take on disco doesn't feel out of place on this already uber-eclectic record. “Make the bus” is another proof that mingling of the soul artists with the American indie scene brings surprisingly good effects. Just like Solange covering “Stillness is the move”, a track by another indie rock darlings, The Dirty Projectors, last year. There are others lending their talents on the record, like Outcast's BigBoy and inner city poet, Saul Williams. But their appearances remain barely noticeable blending into the background, as Janelle herself is running this show.

Pity that “The ArchAndroid” dies a bit at the end without reaching a cinematic grande finale. But Janelle, as Cindi Mayweather or not, will continue her journey and who knows where it will lead her considering her musical ADHD. Another thing the album lacks is a little bit of dark element to spice things up a bit. Some might find it too cartoonish and polite. It might be very hard to get over the Disneyims of this album in the times of Gaga turning pop into softporn controversy and the rest of the world following. But to try to put some innocence back into pop, without sounding too childish and naive, what Janelle manages here, is a huge achievement. If it won't gain too much of appraisal at the charts, it certainly will inspire some genre bending pop gems in the future. Lavish, rich and full of cultural references “The ArchAndroid” is as intelligent and as forward as pop gets these days.


(9/10)

Piotrek Czarnecki

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS M.I.A.

M.I.A. "/\/\/\Y/\"



While drowning in the ocean of very well behaved indie rock and over-sentimental chillwave, you wish music, both rock and electronic had grown some balls. There is so much politeness in the music nowadays. And it's not like there isn't anything to be pissed off about these days. Fabricated epidemics, ecodisasters, recession, wars, terrorism and conspiracy theories. There seems to be a great deal of denial mixed with a dose of consent to what's going on in the world right now among the musicians. Self-loathing rock kids can't stop sulking, hiding in the closet, pretending to be vampires. Electronic scene takes a hazy time-travel back to the 80's. And pop had switched on the auto-tune (no wonder Gaga became so popular). That's why arrival of M.I.A's new album is so much welcome. Not like it wouldn't be welcome anyway. M.I.A., a digital warrior princess and self-proclaimed musical terrorist, managed to please the critics and gain massive public approval without making any artistic compromises to her underground roots. As a singer, producer, visual artist and political activist, she also moved pop music's consciousness towards her homeland – Sri Lanka, the Indian subcontinent with Bollywood samples, the gorgeous looks of Eastern princess and sharp, political lyrics. Like most of the third generation of British Indians, M.I.A. feels tightly connected with her cultural heritage while comfortably using Western mainstream culture in her artistic expression. She never failed to amuse with tricky production and surprising sonic arrangements while sending strong political, anti-establishment message. Unfortunately this time M.I.A. seems to be losing her artistic balance.
Fresh from co-writing and co-producing a track for Christina Aguillera's not totally disastrous comeback, “Bionic”, M.I.A. delivers her least consistent album to date. Similar to her previous efforts, “MAYA” is a mixed bag filled with noisy, confusing jams and utterly brilliant pop gems that earned her superstar status. The usual hip-hop, electro and pop fusion is now spiked with the latest electronic craze known as dubstep thanks to the genre’s whizzkid, Rusko, adding his production skills to this ugly and sometimes beautiful mess. Listening to the first half of the album except “XXXO”, which I'll comeback to later on, I couldn't escape the feeling of listening to some bad demo tape. “Lovelot” and nursery rhyme-like “Stepping Up” are just plain annoying. Drunken “Teqkilla”, like the liquor, gives me a headache. Later on “Tell me why”, with its embarrassing use of auto-tune doesn't sound like M.I.A. at all.
But it's not all bad news. The first official single “XXXO” is surprisingly light and accessible and her most radio friendly tune to date. Even though it seems half-finished it is one of the best things on “MAYA”. On the contrary we've got the massive internet hit, the first track to leak from the album - “Born Free”. Based on Suicide's “Ghost rider” hypnotic sample, a call to arms that leaves you nothing but speechless, is one of her greatest accomplishments. Accompanied by shockingly violent video by Romain Gavras it might suggest that the place for her viral musical experiments is online, rather than on the record. Nonetheless slower tunes like “It iz what it iz”, “Space” or reggae jam “It takes a muscle” are the ones that sound finished and well thought-out here. Maybe it's the maternity or comfortable lifestyle that made M.I.A. put her fists down and cool down a bit. Plus, the four tracks thrown in with the special edition give some hope for the future but left me wondering why they weren't included on the LP's tracklisting instead some of the weaker tracks. A beautiful and messy “Illygirl”, for example, is better than “Stepping up” and “Teqkilla” put together.
Some might see “MAYA” as M.I.A.'s conscious step back from the pop spotlight into the shadows of the underground. Others will interprete it as just plain lack of creative ideas. I see it as a sonic snapshot of times we're living in – confused, full of digital noise, scraps of information, violent imagery and helpless struggle under the surveillance of governments. Although I'm aware of it, what I really wanted to hear was something to wake me up. Something to come along, grab you by the hair and drag you for miles while kicking me in the stomach. Unfortunately, apart from mere few moments, M.I.A.'s new album won't be the one to satisfy my hunger for a little bit of sonic masochism.

