OMD "Bauhaus Staircase" (2023)

Bauhaus Staircase

release date: Oct. 27, 2023

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,55]

producer: OMD

label: 100% Records / White Noise - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Bauhaus Staircase" - 2. "Anthropocene" - 4. "G.E.M." - 5. "Where We Started" - 6. "Veruschka" - 8. "Don't Go" - 10. "Aphrodite's Favourite Child"

14th studio album by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - the fourth since the band's reformation in 2006, follows six full years after The Punishment of Luxury (Sep. 2017). As all the band's four studio albums of the new Millennium, the album production is credited the band and most tracks are written and composed by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys with the former taking the strongest role as songwriter - business as usual. The band hasn't exactly lived without exchanging members and the line-up with the two founding members McCluskey and Humpreys alongside keyboardist Martin Cooper are now on their fourth consecutive album together, whereas drummer Stuart Kershaw, who took part in the writing of five tracks on Liberator (1993), debuted on the 2017 album.

Bauhaus Staircase not only continues where the band left us in 2017 but basically adopts the sound they have stuck to since the reformation and the release of History of Modern (2010), and the title referencing the German art school pretty much sums up what kind of legacy they aim for - and they do know how it connotates an early electronic European tradition, which implies both Jean-Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk. The album cover reflects the same perspective, as we've seen it with their four most recent albums. From the Pacific Age (1986) to Universal (1996) OMD found themselves - if not on a downward spiral, then at least on a negative trend, where they seemed to be caught on the wrong foot, searching of a proper style, which ultimately had McCluskey dissolve the band in '96. After the reunion, however, the band acts very determined to stick to a simple synth-pop founded on synths, drums, and melodic uptempo tunes that somehow all incorporate some of the characteristics of the band's earliest years. Since 2008 they have released live-versions of their most popular albums and been on tours only performing the albums Dazzle Ships and Architecture & Morality, and they have released the live album Access All Areas (2015) dedicated to hits of their heydays.

I feel somewhat undecided on this as I sense much reproduction and not much new, and then on the other hand I acknowledge that they really understand their own strengths and keep to these in a predictable, yet also quite charming way. My first impression was basically a complete rejection, and I thought it was game over. And again, I have to hand it to McCluskey & Co. as they know how to keep the torch alive.

Recommended.

[ Mojo, PopMatters, Record Collector, Uncut 4 / 5, Clash 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Grrrl Gang "Spunky!" (2023)

Spunky!

release date: Sep. 22, 2023

format: digital (10 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,65]

producer: Lafa Pratomo, Grrrl Gang

label: Green Island Music - nationality: Indonesia

Track highlights: 1. "Birthday Blues" - 2. "A Fight Breaks Out at a Karaoke Bar" - 3. "Rude Awakening" - 4. "Spunky!" - 5. "Cool Girl" - 9. "Blue Stained Lips" - 10. "The Star"

Full-length studio album debut by Indonesian trio Grrrl Gang. The album follows the compilation Here to Stay! (2020) and the ep debut Not Sad, Not Fulfilled (2018). Grrrl Gang consist of lead vocalist and guitarist Angeeta Sentana, bassist and vocalist Akbar Rumandung, guitarist and vocalist Edo Alventa, and together they formed the power pop trio in Yogyakarta, Java in 2016 - since then, they have relocated to the capital city of Jakarta.

Spunky!" is a ten track album; however, running for less than 25 mins. it's a rather short album. And frankly, that only makes you wish they had more songs on their repertoire 'cause it's really a fine addictive list of power pop tunes you probably wouldn't expect to originate from Asia - and say least of all: Indonesia. The three met and formed at Gadjah Mada University but might as well have formed in Seattle, or somewhere else in the US, which is like the living proof of how the world has become much smaller when speaking of music culture. Grrrl Gang play power pop and indie rock - in the 90s often referred to as college rock with bonds to The Breeders, Pixies, Echobelly, Throwing Muses and the like.

It's straight-forward and simple, and then it reminds us of how you could just go on and form a band back in 1977/80, or say 1990, just as long as you had some fundamental skills in place, and Grrrl Gang surely know one or two things about composing energetic indie pop.

Spunky! is already an acclaimed album - NME puts it at number #48 on its list of the 50 best albums of the year. I guess all three band members could very well have found, or hoped for another type of living than what they sat out for when deciding to relocate to the capital to find day jobs, and then instead ended up in a successful band.

Highly recommended.

[ NME 4 / 5, Under the Radar 7,5 / 10, 👍Loud and Quiet 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter "Saved!" (2023)

SAVED! [debut]

release date: Oct. 20, 2023

format: digital (11 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 2 / 5] [1,88]

producer: 'Brother' Seth Manchester

label: Perpetual Flame Ministries - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 2. "All of My Friends Are Going to Hell"

Studio album debut as Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter (aka Kristin Hayter), who released four full-length albums from 2017 to 2021 under the name of Lingua Ignota - the final album being Sinner Get Ready (Aug. 2021). SAVED! is like her recent releases on the Sargent House label engineered by (now: 'Brother') Seth Manchester. Hayter's Lingua Ignota project was centered around a neo-classical darkwave style with obvious bonds to the music by Diamanda Galás, whereas the change of project-name signals a change of style. Musically, Hayter still makes anything but ordinary pop music - SAVED! has been labelled 'Southern Gospel' and / or 'Appalachian Music', but in any case it's still highly experimental and bonded to darkwave. The album consists of 11 tracks, which are all arranged, recorded, and mixed as if stemming from early twentieth century recordings. Instrumentally, it's quite simple with banjo and piano as only other dominating instruments apart from Hayter's lamenting vocal, which is much less aggressive than her albums as Lingua Ignota, and the production and mixing aspects quite obviously seek to present the music as recorded on a cheap ancient device of some sort. Deliberately, the volume goes up and down, there are cut-ups and fall-outs in sound, and everything is kept as an amateur's first take.

Regardless making music as this or that project, Hayter seems determined to explore Christian holy scriptures, and on this she examines the theme of salvation. The album has been met by critical acclaim, despite speaking to an extremely cult-like audience. From the reviews I've read it appears that critics agree on describing the music here as extreme, with little variation, and as challenging. Critics also note Hayter's artistic determination to stand out and go her very own way, which in some cases stand in the way of actually dealing with musical qualities as such. I find that only few actually describe the music they hear on this as beautiful, delicate, majestic, whatever. Appealing would suffice but that is hardly the point because it's not. Hayter is put in a 'holy' and exclusive category, where form over matter is all there is. In any case, it is an extremely coherent album, and that's of course a positive trait, but there are no tracks on this that will satisfy a hope of finding music you would want as background music for dancing, resting, or for an intimate dinner for two - I guess, this is where the term challenging enters the description. And hey, it's really not intimate at all, and it doesn't scream sing-along potential! In fact, imho, and at best, I find it extreme... but mostly also extremely dreadful. 👉This is form over matter, it's the Emperor's new clothes and there's no way, I'll recommend this!👈

[ The Line of Best Fit, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 7,5 / 10, Exclaim 3,5 / 5 stars ]