Music

1New Flesh LOVE OBJECT

Love Object is the intriguing new electro pop / darkwave project of elusive Moscow duo Dasha Utochka and Danya Muu. Both have previously toured the world as DJs – Utochka as DJ Aktu and Muu as Mucity – whilst Utochka is a co-founder of the erotic magazine Areola. At times other-worldly, Love Object fuses electronic body music (EBM) with electroclash and disco. There are numerous references to punk and industrial, each song injected with a richly layered and combative energy.

Track by track, the album offers a fascinating journey. Opener Love Kill is a brooding mid-tempo excursion with pulsing synths and electronic bass reminiscent of 1980s Madonna and Pet Shop Boys melding buoyant pop with some of the darkness of prime Depeche Mode. Robot gives more than a nod to Kraftwerk, both in the title and the vocoder-effect vocals, and draws to a close with electronic effects that bring to mind early Human League.

Abyss, meanwhile, bears all the hallmarks of an energetic and minimal 1990s dance track with only the starkly cold vocals keeping it from straying too far into commercial chart territory. Taking a somewhat darker turn, Virus bears the same icy vocal delivery against a stark electronic backdrop that sounds like a long-lost Gary Numan single. On the vibrant Transparent Woman, the tempo is raised, offset with an incessant vocal melody that locks itself into your brain and refuses to leave.

Although there are clearly numerous influences across the breadth of the album, it never falls into the trap of electro-by-numbers, nor does it ever sound truly retro. The on-point production, combined with icy and robotic vocal delivery, offers the right amount of individuality and modernity that will make this album stand out. Words Matt Swain

italiansdoitbetter.com

2Kids Against the Machine NOGA EREZ

Early in 2021, Israeli singer Noga Erez released the electronic pop, bass-heavy, original incarnation of her much applauded second album KIDS. Months later comes this re-imagining of the very same songs, backed with entirely live and completely revived production values.

On the surface, it’s festival friendly, leaning heavily on the seriously talented brass section to punctuate each of the songs. However, this is a glorious and consistent component to an already joyous project, which surprisingly surpasses its predecessor, enchanting a raw passion behind the words. Whilst lyrically not always the most complex or boundary pushing, the flows, fervent delivery and vibe are immaculate. Every take of lead and backing vocal is exactly where it should be, and the symbiosis between Erez and the musicians is second to none, which is no mean feat given that this is essentially a project of remixes, a phrase which does not quite do it justice.

The live music production almost feels 2001-era Dr Dre – in its clean head-nod rigidity, especially on VIEWS, featuring ROUSSO, which is a pounding march. The extremely beautiful You So Done sees Erez sweetly singing over heart-wrenching, reverbed guitar, really close to the mic in the style of Karen O. Candyman is a layered masterpiece, children singing in the background with Erez taking the lead, intimately whispering, hitting you in the gut like the first time hearing Don’t Speak by No Doubt.

The album’s closer Switch Me Off teeters into wavy, jazz club at midnight territory with background white noise, mysterious electric piano chords and smoky duet vocals. Ultimately, this is a fantastic, pivoted look at an already great album, bringing new angles to songs that fans would have only have just gotten their head around. Words Kyle Bryony

nogaerez.com

3Covers CAT POWER

There is something new in Cat Power's sound that feels like the dawn of a new era: of fortitude and drive. The source of which are not just strong vocals, but drums that, unlike in previous songs, lead with a reduced, serene confidence on eye level with the vocals. Covers is Chan Marshall's (aka Cat Power's) third album with reinterpretations, after The Covers Record (2000) and Jukebox (2008). It showcases an eclectic selection of 12 self-produced tracks by Dead Man's Bones, Nico, Iggy Pop, The Replacements, Lana Del Rey, Bob Seger and Kitty Wells. The album kicks off with a powerful rendition of Frank Ocean's Bad Religion. A guitar soars, the drums pushing the song forward, constantly wanting to speed up the tempo and thus tricking us into anticipating a grand sonic take off. It does not happen; we are trapped in beautiful suspense. Unhate is an updated version of Marshall's own Hate from LP The Greatest (2006). She sang “I hate myself and I want to die,” Now, Unhate looks back on that previously raw devastation in the rear view mirror.

The Pogue's A Pair of Brown Eyes has kept its Irish folk song rhythm, but Marshall has created an eerie atmosphere with otherworldly sounding synth organs. On Nick Cave's I Had a Dream, Joe, a dark reverberating piano meets punk rhythms, and the album closes with Billie Holiday's I'll be Seeing You. Now: a grungy lullaby.

The title, Covers, is a hilarious understatement of Marshall's ability to turn existing compositions into entirely new ones – into her very own compositions, essentially. Seemingly carefree, she does not worry too much about the original melodies and words. Freedom is weaved into Power's sound, which, combined with melancholic and intimate vocals, makes this record her best work to date. Words Marthe Lisson