(6/10)

Piotrek Czarnecki

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS CHEMICAL BROTHERS

Chemical Brothers - "FURTHER"



Despite of spawning some amazing smash singles, like "Galvanize" and "Do it again", The Chemical Brothers' noughties albums are as forgettable as most of Eurovision entries every year. The other proof of the boys being stuck in the creative first gear is the fact that they released two compilations during the past decade. So instead of releasing another album full of overweight with hype collaborations and bland fillers (leave this to Simian Mobile Disco), Tom and Ed dug out the old blueprints to construct their latest. Out go the highly anticipated guest vocals, out go the mediocre album fillers. Instead we are served with psychedelic, multi-layered house epics put together in a sonic story of a cosmic journey. Eight massive festival tunes here, but sadly no hot singles destined for dancefloor reign. It is not a great revelation that it's a rather bold move in the time of Ipods and over-usage of the “shuffle” button.
The album lifts off with hazy “Snow”, a rare moment on the record when we hear human voice and a kind of a tune that could have been a closing track on any of The Chemical Brothers' previous efforts. It sounds like a great send off into space. A farewell to what's rational and from this planet. “The Escape Velocity” continues that journey with 12 minutes of ascending house beats and furious loops, while “Another World” is floating in zero gravity watching exploding supernovas. A galactic bounce of both, “Dissolve” and “Horse power”, is equally good. The only bland moment on “Further” is the erratic single “Swoon”. Based on a repetitive guitar riff and distant chanting doesn't seem to go anywhere and cannot stand against the brilliance of the rest of the material. The remixes of this tune on the other hand, by Boys Noize and Linsdtrom & Prins Thomas are worth checking out.
The rest of the album continues on with its main motive, a trippy cosmic travel to the edge of the universe (or drugged up mind's consciousness) and back. The fans are probably very pleased with the fact that The Chemical Brothers are back in top form. And to those still unconvinced I would recommend to sit down or go for run and have a listen to this album from start to finish, because The Chemical Brothers will be painting the festival skies with this sound all through the next summer.

(8.5/10)

Piotrek Czarnecki

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS MASSIVE ATTACK

There he is again, my personal favourite music geek out there - Mister Czarnecki aka Pan Di-Dziej with another one of his reviews. So glad we're making it a regular thing here Piotrek. Gr8 2 have u on board.



Massive Attack - "Heligoland"



I was really looking forward to listening to this album. And I really was looking forward to liking it. After seven years of waiting (forget that “Unleashed” soundtrack nonsense) and releasing a very promising EP last year, Massive Attack had eyes and ears of the world on them. The build-up and expectations were huge. With Grand Marshall, aka Daddy G, back on board, after 12 years of creative absence, and a showcase full of better or less known friends, producer and composer, Robert Del Naja (3D) was trying to recapture the atmosphere that once could creep the hell out of the listeners. Unfortunately he fails in most of the attempts. Promising moments of bliss can be found here and there, but in overall “Heligoland” lacks the consistency of the previous efforts.
Album begins with “Pray for rain”, a dark, slow burning, tribal tune, which is illogically broken by a light, poppy interlude in the middle. Tunde Abebimpe from Brooklyn based alternative choir/collective TV On A Radio provides vocals on this one. Funny enough, the next track “Babel”, with a guest appearance by Tricky's one-time muse, Martina Topley-Bird, sounds like something you'd normally find on an album by Abedimpe's band. But this soulful, wobbly bass fueled, electronic-indie rock crossover, makes you wonder, if you're listening to the right band. Topley-Bird gets another spot, fronting “Psyche”. Hypnotic “Girl, I love you” with reggae legend and Attack's longtime collaborator Horace Andy, sounds like a lost track from “Mezzanine”. Great, classic Massive Attack track with big, off sounding horns that, unfortunately, break the intimacy of the whole song. Both 3D fronted songs, “Rush minute” and “Atlas Air”, could be easily mistaken for tracks from his solo produced “100th Window”. The centerpiece of the record comes in form of “Splitting the atom” - the best thing you'll find on “Heligoland”. Massive Attack's signature blend of retro and futuristic sound, that manages to be spacious and claustrophobic at the same time, is delivered in style here. A huge bassline and a creepy choir chanting in the background together with a lush organ and glitchy beat create a perfectly haunted environment for this paranoid tune. All Massive's duty singers add a layer of their vocals here. Horace Andy's vibrating croon, Daddy G's gravely deep voice and 3D's digital lullaby come together in perfect harmony. A true gem. On the flipside, we've got too many pointless efforts, like i.e. "Flat of the blade". Elbow's Guy Harvey's half-sung, half-spoken nasal delivery over cacophonous, totally random sounding background makes you want to skip forward before the song kicks in. “Paradise Circus”, chosen to promote the album and fronted by Hope Sandoval, brings another slice of boredom. And Damon Albarn of Blur gets shoved again into our ears uninvited in “Sunday come slow”, another dull, primitive track.
It seems like Massive Attack are not a collective anymore. They surely do not sound like one. Of course all of their previous albums featured guest vocalists, but they managed to fit perfectly into musical canvas of the whole. This time I get the feeling that it's more about the big names, rather than songs. Apart from “Splitting the atom”, there's one more thing worth praising, the artwork. Full of political symbolism and inspired by the street art of Jean-Michel Basquiat, was created by 3D himself. Nonetheless “Heligoland” sounds like a half finished record to me.
With one half of the disc of barely listenable tracks, one true gem, and the rest sounding like bastard offspring of previous albums, Heligoland is a prefect guide to how to kill your own legend. Maybe it's the lack of creativity or maybe Massive Attack's main man was too busy being involved in politics, antiwar campaigning and other people's projects. Too busy to notice that his band's monopoly for creating the soundtrack for urban paranoia of digital times had been challenged by someone else. His name is Burial.

