Cocteau Twins released their fifth studio album, “Blue Bell Knoll,” through 4AD on 19 September 1988. Capitol Records licensed the record from 4AD for North America, making it the first Cocteau Twins album to receive major-label distribution in the United States. The dream pop album turns 38 this year.

Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser named the album after Bluebell Knoll, a peak in southern Utah. Guitarist Robin Guthrie produced the record and handled keyboards along with synth and drum machine programming, while Simon Raymonde played bass and keyboards. All ten tracks are credited to Fraser, Guthrie and Raymonde: the title track, “Athol-Brose,” “Carolyn’s Fingers,” “For Phoebe Still a Baby,” “The Itchy Glowbo Blow,” “Cico Buff,” “Suckling the Mender,” “Spooning Good Singing Gum,” “A Kissed Out Red Floatboat” and “Ella Megalast Burls Forever.” Fraser sang the whole album in her own constructed language.

Raymonde later described the sessions as a settled period for the trio: “it really felt like a period of creativity and freedom, we were all getting on great musically and socially, Liz and Robin were about to have a baby, I was about to get married, there was lots of joy around. Very productive! It was a really fun record to make.” Fraser connected that ease to the decision to drop conventional lyrics, telling The Quietus in 2017: “I gained so much from [inventing language] […] Writing Blue Bell Knoll I had a wonderful freedom to put lyrics aside and not to worry [about people’s opinions].”

The album reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 109 on the US Billboard 200, and “Carolyn’s Fingers” climbed to number two on the US Alternative Airplay chart. Promotional videos accompanied “Carolyn’s Fingers” and “Cico Buff.” The vinyl edition came in a limited gatefold sleeve, and the album was the first 4AD title issued commercially on DAT. After 4AD reclaimed the North American rights to its back catalogue, Guthrie remastered “Blue Bell Knoll” for a 2003 reissue, and the album was repressed on 180g vinyl in 2014. It streams on Spotify.

About Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins formed in 1979 in Grangemouth, Scotland, around guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie, who took the band name from a song by fellow Scots Simple Minds. Guthrie met Elizabeth Fraser in Falkirk in 1981 and asked her to sing. The group signed to 4AD and issued its debut album, “Garlands,” in 1982, followed by “Head over Heels” in 1983. Heggie left that year and Simon Raymonde replaced him, arriving in time for 1984’s “Treasure.” Two albums came in 1986: “Victorialand,” recorded largely as a duo while Raymonde worked on This Mortal Coil, and “The Moon and the Melodies,” a collaboration with ambient composer Harold Budd. “Blue Bell Knoll” followed on 19 September 1988 and became the band’s first record to enter the US Billboard 200, a direct result of the Capitol licensing deal. “Heaven or Las Vegas” arrived in 1990 and closed the group’s run on 4AD; Cocteau Twins then signed to Fontana for “Four-Calendar Café” (1993) and “Milk & Kisses” (1996), and disbanded in 1997. All three have kept working since. Side-Line covered Raymonde’s Bella Union label presenting the debut album by his project Lost Horizons in 2017, Guthrie’s ‘Riviera’ EP in 2021 and his ‘Springtime’ EP in 2022, and reported that Fraser had returned with her first new material in 13 years in 2022. “Blue Bell Knoll” turns 38 this year, the record that opened the American market to the band two years before its 4AD run ended.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Cocteau Twins released their sixth studio album, “Heaven or Las Vegas,” through 4AD on 17 September 1990, with Capitol Records distributing the album in the United States. The dream pop record turns 36 this year.

The trio, vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Simon Raymonde, wrote, recorded and produced “Heaven or Las Vegas” themselves at September Sound, the studio Guthrie set up inside Pete Townshend’s former Eel Pie Studios in Twickenham. The ten-track album opens with “Cherry-coloured Funk” and “Pitch the Baby” and also includes “Iceblink Luck,” “Fifty-fifty Clown,” the title track “Heaven or Las Vegas,” “I Wear Your Ring,” “Fotzepolitic,” “Wolf in the Breast,” “Road, River and Rail” and closer “Frou-frou Foxes in Midsummer Fires.” It followed 1988’s “Blue Bell Knoll” and reached number seven on the UK Albums Chart and number 99 on the US Billboard 200. “Heaven or Las Vegas” streams on Spotify.

About Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins formed in 1979 in Grangemouth, Scotland, when guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie began writing songs together, taking their name from a song by fellow Scottish band Simple Minds. Guthrie met 17-year-old Elizabeth Fraser at a Falkirk disco in 1981 and invited her to sing; her wordless, high-register vocal style became the group’s signature. The trio signed to 4AD in 1982 and released their debut album, “Garlands,” the same year, followed by “Head over Heels” in 1983. Heggie left after “Head over Heels” and was replaced by multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde, who joined in time for 1984’s “Treasure,” the band’s first UK Top 40 album. Cocteau Twins released two albums in 1986, “Victorialand” and a collaboration with ambient composer Harold Budd titled “The Moon and the Melodies,” before “Blue Bell Knoll” (1988) became their first record to chart on the US Billboard 200. “Heaven or Las Vegas” followed on 17 September 1990, recorded and self-produced at the band’s own September Sound studio, and became the trio’s highest-charting UK album. Cocteau Twins left 4AD after the record and signed to Fontana, releasing “Four-Calendar Café” (1993) and “Milk & Kisses” (1996) before disbanding in 1997. Guthrie and Raymonde have continued releasing music individually since: Side-Line reported on Raymonde’s Bella Union label presenting the debut album by his project Lost Horizons in 2017, and on Guthrie’s ‘Riviera’ EP in 2021 and his 60th-birthday ‘Springtime’ EP in 2022. Fraser also returned to recording in 2022, her first new material in 13 years, as Side-Line reported. “Heaven or Las Vegas” turns 36 this year, still marking the commercial high point of the band’s decade-long run on 4AD.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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It all began in 1983 under the name Xymox, a musical project founded and spearheaded by Ronny Moorings. Shortly after, the project evolved into Clan Of Xymox, marking the birth of a band destined to leave an indelible mark on the Dark-Wave scene. Signed by the legendary British label 4AD, the band released two seminal albums that would become classics in the genre. While they briefly returned to the original name, since 1997, they have been known exclusively as Clan Of Xymox. What makes Clan Of Xymox truly special is not only their pioneering role in the New/Dark-Wave movement but their unwavering ability to create valuable and impactful music over the decades.

Unlike many of their contemporaries, who often rely on the nostalgia of 80s hits, Clan Of Xymox has consistently released strong, fresh material, proving that their creative spirit remains as vibrant as ever. With a career spanning over 40 years, Clan Of Xymox has firmly established themselves as one of the most influential forces in Dark-Wave. Ronny Moorings has remained true to the essence of his sound while allowing it to evolve, ensuring a timeless yet contemporary edge. Their latest and 18th studio album, “Exodus”, released via Trisol (Germany) and Metropolis (USA), is a testament to this balance. Featuring a collection of masterful tracks, the album combines melancholic, dark, atmospheres with Pop-infused arrangements that are both haunting and danceable.

I felt it was the perfect time to take a retrospective look at Clan Of Xymox’s incredible journey. In this interview, Ronny Moorings graciously shared his insights, reflecting on the band’s beginnings, their evolution, and their current work. I am deeply thankful for his enthusiastic cooperation and for taking the time to answer in such detail. His dedication to crafting inspired music over such a long period is remarkable, as is the man behind the artist. Respect! (Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

‘I Wanted To Be A Part Of Things Which Were Happening In Front Of My Eyes’

Q: Getting back to the early 1980s which marked the rise of New-Wave music and subgenres like Dark-Wave, Cold-Wave, and Post-Punk. How do you reflect on those formative years and what do you recall from the very beginning of your career? Specifically, what events or circumstances led to the formation of Xymox and, later, Clan Of Xymox and what was your original dream when you first started making music?

Ronny: I will make this a short story because there is so much to say about how it came to be. I was in bands from on my childhood in my birth town Roosendaal (NL) where I already played live at the age of 11 with older 15 year old friends. When it was time for me to study, I first moved to The Hague, deciding after a year of Social Academy that I’d rather do a Sociology study in Nijmegen.

In the early 80’s there was a lot going on. Musically we had the Deutsche Welle and from the U.K. came New-Wave. This appealed a lot to me and DJed (what I also already did in Roosendaal as a teenager) this type of music in the local venue Doornroosje. It was volunteers work, but I got to see all the cool bands coming in.
The alternative scene was thriving in the whole of The Netherlands. Naturally many British bands were on the fore front of innovation. The Goth / Wave movement came also to Doornroosje. I remember especially Bauhaus and The Virgin Prunes making a big impression on me because they sounded and looked visually stunning. The Virgin Prunes making a complete theatre out of their show; it looked like genuine madness with a lot of stuff flying about on stage. With Bauhaus, Peter Murphy just looked the ideal part, a new ‘thin white duke’ with white light shining under his chin and the rest of the band in fluorescent colours, exposed with a black light.

