When I was about nine or 10 and just starting to take a serious interest in music, my elder brother, in a rare show of fraternal indulgence, took it upon himself to introduce me to the delights of indie synth-pop. To my great surprise and eternal gratitude he presented me with a cassette tape (ask your parents kids!). On […]
synth pop
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Frontman Neil Arthur is disarmingly modest about their achievements, but Blancmange were one of the most successful bands to emerge from the experimental electronic music scene of the early ’80s. Blending pop melodies with dark lyrics and avant-garde programming and recording techniques, they went on to rack up seven Top 40 hits. Don’t Tell Me and Living On The Ceiling both reached the […]
Incredibly, OMD have been making music for nearly 40 years now and The Punishment Of Luxury is their 13th studio album. It’s a varied collection that sees them again refusing to trade on past glories, tackling complex themes with invention and not a little humour.
For a little over an hour on a cold October Sunday a packed O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire was taken back in time to 1981 – when Dallas was TV gold and leather ties, wedge haircuts and ultra-thin ponytails were all the rage. Margaret Thatcher was in power, there were riots on the streets of Brixton and Toxteth and a […]
Happy Robots boss and one time Peel’s Festive 50 fave Rodney Cromwell releases a new 5-track EP on November 11. The Fax Message Breakup EP follows Cromwell’s well-received debut album Age of Anxiety and features exclusive remixes of album cuts Happy Robot and Cassiopeia.