(5/10)

Piotrek Czarnecki

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PAN DI-DZIEJ VS HOT CHIP

A very good friend of mine and one of my musical gurus - Piotrek aka Pan Di-Dziej, dropped this juicy review of Hot Chip's latest effort. A great read especially 4 all those ones undecided 2 buy or not 2 buy. Brilliant 2 have u guest appearing on my blog Piotrek. More of it in the future please. Enjoy:




Hot Chip – "One Life Stand"

Hot Chip's front man Alexis Taylor is not a very good singer. Nor is Bob Dylan. Whereas Dylan's songs had been wildly covered by many artists throughout decades, bringing some ease for those less tolerant of his voice, this is unlikely going to happen with Hot Chip's material. Mostly because their songs aren't as politically or socially significant. It's not like Hot Chip write bad lyrics or tuneless melodies, but taken out of their natural environment – a quirky electro pop production – they wouldn't stand a chance. A good remix of a Hot Chip tune is also a rarity. That only shows the cheekiness of the band. This is as good as it gets. It won't get any better. Hot Chip could have been a great production team providing material for less imaginative pop stars. Instead they choose to deliver it themselves. This is what we have to offer – take it or leave it. What makes the Band of Geeks from London so significant is their "in your face” attitude and ability to work within their limitations, mocking them occasionally. White geeky boys trying to adopt soul and R'n'b for a laptop generation? That couldn't possibly work. But it does. Their first three LPs were a proof of that, so is their new album, “One life stand”, on which takes down a notch on their sonic experiments. “One night stand” is warmer, more polished and accessible. It's also less synthetic and more alive than previous ones. That might be a sign of growing up or sophistication. Or maybe Hot Chip finally discovered their inner rock band after years of touring and incorporating computer generated sounds with live instruments. With last year's arrival and popularity of bands Hot Chip clearly influenced, the likes of Passion Pit and Miike Snow, it is possible they felt a need to please more people. Then again the album lacks the potential hit singles like “A boy from school”, “Over & over” or “ Ready for the floor”. There are very strong moments and few possible singles here. “One life stand”, a synthpop gem reminiscent of Laid Back's 1983 hit single “White horse”, is as close you will get to a dancefloor filler. Opening tracks “Thieves in the night” and “Hand me down your love” introduce more mature songwriting and complex, lush arrangements (listen to the strings on “Hand me ..”). Halfway through the album slows down and delivers a trio of cozy songs that show sensible side of the boys. In a lullaby-like “Slush” Alexis takes his singing “talent” to another level. Providing the backing vocals as well, he handles the gorgeous melody very carefully in a great piano balladry style. He might not be the greatest singer, but he certainly feels the songs. The closing “Take it in” opens with dark, cloudy electro intro just to let some sunshine in with a catchy refrain and finish the album with an upbeat feeling. “One life stand” is a bold step and a proof of Hot Chip's progress.

(9/10)

Piotrek Czarnecki

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