Every week there was a brilliant band to be seen in Paradiso (Amsterdam) or in Doornroosje, like Echo And The Bunnymen In an army outfit with camouflage nets hanging over the stage, The Sound, Dance Society, The Birthday Party with Nick Cave swinging like a monkey from left to right from the light supports, giving it a high energetic performance, Siouxie And The Banshees, The Cure ( they played in a circus tent) and later seeing Robert Smith playing guitar with Siouxie in Rotterdam , Theatre Of Hate, Eyeless In Gaza, Black Flag, The Comsat Angels, Sisters Of Mercy, in the Milkyway Amsterdam,  of course with Wayne Hussey,  Further The Slits, Liaison Dangereuses, U2 ( played in Arnhem for 400 people) who was pretty unknown still etc. Too many to mention!

All bands not jet known by the majority of people but making a big impact on everyone alternative seeing them live. New-Wave, Deutsche Welle, Punk, Synth-Pop and New-Romantics was now a major alternative movement perfectly fitting the times we were living in.

Also the Netherlands produced influential bands who made quite an impression on me, like I already mentioned Mecano & Minimal Compact from Amsterdam, Nasmak from Eindhoven, Coitus Interruptus from Utrecht, and ‘famous’ local bands from Nijmegen like Mechanic Commando and Vice.

By seeing all these brilliant international and national bands I knew there and then that I had to start something new and interesting too. I wanted to make music like these bands. I was totally inspired. I wanted to be a part of things which were happening in front of my eyes. I wanted a band instead of just making things late at night on my own on a 4 track for no one else to hear.I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. It seemed that nearly anyone in the local scene started a band. In every squat people started a band and rehearsing was no problem in these industrial buildings we all occupied. Music was becoming a way of life, a means to express your views. There were enough opportunities for bands to play. There were always some old factories freshly squatted. One of the first shows I did was on a festival in De Plu Fabriek, a desolate disused umbrella factory. The festival had a social awareness theme about ‘Acid Rain’ of which maybe a handful had heard about. It was not taken very serious yet by the general public. It was the first ever show of Xymox there.

Round the same time at the University we had to do a video project. We had to film something about a socially significant social subject, so I started filming and interviewing the squatters local bands I knew. I still have the V2000 video tape but because of its backdated discontinued format, I haven’t been able to see it since the presentation at the University of Nijmegen.

In the beginning of 1980 in Nijmegen I had no real serious relationship with anyone. I was fairly new in town and most people I found quite uninteresting. The typical jeans and long hair student types, freshly coming from their cosy parental homes, with only one aim in life and that is to study, graduate and getting a job. Also most people were just coming out of the seventies and their clothes reflected that, very colourful shirts, a lot of blue jeans and mostly having long hair. In Rotterdam long hair in the back and short in the front was accompanied by a little moustache was the local fashion there.

Anyway, just after my initiation weeks of the University back in Nijmegen, one night I went out, going to a bar where I would normally not come with my fellow student friends. I was standing there drinking beer with my mates until I spotted this girl in the distance. She had the same kind of image as me. Out of place I thought. I simply had to talk to her and soon we were engaged in conversation and ended up spending the night together in her basement flat.. She told me she came from Nuenen, a small village close to Eindhoven but very famous for the house of Vincent Van Gogh. Her name was Anke.

In this period I wanted to start a Live band with the name I already had:  Xymox.  One day I showed her my songs I had recorded and asked if she would want to be in my ‘band’ which was just me at the time 😉 I said it would not matter that it was only the two of us because a lot of bands played with a drum machine and it would be a cool thing to do; she agreed. The songs were most of the time two or three chords so it was not too difficult for her to learn the tracks. I released this tape at the time, sold it for cheap (some people still have it). She liked the songs and decided to learn and play the bass guitar so she could play live. We started rehearsing together in 1982. I started sending my old Xymox demos to various venues and to my surprise a dozen clubs or so liked it.

Soon we played live with the two of us in various alternative clubs. I was singing, playing guitar and the synth plus operating the rhythm box. She played the bass by now and did some backing vocals . The songs were all mine, if you could call them songs 😉 For transportation I had my old cheap orange Renault 4 with a shift stick. All the equipment fitted in beautifully. Because we were just with the two of us and the fuel was very cheap, the money earned was very reasonable for those days.

Later we got asked by the locally known band Vice to support them. We did so and managed to play quite a bit of shows in the South of the Netherlands again. We felt we were getting somewhere.

Later a few friends to join our ‘band’ live. They were hitting metal pieces or doing backing vocals etc. Inspired of course by Einstürtzenden Neubauten. We started rehearsing in the empty vaults of a squatted bank building. Soundproof and safe it luckily was 😉

Anke wanted to move to Amsterdam in 1983, when she changed her study. She wanted to study Psychology and since I finished my Sociology ‘Candidates’ phase holding an official diploma. I was looking for a relevant Masters study so I decided to go to Amsterdam as well, I chose for  ‘Media Studies’ at the ‘University of Amsterdam’. Apparently you would have a lot of freedom with this study as well.

In Amsterdam I was asked by a friend in 1983, if I wanted to DJ for a local pirate radio station WHS. The show; ‘De Lege Huls’, translated ‘The Empty Shell’, would be late at night which of course I gladly accepted. I did this for quite some time well into 1985 until I got too busy with Clan Of Xymox and its many obligations.

As I already said I saved for a while every penny in order to buy my much desired object, a Teac 4 track multi tape recorder. I bought it in Antwerp, Belgium, November 1982. After many recordings of songs and ideas in Nijmegen I started a new In April 1983, frantically starting to record some new songs; the old ones were already more than a year old and I wanted to have new ones. With the help of the Teac 4 track recorder I could be more creative with writing and recording, bouncing previous recordings and build on that.

The instruments I had access to were: a Yamaha synth, Korg Poly 6 Synthesiser, Korg MS10 and MS 20, a rhythm box K500 , an electric Framus guitar, Welson Keyboard, a standard Shure 58 mike of course, my fantastic vintage space echo, melodica, guitar pedal effects and a bass guitar. A later valuable asset was later a Solina Strings but this one was borrowed once and a while.

All instruments were played in real time on tape. No sequencer used. That was too expensive.
These were the days computers were only academic and hardly used by anyone at all. Computers were just those big main frames standing in a government building or only portrayed in science fiction. Today our ears are completely trained to sequenced patterns, then it was something new, the ear was untrained to these sounds and pattern uses.

Soon things were ready. I asked Anke if she wanted to sing one song on the track I already prepared for her. It ended up with the title “Call It Weird “, so now  all tracks were done and everything was set up to bring these recordings to a mastering plant near Amsterdam called  Dureco. This was a vinyl factory specialised in producing Dutch product, the type like ‘Dutch Schlager’ like Vader Abraham known internationally for his “Smurf” songs. He was prominent on the wall everywhere in the factory offices. The main earner. Newer versions of this first EP exist: “Muscoviet Musquito” ( deliberately spelled this way) and “Going Round”. Both have various versions over the years.

‘I Felt That The Xymox Days Were Not The Right Way To Go’

Q: Xymox became Clan Of Xymox when you signed to 4AD, but later you reverted to Xymox before ultimately returning to Clan Of Xymox in the late ’90s. How do you view these shifts in retrospect? What, in your opinion, distinguishes Xymox from Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: I started with the name Xymox and released my first EP “Subsequent Pleasures“ under this name. When Xymox got signed by 4 AD and the first debut album was called “Clan Of Xymox” I decided it was a slightly better name also because I had found people to play the songs live, so hence the ‘Clan’. I considered Xymox as my Pseudonym.

When Clan Of Xymox got signed by Wing / PolyGram USA I felt this was a significant change and wanted to underline this with shortening the name and perhaps with the reasoning that it would be easier for people in general to remember our name when it was shorter.

After 4 albums under the name Xymox, with the album “Phoenix” it had gotten too commercial in my opinion. With the 2 UK releases “Metamorphosis“ and “Headclouds” which were too Experimental and nothing much to do with the early material on 4 AD I decided in 1997 it was time to reintroduce Clan Of Xymox again with the same approach and attitude as in the earl 80’s. I felt that the Xymox days were not the right way to go and that it was better to stick to my own opinion instead of letting people influence me in one way or the other.

The result was the album “Hidden Faces” released worldwide on Tess Records and Pandaimonium Records in Germany in 1997. This was the start of Clan Of Xymox again. Since Phoenix I didn’t tour anymore. Had actually no live band anymore. I started to find again people who could play live with me and soon I had a live band ready to start promoting “Hidden Faces” and the older works on 4AD. Mojca my partner was there already since 1991 with me learning to play an instrument, keys and bass. She already designed the artwork from on 1992. In 1995 I decided to play in The Netherlands and promote “Metamorphosis” and “Headclouds”. The old live members from the 80’s Frank Weyzig and Will Anvers joined me on stage together with Mojca on Keyboards. This tour made me realise I missed playing live and soon since 1997 Clan Of Xymox played live each and every year till now and will keep on playing live.

I have a steady crew for more than a decade now with Mojca from on 1991 (of course), Mario ( more than 20 years), Sean and Daniel. I stay with the labels Metropolis (USA ) and Trisol (Germany ) as well as I run my own label Xymox Control now for decades a steady course with Clan Of Xymox, only expanding with my band, slowly but gradually. It manifests in the vast amount of sold out shows we are having each year.

