Tag Archives: electropop

Heaven 17, Junction J1, Cambridge, 22 May 2025

Opening with the powerful punch of ‘Crushed by the Wheels of Industry’, Heaven 17 showed that their back catalogue of electropop still resonates lyrically and musically. The original trio is now down to keyboard player Martyn Ware and vocalist Glenn Gregory, performing with extra keyboards and two backing singers tonight.

The show motored along at frenetic pace; ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’ and ‘We Live So Fast’ countered by the slower ‘Come Live With Me’ and the majestic ‘Let Me Go’. With plenty of crowd connection and onstage banter it was a great concert atmosphere. The frequently played ‘Temptation’ was a grand finale to the densely packed main set, but to many the use of the original synthesiser that was featured in the recording of ‘Being Boiled’ was a special gem of the evening…

https://www.heaven17.com/

Jo Ash : Mutation, EP released April 2025

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A trio of new recordings from composer/singer Jo Ash, starting with ‘Fear’, a re-imagining of a standout song originally played by her rock band Derecho and since honed by live performances in her solo shows. With pacy keyboards and beats, bass notes pushing their way in and an urgency in the vocal it rolls through moody verses and powers into the killer choruses.

‘Raven Sky’ is one of Jo’s gentler storytelling songs, filled with atmosphere and foreboding. Sparse instrumentation eventually breaks out into bold sonic layers for the grand finale before drifting off into space. ‘Coda’ is a clever lyric full of questions over another fizzing electronic rhythm; it gets to twist and mutate towards the end. These three gems are a change of direction for this talented performer who is always pushing her music into uncharted territory.

http://www.joashmusic.com

emzae : All Those Things I Thought I Knew, LP released 1 Sept 2023

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A summation of her spellbinding single releases and with a temptation of new tracks, this long-player from singer/songwriter/musician emzae finally arrives.

Starting with the up-tempo ‘Overrated’ as a statement of intent then ‘As This Day Fades to Another’ is a punchy and sparse groove, while ‘Strip Lights’ is a mini-movie of alienation over a mellow flow of synthesiser and percussion. ‘Another Lesson Learnt’ shows how she can sustain and develop an idea over a longer time, with a lyric built around the central idea ‘…I want to belong… just like anyone….what do I have if i’m not rushing into the future?…’.

The lush and hypnotic atmosphere of ‘Lucid Dreaming’ takes the listener to another place, even if it is a bit unsettling ‘…going through the motions like I got this in control….balancing personas but I can’t restrict my soul…’ ‘I Guess, Anyway’ is the central track of the album; a rich six minutes of lyrical density and melodic elegance that fully immerses the listener in the swirling waltz, but the self narration of ‘Clairvoyant’ also cuts right to the core. ‘Extraordinary’ and ‘THRIVE’ increase the pace with sharp hook lines and concise pop sensibilities, as does the slinky beats and knowing words of ‘It’s All Cyclical’.

With her deeply personal lyrics and the subtle musical touches that infuse each song ‘All Those Things I Thought I Knew’ is an impressive collection from this electro-pop alchemist.

https://emzaemusic.com/

https://emzae.bandcamp.com/album/all-those-things-i-thought-i-knew

emzae : I Guess, Anyway, single released 12 April 2023

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A new track from emzae; composed, performed and produced by the Derby based musician. It will be the central track on her forthcoming album ‘All Those Things I Thought I Knew’, due on 1st September this year. ‘I Guess, Anyway’ is the follow-up to the concise funky blast of ‘Extraordinary’, also to feature on the album.

In contrast to the casual tone of the title it is a sweeping, epic track encompassing many of the themes of her strong run of previous singles, both lyrically and musically. With a soothing introduction establishing the gentle waltz pace the phrases drift in and out ‘….if the sky still is the limit it seems like its falling for me….’ leading into ‘…..if only I’d taken a moment to capture the confidence I had before…’. There are four musical sections to investigate the themes of introspection and reflection, culminating in a big thoughtful chorus ‘…here I am at least twice my age at the same time I swear I’m too young, for the next stage….’.

