MUSIC | Records
ALBUM OF THE ISSUE
CLASSICAL ELECTRONICA NILS FRAHM All Melody (Erased Tapes) ●●●●● For two years, Berlin-based composer Nils Frahm has been working towards the production of a record that manages to depict his own imagination and internal musical dialogue without restriction. The result, All Melody, is a triumph in its captivating use of contrasting ideas,
unconventional instrumentation and mesmerizing builds.
‘Sunson’ epitomises this perfectly, with Frahm using three notes as a foundation, then working in variations on this theme. By the end, there are so many wonderful colours and textures in play that something initially simple has become a sprawling canvas of melody and harmony. Vocals are utilised to interesting effect throughout, from opener ‘The Whole Universe Wants to Be Touched’ which enlists a chorus of voices to build a haunting and ethereal ambience, to ‘Human Range’ where the wordless singing imitates the timbre of a string orchestra.
Title track ‘All Melody’ most clearly underlines the album’s mission statement, with its skittish electronics and reverb ebbing and flowing as the emphasis falls on the developing melody. Frahm’s unorthodox approach to composition has led him to forge a partnership between piano and electronics which produces a musical landscape that is rich and entirely absorbing. All Melody is somehow more expansive than previous releases, despite its titular focus on the intricacy of individual melodies and recapitulated themes. What Frahm ultimately strives for, and succeeds in creating, is a minimalism that maximises the beauty, emotion and essence of the entire musical picture, without losing any hint of subtlety or finesse. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Out now. Nils Frahm plays Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Thu 1 Mar.
ART ROCK FRANZ FERDINAND Always Ascending (Domino) ●●●●●
In the five years since the release of their last album (we aren’t counting 2015’s Sparks collaboration), guitarist Nick McCarthy has departed, while electronic producer Julian ‘Miaoux Miaoux’ Corrie has been recruited. Add in another new member who isn’t on this album – guitarist Dino Bardot, formerly of the band 1990s – and it equals the 2018 reincarnation of Glasgow art rockers Franz Ferdinand, marking the first significant membership upheaval during their quality- filled 15-year existence. Produced by Cassius’ Philippe Zdar, the record is clear but not polished in its intended rawness, steered by the ever-present and wryly compelling confidence of Alex Kapranos’ lead vocal. Franz’s fifth album is dense with ideas and sonic playfulness: the title track is one of the most focused and well-realised results, with Corrie’s grinding synthesiser riffs and ghostly backing vocals lending the song an air of Django Django, while ‘Lazy Boy’s mantra-like hymn to the joys of sleeping-in is relentlessly catchy, coming in like Giorgio Moroder and going out like the Fire Engines.
‘Feel the Love Go’ finally brings the band together with the club movement of their very earliest days, adding squelchy electroclash keys to an archetypal Franz Ferdinand chorus. Meanhile the closing track, ‘Slow Don’t Kill Me Slow’, is a gently swooning ballad which takes the band as close as they’re ever likely to get to Low. There are plenty highs throughout which you want to hear again
such as the wistful ‘Huck & Jim’s grungy declaration that ‘We’re going to America / We’re going to tell them ‘bout the NHS’ and ‘The Academy Award’ with its plaintive orchestral dismissal of melodrama. But at other points some songs
are overly busy, switching tone and style midway, as though the right hook can’t quite be decided upon. They are a new band, after all, and they’re still finding their feet. (David Pollock) ■ Out Fri 9 Feb. See preview, page 74.
76 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018 76 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018
DJ EP NIGHTWAVE Sanctuary (Fool’s Gold) ●●●●●
The most exciting DJs are always the ones that you can’t pigeonhole or categorise as they continually traverse eclectic and unexpected territory. Maya Medvesek, better known as Nightwave, has carved a reputation around the UK for her forward-thinking sets and dynamic execution of everything from footwork to techno. The release of her Wavejumper EP in 2017 was an indication of where her sound was heading, but new EP Sanctuary takes this one step further, with four tracks of high-energy ravetastic grooves and thundering bass.
Opening track ‘Limelight’ is a euphoric house banger with a steady, pulsating beat, soulful female vocals tying it all together. ‘Sanctuary’ continues in similar vein, bolstered by some playfully quirky melodies and airy choral-like harmonies. The final two tracks, ‘Tarmac’ and ‘Fantazia’, are bass-heavy apocalyptic pieces, clearly designed to be enjoyed in a packed and sweaty club environment.
In a city like Glasgow, renowned internationally for names like Optimo,
LuckyMe and Numbers, it can take something that little bit extra to stand out from the crowd. For women in electronic music, it’s often a greater struggle to be heard, appreciated and respected, but with each DJ that breaks down these barriers, the industry becomes more diverse, creating a more level playing field for future talent. Medvesek has long been an advocate for gender equality, taking steps to
ensure that her success translates to better access and opportunities for women. As well as hosting programming and DJ workshops, she also co-runs Producergirls, which aims to encourage more young women to take up electronic music production. Though her activism is highly regarded throughout the industry, her skills as a producer have garnered her most praise. Sanctuary is the latest in a line of strong Nightwave releases and mixes that place her in the same league as some of Glasgow’s finest. (Arusa Qureshi) ■ Out Fri 2 Feb.
EP COLLECTION BELLE & SEBASTIAN How To Solve Our Human Problems (Matador Records) ●●●●●
Three years ago, Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance heralded a seemingly fresh slate for the Belle & Sebastian boys and girl. Largely sidestepping the jangly lo-fi indie textures that made their name in the mid to late 90s, Murdoch and co had moved into seriously poppy territory which owed more to Pet Shop Boys than Tigermilk.
With the three EPs comprising How to Solve Our Human Problems, the band are touching base on their gloriously minimalist past as well as the slickly produced tune-heavy current state they are in. Opening track ‘Sweet Dew Lee’ starts off sounding like their homage to Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen album before launching into an 80s synth instrumental break which suggests they’ve been mainlining both seasons of Stranger Things at once. It’s perhaps the number which best captures this mighty jousting between past and present, with both periods coming up smelling of something akin to roses. Elbowing their way between the lo-fi and hi-energy is a surprisingly quasi-
psychedelic sheen on tracks such as ‘Everything Is Now Part Two’ and ‘Cornflakes’. On the downside, ‘The Girl Doesn’t Get It’ is just too sprightly to love while closer ‘Best Friend’ could have landed on a Glasvegas album, and ‘Same Star’ sheds an almost Motown-infused skin, but knows exactly where to draw the line before teetering into parody. For longstanding Belle & Sebastian watchers, a trio of EPs may make them
pine for the ‘Dog on Wheels’, ‘Lazy Line Painter Jane’ and ‘3..6..9 Seconds of Light’ triptych that first brought them to the attention of indie lovers in Glasgow before trampolining them to higher acclaim. While with this current threesome, they might not have produced all the solutions to our current global malaise, for the best part of an hour, Belle & Sebastian have certainly made life sweet again. (Brian Donaldson) ■ Out Fri 16 Feb.