‘We Were In Our Extravaganza’

Q: You were closely associated with 4AD, one of the most groundbreaking labels of the early New-Wave era. How did an unknown band from the Netherlands find its way onto such an iconic label? And how did your time with 4AD influence your evolution as an artist?

Ronny: Back in 1983 I felt that my former town Nijmegen ‘deserved’ a few copies of “Subsequent Pleasures” too. I was doing all the distribution myself. I sold 150 through Rough Trade UK, 150 in New Waves France and 150 export to Essen in Germany. Anyway, so I went to Nijmegen the night of the ‘Day of the Dead’, 1st of November.
I decided to visit a friend but he was not at home so not knowing what was going on that evening  I soon found out The Cocteau Twins were playing in Doornroosje that night, so I had to see them. There was still plenty of time left so I decided to have something  to eat in my favourite eating cafe De Plak. Whilst having dinner I heard English was spoken on another table, so my interest was aroused. Maybe this couple were The Cocteau Twins? Had to be! An English male and female.  Without any hesitation I went to their table and asked them all sorts of questions about their band The Cocteau Twins. They informed me politely that they were not The Cocteau Twins but were their supporting act called Dead Can Dance and if I wanted they could put me on the guest list; which I naturally did not decline since I was no longer active in Doornroosje anymore. In return I gave them a copy of “Subsequent Pleasures” for them to listen to.

Having seen Dead Can Dance they blew me away, just like of course The Cocteau Twins. After the show I went boldly to the dressing room and drank some beer with both the bands as they were sharing the dressing room and already established that we were all like-minded, talking to each other, or trying to, because Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau’s had a very heavy Scottish accent. Difficult to understand for a  Dutchman who knew and spoke only ‘school’ English. That night I learned then that Brendan was Irish, lived in New-Zealand, moved to Australia, met Lisa in Melbourne and moved to London to work on their musical career. A similar story was true for The Cocteau Twins who moved from Scotland to London to work on their career. All was very interesting and at the end of the night we swore to keep in contact and said our goodbyes.

During that time I kept in contact with Brendan and Lisa who lived together on the Isle Of Dogs. They invited me to their London home and I stayed at their place quite a few times. In those days I had to travel by ferry to the UK, a long journey. They lived on the 11th floor with a fantastic view over London. The flats were those typical council flats, ashen grey and reeking of urine in the elevators. They had a staggering amount of locks installed on their front door. With all their equipment at home I could understand their mistrust of their surroundings. It was all very depressing but very exciting for me. Brendan worked the same way as I did. We ended up with almost the same equipment in 1986. Brendan and Lisa were then still living together and were really dedicated to music. Every day they recorded or rehearsed. Lisa mainly singing and playing the Yang Ching. I slept in the living room and later on some visits they had a closet, like the one of “Harry Potter”. I slept there and was pretty cosy;)

Xymox started playing live in 1984 again. One day Brendan Perry called me up and asked me if we wanted to support them on a tour in the UK.  Without any hesitation I agreed to do it and almost a week later we were in London. Unfortunately when we arrived nearly all the dates of Dead Can Dance got cancelled and there were only three dates left:  one in London, Huddersfield and one in Dudley. We stayed with Brendan and Lisa, sleeping all on the floor in the living room, which I knew already too well.

During our first concert In London I nearly disappeared through the hole in the stage, I had to walk very carefully  because they did not manage to cover all the holes under the stained carpet. The father of Brendan was I believe the tour manager and his mother made sandwiches for Dead Can Dance when we went on the road to Dudley. The town looked nothing much and the bar we had to play likewise.. our dressing room was between beer barrels and if we wanted to have a drink we had to buy it at the bar said the promoter resembling “Dell Boy” of “Only Fools And Horses”. Still we had a great time hanging out with Brendan and Lisa, who were very generous to give us some money for covering our ferry expenses, which I know for sure they were paying out of their own pockets. After that we did more shows all over The Netherlands till summer.

Brendan Perry was the first one who told me about 4AD.  Before that I only paid attention to bands and not too much to record labels strangely enough.  He said he gave “Subsequent Pleasures” to Ivo Watts Russell , the label boss of 4AD, and so I followed up with sending a demo to 4AD with some newer additional tracks in July 1984, recorded in the Amsterdam Octopus 8 track studio. The demo I had sent 4AD after our shows in Paris’ old theatre La Seballe Club, several Dutch and the 2 UK dates. I was getting impatient as always. I gave Ivo Watts Russell a phone call. I was complaining about how the Dutch music industry sucked and that his label was the only independent label appealing to me. A week before that,  I had a meeting with the Dutch division label EMI but this meeting reminded me of all the cliches I ever heard about Major labels. To my absolute delight and surprise Ivo told me he liked what he had heard from the demo so far and wanted to meet, to see us in person and talk about it.

Ivo wanted to meet the band, so arriving in London, me and Anke  were heading to the private home of Ivo Watts Russell and his girlfriend Debby who also worked for 4AD as their press agent. They lived together in a residential SW12 London area. We stayed in their house for a week.

Anke and I had placed these long extra hair extensions in our hair so we looked a bit like ‘Uber Goths’ with a lot of make-up and special clothing we had designed for us by a friend who was handy with the sewing machine and wanted to become a fashion designer. I saw the surprise on Ivo’s face when he saw us for the first time. We were obviously not looking the way he expected us to look. Most of his bands on the label looked actually quite normal with no real image to speak of; so here we were in our extravaganza.

Luckily Ivo and Debby liked us or the music enough to offer Xymox a record deal and with that great news we went back home. The news had spread that we were the first band 4AD signed since two years of their last signing of Dead Can Dance. After this published fact my phone started to ring frequently and offers for radio and new Dutch live shows offers came in by the plenty.

When the self-titled album “Clan Of Xymox”’ was released funny enough nearly all the journalist thought we were Scottish by origin judging by their reviews. An Englishman is always very sensitive to accents. I saw it as a compliment though. Of course ‘Clan Of’ was suggestive enough 😉 . Most reviews were ecstatic, full of praise with five star ratings, the highest you could get. I guess we got lucky with my intention not to advertise we were Dutch. Having no names on the artwork and let the album speak for itself.

The British can be real chauvinists regarding their music industry, they didn’t take foreigners making music too seriously in those days. Of course the weekly music magazines Sounds, Melody Maker, New Music Express etcetera made up their ‘mistake’ in the eye to eye interviews, clearly pointing out us being Dutch and using the usual stereotype references, with headlines like ‘Dutch Bake’, ‘Dutch Courage’, ‘Going Dutch’, ‘Hollandaise Sauce’ and any phrase relating to the war between the Dutch and the Brits a few centuries ago. Anyway it did not matter anymore because we got the attention;  had a proper selling debut album. We did a lot of photo shoots with an English photographer using drapes in the back ground giving us a more Gothic image. This was used as our promo picture.The Music Maker and Sounds were giving us regular features and interviews afterwards, which gave us finally an international standing. Soon 4AD set up a few shows in Croydon and the University of London plus a John Peel session, which was very important to establish up and coming bands.

‘We Had To Prove Ourselves Time And Time Again’

Q: You’ve already mentioned several legendary British bands that were prominent in the 1980s and shared strong connections and camaraderie. What was your experience of the Dutch music scene during that time? How do you reflect on it now?

Ronny: I only had French, British and Scottish bands as friends. I could not get along with any band in The Netherlands in the mid-eighties. In the Netherlands there was a very strong Rock culture with no space for bands like us. We had to prove ourselves time and time again. I didn’t understand the provincial attitude towards synths coming from the Dutch critics. In a very first review the national music magazine Oor reviewed synths as magic boxes which made them nervous listening to them. When our first album came out we finally got greeted by the more alternative media which just got a foot in the door and were played on radio and TV, MTV and the like. Suddenly we were part of a movement to be reckoned with. Sometimes we even played live twice on a day in The Netherlands.

‘The Only Disappointment For Me Was That I Actually Never Got To Meet John Peel’

Q: During that period, you worked with or crossed paths with notable figures like the aforementioned Brendan Perry. But what about John Fryer, David M. Allen and John Peel? What can you share about those interactions and their impact on your journey?

Ronny: Our first John Peel session was in the beginning of  November 1985. It was pretty stressful for me. We had to record 4 to 5 songs with the live band in one working ‘BBC’ day of 6 hours or so. It didn’t occur to me that I should have taken adaptors for English power plugs with me.  Because it is the BBC, no one is allowed to change a power plug without the assistance of a fully qualified engineer, so it took them already one hour to find such a person as labour union regulations dictated that the technician supposed to have his tea break of an hour. We were already losing valuable time! We didn’t have computers in those days. My first Commodore computer with TV monitor I got in 1988 when I wrote the “ Twist Of Shadows“ album.  The Macintosh 128K a normal mortal could not afford. Clan Of Xymox did however use an 8 track recorder for the backing tracks, like Depeche Mode or The Cocteau Twins used as well. It consisted of individual drum tracks, sequenced bass triggers and strings. This made life a bit easier.  We could thanks to the ‘eight track’ finish within the timeframe of the BBC.