Just when you think the song is ending in atmospheric contemplation big bold washes of sound create a guitar sounding solo to herald the strong finale; a cascade of dense electronic immersion for a passionate declaration of powerful words; ‘…..the knowing nothing years….desperate for loving years…..wishing for golden years…..hate getting older years……it’s all been played out before….’

I have followed emzae’s music for a while (see other reviews on this site) and with this track her gift for melody has combined with one of her best ever vocal performance to produce a brilliant result.

https://emzaemusic.com/

Photo credit : Madison Fiorenza

emzae : Strip Lights, single released 16 April 2021

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Always moving forward creatively, Derby based musician emzae adds a new single to her accomplished catalogue.

I have been listening back to many of her highlights (especially the textural beauty of ‘Another Lesson Learnt’ and the explosive tension of ‘As This Day Fades to Another (Rezzonator + Many Elephants Remix)’ ). The sublime 80s electrofunk confection of ‘Thrive’ burst out from lockdown last July and it is still sounding full of hooks and energy.

Now ‘Strip Lights’ places her narration in a gathering where perhaps she just doesn’t want to be, a metaphor for the confusion and unpredictability of modern social interaction; ‘…sit in the bar and listen, I just blur my vision, till the sparkles are just coloured dots…’ and ‘….I don’t want to be in this reality…‘. The lyric may tend towards the sombre but this is tempered by a moderate upbeat pace and the depth of production at which emzae excels.

From the welcoming introduction onward the layers of sound are complex and crafted, always framing the vocal to the right level. There is a recurring countermelody line, a bold flowering of synthesiser for the chorus and a bass groove that dances around underneath it all. It is another rewarding fusion of music, words and atmosphere, helped along by this performer’s unique vision for her work.

“…I definitely feel colour schemes when I’m listening to music, especially when I’m thinking of how artwork and visuals are going to look. I think of Strip Lights as green and orange…”

emzae (emzaemusic.com)

Emzae : Thrive, single released 31 July 2020 | cambridgemusicreviews

Lizard Brain : Confection, LP released 9 April 2021

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A new LP from Cambridge collective Lizard Brain is another very impressive set of unpredictable genre skipping, as if each band member has secretly added a track or two on without the others noticing…

With found voices and 80s pulse, opener ‘If Our Eyes Were Blue’ is a catchy electropop romp themed around a revealing 1960s psychological experiment on prejudice. Straight into ‘Othering’, a swampy metal blues that includes some of the social comment resonating with the events of the last year that is a recurring lyrical starting point on the album.

Lizard Brain are full of musical talent and studio invention; witness the programmed beats frenzy of ‘Round And Round’, the melancholic clarinet solo on thoughtful piano ballad ‘Featureless Zone’ and the lush synth tones of ‘Turning The Wheel’ and ‘Black Hole Love’.

There is usually a dark undertow beneath the original impression of the song; from some enigmatic words ‘…Iʼve been driving down the road…in my juggling clothes….’ or ‘…I fed you worms and said it was spaghetti….’ or ‘….and when push comes to shove you’ll be ready to watch them drown…..’ to music that creates a complex and haunting atmosphere, such as the building gothic nightmare of ‘Sleepyhead’ and mind-expanding electronics of ‘Just Relax’ (which is still strangely reassuring?).

Escapist, expansive and unnerving, the Lizards have produced another strong collection to creatively stand alongside their previous work.

Music | Cambridge | Lizard Brain Band (wixsite.com)

Lizard Brain : Stray, LP released 18th January 2019 | cambridgemusicreviews

German Shepherd Records – Different Noises For Your Ears

Scatter : Disappear, EP released February 2021

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A new four track EP from Scatter, the recording name for Stockholm based musician Erik Bergqvist (also part of Victorian Tin and Schaum).