The only disappointment for me was that I actually never got to meet John Peel. Even then he was a legend, especially to me, because it was the best program for discovering new exciting bands. I only got to call him from the 4AD office, thanking him for the opportunity he gave us. He declared in his program that we were the pioneers of Dark-Wave. That was a huge compliment and recognition for Clan Of Xymox. Soon Dutch radios started to follow suit. We got to record a live show for Radio Veronica in Hilversum. Several TV shows invited us for music programs like the VARA. MTV picked us up too. We felt we were on a roll!

John Fryer I instantly liked as a person and sound engineer. He was the in house sound engineer of 4AD and knew what he was doing. He was not afraid to experiment with sampling sounds and replacing them. The AMS delay was his secret weapon. I remember sitting evenings together with John mixing tracks by hand. So I had to pull and push knobs on my side and he on his side. It was a lot of fun and very educational. Later in live John made me a remix for “Big Brother“ from the album “Limbo” (2021).

I worked with David M. Allen on tracks like “Out Of The Rain” and “Sing A Song” together with Jools of Nitzer Ebb. It was in Leamington Spa in John Rivers’s studio. I worked with John Rivers already on the “Blind Hearts”-EP for 4AD and several B-sides for later PolyGram. Now I was working with John on the “Hidden Faces”-album (1997) and we thought it would be very cool to have Dave M. Allen involved. This certainly worked. I wished we had the budget to work on all the songs but I was already glad these two songs worked out fantastically. Dave is a very likeable person with an air of mystique around him. He gives suggestions for you to try and they always make sense. He taught me to delve deeper when needed.

‘Without Me There Is No Clan Of Xymox’

Q: Both Xymox and Clan Of Xymox included founding members Anke Wolbert and Pieter Nooten. What role did they play in shaping the band’s identity, and how do you reflect on the line-up changes over the years?

Ronny: They were both not founding members. They joined me in the beginning of the Xymox period. First Anke as I told you and later in 1985 Pieter. Because they were the first ones joining they are seen as founding members but I am sorry to say; it was always my thing. I was and still am the driving force behind the band and it’s musical direction. No one else. They concentrated mainly on their own songs like “Masquerade” or “Stumble” and “Fall” back in the days. The bulk I wrote. I participated also on their songs as well.

Regarding the songs it is true we worked more together like a band should. In the beginning we rehearsed the songs for live shows and many got changed during this process. This was only sustainable for a short while as nobody liked to rehearse together.

We ended up as 3 individuals writers with different taste and musical directions so it was inevitable it wouldn’t work out long because we were all to egocentric to begin with. When I officially broke up with Anke it was also the end of working together as a collective. We all went our own way.

Indeed we had many changes but maybe the irony is in the word ‘Clan’, a group of close knitted people. So in the end there were many LIVE musicians joining the band for a short or longer period. Joining ‘the Clan’. The red line was and is simple: without me there is no Clan Of Xymox.

All happened really fast in those days. It was a learning process for all involved. Books about the music industry and bands hardly existed. Everyone was left to do whatever with their experiences, positive or negative.
I never knew or expected that just making music could make me enemies but also gaining a lot of friends of course. Jalousie and spite can make people really vicious and vindictive and yet equally so many fans or friends treat you with the utmost respect or even adoration. To me it is just music but soon you realise it is something more than that. 

Former friends or partners turning into your personal enemy. It is the worst thing that can happen, because they know your weaknesses and irritation points and will not shy away from using this against you if they have no pride, dignity or integrity.

Thinking back on this short period between 1985 and 1989 stir more negative emotions then positive ones in me. It wasn’t all bad of course but I can’t remember real long good periods. I realise looking back that I am only happy with the band since the beginning of the  mid 90’s to now, at least 33 years so far:)

Q: How does the young Ronny Moorings compare to the musician you are today? What traits have endured, and which aspects of your younger self do you miss in your music or approach to life?

Ronny: I was definitely very naive in the beginning. When I wrote a song for example I just split the rights between the band members because I thought it would motivate my band to pull more their weight in the band and…. after all I was a socialist and not a capitalist 😉

Soon I discovered that when people sense they don’t have to do too much and can simply lay back whilst I do the heavy lifting because they get paid anyway.

I started to get annoyed with this uneven situation and learned from this that I should not give away my rights that easily just to please band members or partner. So I ended this naive approach and never looked back.
Equally I used to work with bigger crews, managers, tour managers, lawyers and all the professional people they told you would need to have in order to make it as a band.

After many annoyances about the enormous bills I decided I could do most jobs way better. I know I am a control freak. You have to be. You have to understand the way things work. Now I have a lean machine and I like it a lot. Later I also learned to delegate things and that is also very rewarding. I guess ‘live and learn’ is true in my opinion.

‘Dark-Wave Has A Strong Hold All Over The World Like In The 80’s’

Q: Many legendary New/Dark-Wave bands achieved their greatest success in the ’80s. Why do you think those years were so special and unique for the genre? How do you see the evolution of New/Dark-Wave music from its origins to today, particularly in terms of its spirit and cultural significance?

Ronny: Yes, it was a new style taking over with fashion unseen before, It was against the Hippy culture, the jeans wearing long haired pot smokers. It was a clean break from all of this, plus the ‘no future’ feeling with all the political turmoil and nuclear threats hanging over our heads. Remember Thatchers England. Ronald Reagan as president.

These bands made the sound track of our lives and guess what? It is happening again. Dark-Wave has a strong hold all over the world like in the 80’s. Yes, it’s not on the dying radio or TV stations as we know it but streaming like crazy, this time on internet radios, YouTube, Spotify It feels a bit like maybe the pirates in the 80’s.

It feels the same to me and also we have the same nuclear threats back again. In a way it feels coming ‘full circle’.

Q: Over the decades, the music industry has undergone tremendous changes -rising social media, streaming platforms, declining physical album sales, advances in technology, and shifts in performance venues from intimate gigs to massive festivals. How have you navigated these transformations, and what are your thoughts on the (r)evolution of the industry?

Ronny: I navigate these changes just fine I think. I always welcomed change and will ever do. We need to improve. We need to move forward and not backward. When for the very first time in the 80’s I could get my hands on a computer I embraced it as a big help with sequencing and programming. It made endless rehearsing patterns on keyboards so much easier. Later it became my entire virtual studio platform. Streaming is now the most important thing now in the music industry and some artists do not like it, but remember when music was pirated and artists would get nothing from it financially and no insight how many like to listen to your music etc. I love Spotify and as an artist you have access to all date regarding what your fans are listening to.
Most music I listen to these days is from platforms, on my phone with airpods. This gives me more time to listen to music when I am on the move or outside. Everything in one device is just brilliant I think. Of course I have at home all old media devices still in place. I do play vinyl as well when I am in the mood. I still love vinyl and the looks of it. The best format for the artwork to shine.

Q: While it’s difficult for any musician to choose a single album or song as their best, is there a particular piece in your discography that holds special significance for you? Or do you believe that your most recent work is always your finest?

Ronny: I have to agree with my fellow musicians. My recent is indeed the best so far as I can see and feel 😉 It is simply because new songs are for the one who wrote and recorded it the most exciting, the most fresh and recent to your current experiences. You have to play them live which you haven’t done before and in the end they will sound different then when it came out. If you don’t have that feeling the artist should not release the album in the first place 😉

‘I Let The Listener Feel What I Feel’

Q: Your lyrics often feel deeply expressive, sometimes addressing social and political themes, other times delving into introspection. Do you see your lyrics as a reflection of your true self? What value and purpose do they hold for you?

Ronny: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. It’s complicated 😉 I definitely sing about emotions I feel or felt. Say I sing about Evelyn, Louise or Michelle. That doesn’t mean I know a person with that name or sing about a real person. All these names are fictional but the feelings and thoughts what went into these songs are real. Sometimes more than one person I think about finds its place into a song lyric. It all depends. Political themes are the ones which affected me like in the Lockdown periods in the early 20’s. It comes home, becomes personal and I describe more the situation than anything else. I let the listener feel what I feel.
Sometimes I write a song to blow off steam and feel good afterwards. Most of the time it’s about a person who doesn’t want to leave me alone almost my entire life 😉 I can keep going on like that. I always delve the lyrics out of the depths of my mind where it lay buried until I get it out through some type of instrumentation deciding for me what the topic is going to be. A new to be written song has most of the time its own will and direction.

Q: Clan Of Xymox has consistently attracted new fans over the years. What do your fans mean to you, and how does it feel to have a lasting influence on the Dark-Wave scene?

Ronny: Fans are the most important to me. Without a doubt. We meet so many dedicated fans, traveling to all of our shows they can reach within reason. We always talk to anyone after the show who’s interested, have selfies taken, give autographs, give something a fan would like to experience, a closeness you can’t give onstage. A hand shake, a look in the eye.

I am honoured to contribute to the Dark-Wave scene as it is today. All bands who are now big I met when they were still beginning and were our support one time or the other. I know that we had an influence on them but now they are an influence on me the same. So it works in the end both ways. To me this scene is the best scene ever for me.

Q: Looking back on your career, what do you consider to be your biggest milestones? And what were the most significant disappointments?

Ronny: I am still working on my biggest milestone 🙂 My quest is to see how long I can still play live with the band. That is my ultimate quest in life. Disappointments enough, especially in people, but to me that is also an inspiration to write songs about so in the end all turns out for the best. I am lucky I have many good friends in my life to compensate for the negative. Unfortunately I am a person who has to be on the darker side of things in order to feel inspired. So I don’t mind 😉

Q: How have you managed to keep finding fresh ideas and challenges over the years? Were there periods where inspiration waned, and if so, how did you overcome those creative blocks?

Ronny: I think in the beginning it was harder to write as it is now. To me writing comes very natural I think. Maybe because I have more to say now than when I was in my twenties. In that time I read a lot of books in order to get lyrically inspired. For a long time now I just write from what comes up in my mind and put it into lyrics. Way easier I think and less time consuming 😉 The music was never a problem. Finding words to it is a harder nut to crack sometimes.

A creative block I handle very easy: I put the song away and start with something else. Sometimes its years later that I have a look at it again, if I can do something with it and often that’s the case. So for me I don’t like to force a song if it doesn’t present it by itself.

‘Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy And The Cure Were Very Important To Me’

Q: One of the most surprising entries in your discography is “Kindred Spirits” (2012), a cover album featuring renowned songs and artists. How did you choose the tracks, and what connection do you have to those songs? Would you consider them key sources of inspiration?

Ronny: When I was young, the only means of getting to know music was the radio or “Top of the Pops” later in the 70s. In the Netherlands we had bands like Shocking Blue, Brainbox, Earth And Fire, Focus, The Golden Earring and such, which appealed to me a lot. These were the bands I was interested in. On TV we grew up with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and of course The Monkees especially grouped for US TV. These bands made me want to play an instrument at a very young age. After that I always stayed on the alternative side of music. On my album “Kindred Spirits“ you can see and hear which artist influenced me in the direction I was going. Bands for example like Joy Division, The Sisters Of Mercy and The Cure were very important to me.

I gave or restricted myself to make a choice for ten songs of bands who had in one way or the other an impact on my musical taste. I wanted to give an ode to these bands and revive these songs in my memory to keep and make them as my own. In the end I did 11 tracks of my all-time favourite bands or songs.

Too many bands like to hide their influences or deny them. I decided to give them my own pedestal.

Q: This year marks the release of Clan Of Xymox’s 18th album, “Exodus”. What does this album represent within your extensive discography? Can you share insights into its creation?

Ronny: I finished and released the album “Limbo” in 2021 and I wrote the “Exodus” album after writing “Save Our Souls” in 2022 in 2023. The last song I wrote for this album was in January 2024 and here we are. In a way keeping the tradition of one album release in every two or three years.

We toured an awful lot so the little time I had, I spend in the studio taking my mind of things. The late general developments in the world I felt writing about. Instead of introspective lyrics I felt more like describing our current times we live in. After “Save Our Souls” I wrote “Fear For A World At War”, especially after all the rhetoric of Putin threatening Europe or the world with nuclear strikes. Because the world is massively gearing up for war.

When I was born there was the biggest world crisis between the Soviet Union and the USA about the missiles in Cuba.

It is ironic that now we are living with almost the exact conditions but this time closer to home, having a nuclear missile threat. History repeats itself . I certainly hope this is not getting out of hand but the signs are that we seem to step up our war talk more and more. SOS indeed. The world is at turmoil and nothing good will come out of this. Exodus for me as well when it gets out of hand. Anyway, this is the back ground for writing all these songs for “Exodus”.

Q: Talking about “Save Our Souls”, there clearly is a sense of commentary on the state of the world. Do you see music and this album as a unifying force in troubled times? How do you perceive its broader impact on society?

Ronny: “Save Our Souls” was specific about the invasion of the Russians into the Ukraine. It was a shocker for me. Especially after just having toured there in September 2021. I see music in troubled times more as a safety blanket you can wrap yourself in. It gives comfort and soothes your mind and well-being. An escape as it were from the daily sorrows we get bombarded with each and every minute. So far music can change or influence politics when masses cry out for social change. I don’t see that happen with this album or any of my albums;) Never intended for it either.

Q: Authenticity seems to be a hallmark of your music. Many fans describe a sense of genuine emotion and connection in your work. How do you experience this dynamic and interaction with your audience? How powerful or influential do you think music can be in bridging gaps and inspiring change?

Ronny: Wow, if you talk about the grand scale of things you might have a chance to do so but in the cult circuit we are maybe just the inspiring factor. That which might work on a small scale. I should certainly hope that our fans and other listeners get the music of Clan Of Xymox and feel the emotions I feel when I perform these songs with my band. Live you notice this the best. During the show I always look at people and there are so many various expressions on people faces, you feel that you are almost privileged to see an expression of someone when they sink into the song with mind and body. I love it!

‘Contrast Works Always The Best In A Way’

Q: Your music often combines dark, melancholic themes with an energy that makes people dance and feel alive. How do you reconcile these contrasting elements?

Ronny: Contrast works always the best in a way. I defines, it outlines. I have a lot of slow songs with equally dark lyrics but playing live I want to entertain people, want to make them move inside and out. I have luckily lots and lots of songs to choose from and during the years it taught me a lot about which songs people like to hear when they go to our concert. That means the classics are always included and never ignored.

Q: Finally, let’s end with a few rapid-fire questions:

• ‘Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll’: does this resonate with you?

Ronny: During my long career all certainly resonates at one time or the other. Experimenting with drugs I steered away long time ago. It was perhaps hip in the 80’s or attractive to experiment but the same goes for smoking or anything else unhealthy. I value a healthy life style with perhaps an alternativee: Sex, Wine and Wave 😉

• Is there a band or artist you would have loved to collaborate with?

Ronny: It’s a shame I never got to work with David Bowie. I met him once in LA when he came to see our concert in the Palace. I was too starstruck to even think of asking him. What a missed chance !

• Do you feel a spiritual connection with any particular artist or band?

Ronny: Yes, plenty! I have got so many great friends in the current scene who make great music. Backstage is always fun when we meet.

• In a world without music, what do you think you’d be doing?

Ronny: Not breathe.

• Which Clan Of Xymox song would you recommend to someone who has never heard your music before?

Ronny: “A Day”, “She” or “Loneliness” as a starter.

• How many albums has Clan Of Xymox sold, and which remains the most successful?

Ronny:  Wouldn’t you like to know 😉 “Twist Of Shadows” was still the most successful in terms of hard record-CD/Cassettes sales because it was at the time people could only buy that and did. There was no piracy then, apart from the classic copying on a blank cassette. In terms of streaming and overall impact I have to point to my later works.

• What is the ultimate dream for Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny: To carry on like the last two years.

• What would you want written on your epitaph and that of Clan Of Xymox?

Ronny:  

See you on the other side.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am not there, I didn’t go.

I didn’t die, so you know. 

See you on the other side.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

The Leeds-based post-punk act Red Lorry Yellow Lorry have just released “Driving Black (Ding’s Remix)” – their first new single since “Talking Back” which was released in 1991.

“Driving Black (Ding’s Remix)” is an exclusive mix by the band’s bassist and producer, Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (The Fall, Pixies, PJ Harvey, 1919, etc.). The new track is out now and comes hand in hand with the presales for Red Lorry Yellow Lorry’s forthcoming EP, “Driving Black”.

About this single the band says: “We never wrote songs with singles in mind. To us they are just songs that we thought good enough to release. Some songs seem better suited as singles. I think when everything is ready you pick what seems suitable. For a single, you want the maximum impact in a short space of time, and to get people curious about the other stuff.”

The Driving Black EP will be out 6 December via COP International, in 12” vinyl and digital download formats. The EP also announces the band’s new album, “Strange Kind of Paradise”, due out February 2025.

The six-track “Driving Black” EP offers three exclusive, non-album tracks (“Safe as Houses”, “Living with Spiders”, and “Piece of My Mind”) alongside three mixes of songs from the forthcoming album. The lead single “Driving Black” receives two exclusive mixes for the EP: one from Ding, and the other from producer John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and Cocteau Twins). “Chickenfeed” gets the remix treatment from German dark indie rock outfit The Halo Trees.

Featuring a cover painting by Wolfie, the “Driving Black” EP has been pressed as a limited-edition coloured vinyl 12” EP – only 1,000 copies available worldwide.

About Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry formed in 1981 and soon got known for their dark, minimalist sound, mixing punk, post-punk, and industrial influences. The band is led by founding member and vocalist Chris Reed and longtime guitarist and cowriter Dave ‘Wolfie’ Wolfenden.

The band released such albums like “Talk About the Weather” (1985), “Paint Your Wagon” (1986), “Nothing Wrong” (1988), and “Blow” (1989), before calling it a day with fifth album, “Blasting Off” (1992).

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

“Alive” is the third album from the Australian duo The Cold Field, and from the very first notes, it transports listeners back to the vibrant heyday of the 80s. The album weaves a soundscape that oscillates between Dark-Wave and Shoegaze, with a growing resemblance to the ethereal style of The Cocteau Twins. The guitar work is nothing short of magical, offering moments of melodic brilliance that glide effortlessly over deep bass lines and resonant vocals. Released by Cold Transmission Music, “Alive” stands as yet another masterpiece in The Cold Field’s discography. (Rate:8½).