1.Disappear. The mellow title piece features echoing electric piano with a late-night pace and a verse that takes its time to build up to the cryptic phrase ‘….gravity’s the same or slightly weakened thanks to old champagne….’, but there is less ambiguity about the key lines ‘…..and you’re gone so I might just also disappear….’. The whole track is framed with melancholy; reminiscent of some of the bleaker tones of the eighties UK charts where the pop gems emerged triumphantly from the music scenes of declining industrial towns.

2.Eyes Shut Down. Now sink into this track, a waltzing meditation on love and loss that seems to roll across a natural landscape filmed in black and white. A cello sound and brief guitar solo breaks through the mix but it is the soothing rhythm of the acoustic guitar that gently dominates.

3.Forgetfulness. This is an EP of textural variety, on probably my favourite song the fully electronic backing moves along animatedly as Erik’s vocal adds the emotional naturalism. It is akin to Mark Hollis’s velvet tones on tracks by atmospheric-electro pioneers Talk Talk.

4.The Seventh Stranger. A loosely structured melodic ballad; roving fretless bass, acoustic and electric piano and guitar, found voices and a double vocal weaving around to form an immersive five minutes.

Everlasting Records | Facebook

Gia Margaret : Solid Heart, single released January 2021

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Timeless and placeless, ‘Solid Heart’ is a gentle meditation appropriate to a season of cold and consideration, with some hints of optimism too. Chicago based singer/instrumentalist/producer Gia Margaret has taken a straightforward chord sequence, added electronics and piano embellishments and a voice that is hardly there; almost ghostly but still able to drive the song along. The overall effect is calmly breath-taking.

Gia describes her music as ‘sleep rock’ and on previous release ‘Barely There’ the atonal synth background joined with a spoken vocal to create an emotionally rich soundscape; on her other 2020 single ‘apathy’ hypnotic arpeggios threaded their way through dreamier territory with no horizon in sight. This was paired with ‘body’, a sampled lecture on physical self-awareness that raised more questions than answers, as the electronic sequencing danced along, beguiling and rewarding.

Gia Margaret | Facebook

Apteekii : What’s Real?, single released January 2021

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The debut single from Cambridge band Apteekii starts with a gentle but moody piano punctuated by restless electronic pulses. The lyric soon sets the tone of the message of this track with the bleak ‘….just another Saturday…as you scream into the void…..alI I hear is birds that tweet….’. It is portraying a swirling mix of the pernicious influences of fake news, distorted messages and the exploitation of negative social media. This is chillingly shown by the infamous comments that scroll behind the song words within the video.

It is not all downbeat – despite the despairing ‘….the more I read, the less I see, the less I understand…’ of the chorus the music sounds more optimistic. It is lifted by layers of synthesiser with a rich cello sound and there are glimmers of hope; ‘…so be my guide…to know what’s right…before it’s washed away…’ could be a fragment from a tender love song.

This is a complex, immaculately produced and thoughtful debut from this talented trio.

Apteekii | Facebook

Jackie Beverly : Sea Glass, single released November 2020

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Combining a pure folk voice with the lustre of electronic layers and a pulsing rhythm underlay, composer and singer/instrumentalist Jackie Beverly released ‘Sweet Goodbye’ earlier this year. This continued to build her reputation on the Irish music scene after the soulful tones of 2019’s ‘Someone Else’ (showcased to perfection on a live YouTube version).

Starting with acoustic guitar and vocal, new single ‘Sea Glass’ is a creative weaving together of timeless imagery ‘……. separate the sea glass from the sand….but the waves are strong….’, elegiac reflection (including a poignant sample of Marilyn Monroe ‘….I could easily be alone it doesn’t bother me to be alone….’) and attractive instrumentation. This includes the richness of a cello, echoing acoustic piano and some unhurried and sensitive percussion.

The video carries on the sense of melancholy but tempered with macabre fun as Jackie’s band and friends appear as ghost-sheeted figures in the background. They gradually multiply and take over until they are chasing Jackie down the road in Dublin’s Portobello as the repeated line ‘…..no-one ever told me that the days and nights would feel the same….’ brings this attractive but thoughtful track to an end.

https://www.facebook.com/jackiebeverlymusic/