Listen to “Tiny Beads Of Light”:

About The Cold Field

The Cold Field is the Australian post-punk and dark-wave duo of Ian Messenger and Heath Newberry, formed in 2019. Built on drum machines, bass guitar, synthesizers, electric guitars and distorted vocals, the band’s sound mixes early 80s post-punk and Joy Division with contemporary acts such as Lebanon Hanover and Soft Kill.

The duo released their full-length debut “Black River” in 2020, followed by “Hollows”, on Cold Transmission Music, in 2021. The Cold Field went on to discuss their work in a Side-Line interview, before returning with the third album, “Alive”.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

“Rhetoric & Terror” is the all new album from Nonpareils aka Aaron Hemphill (Liars co-founder) which is out 20 September via Mute. Available now is the new track “Predictable Pan (Theme From A Book Of Perfectly Drawn Lines)” taken from this album.

“Rhetoric & Terror” is Berlin-based Hemphill’s second album since leaving Liars back in 2016. The album has his wife Angelika Kaswalder on vocals throughout the album and multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson – a longtime friend of Hemphill’s since Henderson’s time in the post-hardcore band The Blood Brothers – adding woodwind.

Aaron Hemphill explains the album like this: “With ‘Rhetoric & Terror’, I wanted to start with emotions and feeling. I was playing with my kids, listening to Cocteau Twins, I have a wonderful partner, and it seemed very contrary to any sort of growth to sequester myself from this life in order to get into character as a musician. Instead, I tried to remove the boundaries between my creative life and my responsibilities and have it all be one fluid thing. All things at all times, and trust that this will guide my music rather than more intellectual concepts or limitations.”

“Rhetoric & Terror” will be out on Mute on vinyl, CD and digitally on 20 September 2024.

Here’s the previous released track, “Opening Chord”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Shhadows and Small Planets reunite to deliver a cover of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin’s classic track, “Grey Cell Green”. This new release, out via Re:Mission Entertainment, sees both bands blending their distinct sounds to create a shoegaze and darkwave hybrid.

Small Planets, hailing from Los Angeles, bring dark, ethereal music that is reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, The Cure, and Slowdive. Shhadows from their side are based in Denver and bring a blend of darkwave and post-punk witch house influences.

This is the second collaboration between Shhadows & Small Planets. Their previous collaboration was an original track called “E” on the 2022 Shhadow’s album, “Bloodwork”. For their rendition of “Grey Cell Green”, they decided to move away from the punk vibe of the original and instead focus on crafting a slower, more ethereal sound and we quote from their press release: “Transforming ‘Grey Cell Green’ into a shoegaze and darkwave blend was an exciting challenge. We wanted to retain the emotional core of the song while giving it our unique twist.”

The new single is out now. You can download it below from Bandcamp.

And this was the previous collaborative track, “E”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info:  Medejin is a Seattle (USA) based formation which at the end of last year released their official debut-album. “The Garden” is inspired by themes of grief, loss, death and motherhood.

Content: “The Garden” features 11 songs which from start on clearly reveal a strong Dream-Pop inspiration. Some parts are moving into a Cinematic experience although the Dream-Pop approach always comes back with an extra melancholic touch on top. Front woman Jenn Taranto’s fragile timbre of voice accentuates the evasive feeling.

+ + + : The album is driven by elevating guitar playing which truly injects the spirit into this dreamy sound experience. It also matches with the vocal parts, Taranto being a talented singer. This work might appeal to lovers of The Cocteau Twins but maybe also to fans of The Smiths and Prefab Sprout.

– – – : Cool songs but I’m missing a few, real, highlights.

Conclusion: “The Garden” serves as an interesting discovery to a band with potential.

Best songs: “January”, “Shell”, “The Garden”.

Rate: 6½.

Artist: www.medejin.com / www.facebook.com/MEDEJINMUSIC

Label: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

About Medejin

Medejin is a Seattle, Washington dream-pop project led by singer, guitarist and keyboardist Jenn Taranto, with Rebecca Gutterman on guitar, Ramsey Troxel on bass and Matthew Cooke on drums, percussion and backing vocals. The band describes its sound as lush, ethereal dreamwave. Debut album “The Garden” was released on 20 October 2023 through Icy Cold Records, recorded across several Seattle-area studios and mastered by Rachel Field at Resonant Mastering. Its eleven songs explore grief, loss, death and motherhood.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Based between NYC and Raleigh, postpunk outfit The Veldt present the single “Angel Heart”, previewing their Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) produced album “Illuminated 1989”.

The recording was supposed to be their debut record before Capitol Records shelved it in favour of what ultimately became their debut Lincoln Fong produced “Marigolds” album in 1993. Here released for the first time, “Angel Heart” was recorded during the 1989 sessions and not re-recorded for the 1993 album.

Here’s the new single video.

Formed in the 1980s during the first-wave of shoegaze bands, The Veldt surrounds identical twins Daniel and Danny Chavis, whose music is influenced by Cocteau Twins, Marvin Gaye, Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders, referencing post-punk while embracing modern hip-hop.

The Veldt initially signed with Mammoth Records. This led to tours across Europe and the U.S., sharing stages with notable bands. After relocating to New York, they briefly performed as Apollo Heights before reverting to The Veldt. The band later welcomed bassist-programmer Hayato Nakao.

The Veldt Tour Dates

• Fri 10/27 Dallas, TX – TBA
• Sat 10/28 Austin, TX – The Far Out Lounge (Levitation Festival)
• Mon 11/27 Atlanta, GA – 529
• Tue 11/28 Birmingham, AL – TBA
• Wed 11/29 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
• Thu 11/30 Houston, TX – 1810 Ojeman
• Fri 12/1 Austin, TX – Hotel Vegas
• Sat 12/2 Silver City, NM – Whiskey Creek Zocalo w/ Tremours
• Sun 12/3 Phoenix, AZ – Linger Longer Lounge w/ Tremours
• Mon 12/4 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar w/ Tremours
• Tue 12/5 Los Angeles, CA – Gold Diggers w/ Tremours
• Wed 12/6 San Francisco, CA – Kilowatt w/ Tremours
• Thu 12/7 Portland, OR – Show Bar w/ Tremours
• Fri 12/8 Seattle, WA – The Central Saloon (TremoloFest) w/ Tremours
• Sat 12/9 Vancouver, BC – TBA
• Sun 12/10 Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown w/ Tremours
• Mon 12/11 Eugene, OR – Old Nick’s w/ Tremours
• Tue 12/12 Olympia, WA – Le Voyeur w/ Tremours
• Wed 12/13 Tacoma, WA – TBA
• Thu 12/14 Seattle, WA – KEXP

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Gothic, Post-Punk, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD, Cassette.

Background/Info: Vlimmer is the main project of German musician and label owner Alexander Leonard Donat. After having released a unique series of 18 (!) EP’s in between 2015 and 2020 he since then released two albums. “Zerschöpfung” is Vlimmer’s third full length featuring nine songs about dark, existential, themes.

Content: The concept sounds dark and the album takes off this way as well. After a poignant, Gothic-like intro cut Vlimmer explores the darkest corners of Dark-Wave music. The album moves in a similar way although not always featuring a similar darkness. Guitar and electronics parts create a melodic but tormented sphere which might remind you of the 8os spirit. All songs are still sung in German.

+ + + : The debut part of the album sounds like Vlimmer at its best. I especially enjoy the tortured atmosphere emerging at “Flurfall”. You literally feel a kind of painful expression there. Other tracks like “Platzwart” are more melodic although still exploring the dark side of life. “Fatalideal” sounds pure 80s like and even evokes the imaginary hybrid between X Mal Deutschland and Cocteau Twins.

– – – : Speaking for myself I regret the album doesn’t sound as dark as “Flurfall” which sounds to me as a true referential song for this artist.

Conclusion: This is probably my favorite Vlimmer-album thus far which sounds as a production for dark souls.

Best songs: “Flurfall”, “Platzwart”, “Fatalideal”, “Losigkeit”, “Austrocknung”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.facebook.com/VlimmerMusic

Label: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist Read the news on ‘Zerschöpfung’.

About Vlimmer

Vlimmer is the main project of German musician and label owner Alexander Leonard Donat, who also records as Fir Cone Children. Donat built the project through an 18-part EP series released between 2015 and 2020, followed by the albums “Nebenkörper” (2021) and “Menschenleere” (2022). “Zerschöpfung”, released via his own label Blackjack Illuminist Records, is Vlimmer’s third full-length album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo by Alice Teeple) The Veldt has released their new single “Aurora Borealis”, originally from 1989 and produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Elizabeth Fraser contributes backing vocals towards the end of the track. Accompanying this is a B-side remix by The Veldt from the early 2000s.

This single is a preview of the “Illuminated 1989” album, produced by Guthrie in 1989 and remastered in 2023. Originally intended as their debut, the album was set aside by Capitol Records, leading to the release of “Marigolds” produced by Lincoln Fong. The “Illuminated 1989” album will be available in various formats via Little Cloud Records and 5BC Records later this year.

Another track, “The Everlasting Gobstopper”, was released on vinyl, featuring the B-side “Joshuu Lullaby”, produced by Guthrie in 2023. The music video for this track was created by Jammi York and Yuko Sueta.

Daniel Chavis comments on the song’s background, mentioning it was inspired by his brother’s affection for his newborn daughter. Danny Chavis notes the song’s origins from 1986 and its influences from Cocteau Twins’ “Treasure” and RUN DMC’s “Sucker MC’s”.

The Veldt consists of twins Daniel (vocals, guitar) and Danny Chavis (guitar). Their sound draws from various influences, including Cocteau Twins, Marvin Gaye, and jazz artists Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders.

Originating from Raleigh’s vibrant music scene in the late 80s, The Veldt initially signed with Mammoth Records. This led to tours across Europe and the U.S., sharing stages with notable bands. After relocating to New York, they briefly performed as Apollo Heights before reverting to The Veldt. The band later welcomed bassist-programmer Hayato Nakao.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Lol Tolhurst, co-founder of The Cure, is to release a new book titled “Goth: A History” on September 23rd. The book is a historical account of the genre and culture of goth music, building upon his first memoir, “Cured”.

In “Goth: A History”, Tolhurst provides a detailed exploration of goth music, using stories and anecdotes from his personal experience, as well as from the musicians and artists who have been part of the genre’s development.

The book begins by investigating the origins of Goth, with Tolhurst detailing the early art and literature that influenced the genre. He references the work of writers such as T.S Eliot, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, and Albert Camus, suggesting their work had an impact on the formation of goth music.

Tolhurst identifies key players in the establishment of the genre, referring to them as the “Architects of Darkness”. This group includes Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and The Cure. He further discusses a group of bands he labels as the “Spiritual Alchemists”, which includes Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins, indicating their role in extending the reach of goth culture. The book also tracks the genre’s expansion from England to New York, Los Angeles, and other locations.

The author also discusses the fashion associated with the goth movement, indicating its role in complementing the music. The book concludes with a consideration of the legacy of goth music, highlighting its influence on contemporary music, film, TV, visual arts, and social media.

There are a limited number of signed copies available on Tolhurst’s website.

About Lol Tolhurst

Lol Tolhurst is a founding member of The Cure, a band formed in 1976 and recognized as influential in the alternative music scene. He has performed various roles within the band, including drummer and keyboard player. After leaving The Cure, he continued to write, record, and tour with his band, Levinhurst. More recently, he has reunited with former bandmates for a tour, collaborated with Budgie from Siouxsie and the Banshees, and released a new podcast series titled “Curious Creatures”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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“Rise Up” is the latest in a long line of tracks from producer legend John Fryer and his Black Needle Noise project. For his new EP, he teamed up with Basement Jaxx vocalist Lisa Kekaula (feat; on the album “Kish Kash”) to create a version of Andra Day’s “Rise Up”. You can expect electro gospel, a style Fryer is mastering extremely well so we noticed.

John Fryer (Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Fad Gadget, Cocteau Twins) created his own project Black Needle Noise in 2016, where he invites different guest vocalists on his songs.

You can download the full EP below.

About Lisa Kekaula

From 2003 to 2007, Kekaula joined a cast of vocalists guesting at live performances by the surviving members of the MC5.

Kekaula has featured on two singles by British house music band Basement Jaxx, most famously “Good Luck”.

She appeared on the tracks “Realizer” and “High and Low” by The Crystal Method, on their 2004 album “Legion of Boom”.

She performed “Talkin” in My Sleep” on The Bloody Beetroots’first studio album “Romborama“. She has also been featured on The Legendary Tigerman’s fifth studio album, “Femina”, released in 2009.

In 2014, Kekaula contributed vocals to two tracks for the Re-Licked album of Iggy Pop and the Stooges songs re-recorded by former Stooges guitarist James Williamson. The songs were also released as a 7″ single. In 2016, Kekaula and Williamson collaborated again, releasing a single in aid of a Hawaiian homeless charity.

Lisa Kekaula has been a vocalist with the Bellrays since 1990.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop.

Format: Digital, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Kemi is a Swedish project which this year unleashed their self-titled debut album featuring eight songs.

Content: Both sides of the vinyl are taking off with an intro. The other tracks left are into pure Dream-Pop music featuring a female, -main, singer but still male vocals. The music is reminding me of the initial magic of The Cocteau Twins.

+ + + : I feel some affinity with this band for their 80s inspiration getting us back to the early hours of Dream-Pop. The beauty is all hidden in the dark, dreamy, atmospheres recovering the songs. I also like the fragility emerging from the female singer’s voice.

– – – : The lyrics are sung in Swedish making it hard to understand although you never get bored of it. Both intro tracks aren’t adding a true bonus.

Conclusion: A sweet and melancholic sonic caress from a new band we can keep an eye on.

Best songs: “Spår”, “Existens”.

Rate: 7.

Artist & Label: https://inatbakat.bandcamp.com

About Kemi

Kemi is a dream-pop and synth-pop band from Gothenburg, Sweden, whose lineup includes Love Hulten, known for his handbuilt synthesizer designs. The self-titled debut album was released on October 10, 2022 through the Swedish label Inåt Bakåt Records as a vinyl LP (catalog IB001) and digitally, with eight tracks sung in Swedish.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo by Lauren Ellis) South Carolina’s ost-punk act Candy Coffins presents “Tangled Up in Teacups” from their self-released album “Once Do It With Feeling”, a track that reminds a lot of Cocteau Twins actually. The accompanying video, which juxtaposes a pensive and inaccessible Jame Lathren with ballet dancers Mira Lathren and Bella Leone in an urban landscape, was produced and directed by The Pierson Collective. Earlier, the band released two singles: “Every Day A Fresh Atrocity” and “Seaside Girls”.

Vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Jame Lathren formed Candy Coffins in 2018 in Columbia, South Carolina after disbanding his previous band Crown The Cake. He formed Candy Coffins with hometown guitar legend Tom Alewine (Bachelors of Art), followed by Alex Mabrey on bass and Justin Purdy on keys, and former Iron & Wine touring drummer Jonathan Bradley.

Here’s the video for “Tangled Up in Teacups”.

Below are some other videos from the band.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

“Fair Winds”, a Black Needle Noise track originally written to be the theme song for a TV show about the history of the Isle Of Man is out now. John Fryer adds: “Unfortunately it has been put on the back burner because of Covid. Hopefully, this will happen down the line, but I decided to release this piece in the meantime.”

The record features two other musicians: female vocalist Ruby Friedman and Colin McGuinness (live musician for Japan amongst many other acts).

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade, and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press, and Cocteau Twins. His work led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil. Currently, Fryer works closely with COP International and its roster and this is the label debut release for Black Needle Noise on COP International.

You can get the 4-track single right now from Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Nearly fourteen years after their last album, Peruvian formation Resplandor -operating from The Netherlands, are back on track unleashing their fourth full length. Just as for the previous full length album, Robin Guthrie (The Cocteau Twins) has produced it.

Content: There’s no better definition as a true symbiosis between Dream-Pop and Shoegaze to describe this work. This work brings us back to the golden decade of the 80s and definitely evokes good-old souvenirs. The fuzzy guitar parts will rapidly lead you into a buzzy sensation. This is only empowered by the extended format of some songs. Male- and female vocals are alternating but also performed as duos.

+ + + : Resplandor avoids any innovation but are clearly a talented combo when it comes to compose contemporary Dream-Pop and Shoegaze. I was deeply impressed by the great guitar playing which clearly injected a true spirit in the work. The album sounds like a surreal reverie leading you into a delicious sonic trip. Some passages remind me a bit of the mysterious sphere emerging from the famous Twin Peaks tune.

– – – : I only regret the work only features 7 songs but that’s because I became a bit greedy after having heard such a cool work.

Conclusion: Resplandor will only bring you happiness and delight with this great piece of Dream-Pop and Shoegaze album.

Best songs: “Reverie”, “Oceano”, “Tristeza”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.resplandorofficial.com / www.facebook.com/resplandorofficial

Label: www.reptile-music.net / www.facebook.com/reptile.music

About Resplandor

Resplandor is a shoegaze and dream pop band of Peruvian origin that operates from the Netherlands. Discogs lists Antonio Zelada, Christopher Farfán and Tatiana Balaburkina among its members, with Zelada credited for vocals, guitar, programming and sequencing.

The band self-released the single “Sol De Hiel” in 1998 and the album “Elipse” in 2000, followed by the single “Bajo Oscuro Cielo” in 2001. “Ambar” appeared on Alison Records in 2002. Split releases with The Radio Dept. in 2006 and Mahogany in 2007 preceded the third album “Pleamar”, issued by Automatic Entertainment in 2008.

After a long gap the band returned with the singles “Adore” and “Sensitive / Until She Comes” in 2020 and “Blue” in 2021, the last of these carrying both a Reptile Music and an Automatic Entertainment catalog number. Discogs also lists Automatic Entertainment on its 2022 editions of “Tristeza”, which Side-Line covered as a Reptile Music release.

Robin Guthrie produced both “Pleamar” and “Tristeza”, and Simon Scott of Slowdive mastered them. “Tristeza” is the band’s fourth album and their first full length since 2008.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Here’s a nice discovery, Sky Creature, which is the duo consisting of Majel Connery (synths/vocals) and Matt Walsh (guitar). The band caught our attention thanks to the excellent “Pretend to cry” track from the “Childworld” sessions, which will please the fans of early Bel Canto, Cocteau Twins and related.

Note that the second half of the EP is completely different in mood, the first being way more psychedelic, and will appeal more to the darkwave community, for a very good reason.

While Majel will be known from her work with bands such as Oracle Hysterical, you may know Walsh from his band The Forms. The duo’s double EP “Bear Mountain”/”Childworld” is out June 1 on Open Ocean.

Here’s an idea how the band sounds on the first half of the album.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Electro-Wave, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: “Disgelo” is the third album by Italian formation Winter Severity Index. The band went through different line ups but has been always driven by core member Simona Ferrucci while Alessandra Romeo joined in later on. This production is new collaboration between both French labels Manic Depression Records and Icy Cold Records.

Content: The work is mainly carried by electronic arrangements while guitar playing injects extra power and true 80s spirit. The songs are reminding me of  The Cocteau Twins but are definitely more electro-driven. This work sounds melancholic and filled with reverie while the vocals have something shimmering.

+ + + : I fully enjoyed this work which brings good-old memories alive. There are not enough female bands in this scene and Winter Society Index can only encourage other women to play music. I however don’t care about male or female bands as the most important thing is the quality of the production. This album is enjoyable from start until finish and I have a serious preference for “Another Woman”. 

– – – : An enjoyable piece of music without real surprises.

Conclusion: Winter Severity Index is a band deserving more recognition and definitely worthy of examination if you suffer from 80s nostalgia.

Best songs: “Another Woman”, “Solar Cycle”, “The Tide”.

Rate: 7½. 

Artist: www.facebook.com/winterseverityindex

Labels: www.manicdepressionrecords.com / www.facebook.com/manicdepressionrecords / www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

Listen to “Disgelo”:

About Winter Severity Index

Winter Severity Index is a cold wave and post-punk project from Rome, Italy, formed in 2009 around Simona Ferrucci, who sings and handles guitar, bass, synths and drum machine programming. It started as a full band and shed members over the years; Alessandra Romeo later joined on synthesizers, and the pair now share the synth parts.

The second EP, “Survival Rate”, came out on vinyl through Blood Rock Records in 2013, with Valentina Fanigliulo on synthesizers; those tracks reappeared on CD in 2017 as “Katabasis”. Side-Line covered the second album, “Human Taxonomy”, on its 2016 vinyl and CD release. “Slanting Ray” followed on 14 April 2018.

“Disgelo” came out on CD and digital through Manic Depression Records and Icy Cold Records, with a vinyl edition on Blood Rock Records. The band’s Bandcamp page dates the release to 18 February 2022, while Manic Depression Records lists 19 February 2022. The title is Italian for thaw, and the band has said the album is about adapting to new phases in life.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

H/P are the initials of Happiness Project. The French Electro-Pop project signed on BOREDOMproduct is already busy for years and this year released the first album as H/P. Driven by Christelle Fournioux, Cyrille Tuyeras and Fred Tuyeras the new work entitled  “Programma” moves on there where previous Happiness Project albums stopped. Pure Electro minimalism reminding legendary 80s formations but with a more explicit vintage sound on top. “Programma” is a fascinating and achieved production which might serve as a referential opus for H/P. I got in touch with all members for this interview.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What made you change the name into H/P and what are the main differences with Happiness Project?

Fred: That was something we had in mind for quite a long time, and that was an idea of our label, who wanted some change. But however, we have always named ourselves H/P, when we were talking about the band.

Cyrille: Our latest album before “Programma” was named “Mutation”, so it meant that something was expected to change after this album. When we started to record and produce “Programma” with BOERDOMproduct, we thought it was time to change and simplify our name which was not always easy to understand for people who didn’t know us and our music. We chose the initials of our name H/P to make understand that our music will become more minimalist and will go rapidly to its purpose. But the soul of H/P doesn’t not change at all, we’re still the same and I think one can hear this in our music.

Q: Tell us a bit more about the way “Programma” saw the daylight? How did this new work took shape and what kind of album did you want to accomplish?

Fred: “Programma” started with a very clear idea of the music we wanted to make. We wanted to sound much more minimal than the two previous albums. The reason was we wanted a big change. But from the original versions of the songs, to their final aspect, things took some time, because there were a lot of back and forth movements between the band and the label. This is usual work, I guess when you are in the production process?

Christelle: Simplicity was the idea for this album, and I think we reached this purpose with our label which made a great work of production to give to our music this minimalism which contains a true depth either. And we wanted to change the way to sing and the position of voices in our music. Voices are more present and maybe dark either and are in real harmony with our music. All this was the programma for our album !  

Q: What makes the 80s sound that special and how did you incorporate this influence into your own composition? Do you have 80s standards?

Fred: The 80’s are so meaningful to us! Especially, because that was when we were musically born! I mean there was so much going on and so many extraordinary bands. Of course, we have so many standards from the 80’s ! The most important ones to us are Joy Division, New Order, In The Nursery, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins… But we have also been influenced by bands from the 1970’s, too! Kraftwerk and Space, to name two of them!

Q: You invited Alain Seghir from the legendary formation Martin Dupont to play bass guitar on one of the songs. How did this meeting and collaboration happened? And are there international 80s artists you also would like to work with?

Fred: Well, of course, Martin Dupont! We could have mentioned them before!! That’s such a long story. As fans, we bought all their albums, as they were coming out. Then Cyrille got in touch with Alain Séghir, via Myspace, who obviously enjoyed some of our creations. Then, we met at a concert in 2019, in Cognac, France. That was such a good moment. And as artists, we made the cover of “Just Because” for BOREDOM’s tribute album “Broken Memories”. The idea of having him on one of our songs naturally came to Cyrille who had an idea for a bass-guitar melody. He took a chance, sent an email to Alain and it worked out! 

Cyrille: Martin Dupont is one of our big influence. We had all their albums at home and I am still listening to their albums now. It was a dream which came true when we covered their song “Just Because”. When this song was produced on the tribute album “Broken Memory” Alain Seghir sent us an email to tell us that he enjoyed a lot our version. We were so happy that we decided to make an unofficial video of the track, because this song means so much to us. And if you take a look of this video you will see in the latest seconds that we announce in a certain way the change of our band’s name! So to continue this wonderful adventure I decided to invite Alain Seghir to play bass on our track “Vicinities” because I have always loved the way this great singer plays bass too. And the result is so cool, we love it.

If we could create another track with another legend of the 80’s, personally I would enjoy to create something with In The Nursery, Brendan Perry or New Order.

Q: What did you try to express by the album title “Programma” and the lyrical themes of the album? Can you also tell us a bit more about the artwork of “Programma”?

Fred: As for the artwork, this picture was issued from a series of works, which question the human place in an expansive urban world. It was made by a friend of ours, Stéphane Coubret. With the title “Programma” we wanted something which could evoke a certain idea of technological advance. Therefore, a word which did not exist, this could be the name of a retro-futuristic place, like in the picture or the name of a computer program. As for the lyrics, they were all inspired by this idea and the situation, we were all living in: confinement! 

Q: I noticed the reviews you already got for “Programma” are very positive. That brings me to ask you about the importance and impact of reviews, magazines and journalists? And do you sometimes consider to do things a different way because of reviews you get? And how critical are you with your own work?

Fred: We have never created any album as a response to former press reviews… at least, not consciously. Of course, we are sensitive to feedback but we have always created our music as a continuing pathway… and our goal has always been to not make the same album twice. We are critical with our own work, because we often feel doubt, uncertainty, but also willingness throughout the creation process. We do question ourselves a lot.

Cyrille: We create music to be listened and each feedback is very important for us and meaningful. When we have good reviews, it does not make everything, but encourage us to continue the long story of H/P. It gives us the will to celebrate our twentieth anniversary in 2023.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Shoegaze, Cold-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Nearly five years after their last album Swedish formation Principe Valiente seems to have gotten an upgrade being signed to Metropolis Records.

Content: The Stockholm based formation remains driven by 80s retro elements and the Dream-Pop style reminding me of The Cocteau Twins is clearly running though the guitar playing. There’s a perfect twist between numerous, elevating guitar parts and melodic synth arrangements. The vocals inject passion to the album.

+ + + : The previous album “Oceans” was already a great piece of music but the new work moves above all expectations. This is a mature and fully accomplished production carried by impressive guitar playing. Together with the electronic sound treatments and melodies it creates a true symbiosis while the passionate vocals have never been that charismatic and professional. There are numerous great songs featured, but my favorite is “Porcelain” -previously released as a single. This is a dark piece driven by alluring, lifting guitar play.

– – – : I can’t say this album has minus points but I simply get the feeling Principe Valiente is even able to go further and do better.

Conclusion: “Barricades” stands for a great merge between different 80s related music styles. This is definitely one of the best ‘Post-Punk’ releases from the past months.

Best songs: “Porcelain”, “I Am You”, “Never Change”, “Tears In Different Colors”, “When We Can’t Let Go”.

Rate: 9.

Artist: www.principevaliente.com / www.facebook.com/principesweden

Label: www.metropolis-records.com / www.facebook.com/metropolisrecords Read the news on ‘Barricades’.

Metropolis Records released “Barricades” on 18 March 2022 on CD, vinyl and digitally. The ten tracks are “Barricades”, “So Much More”, “Porcelain”, “I Am You”, “Tears In Different Colors”, “When We Can’t Let Go”, “Never Change”, “The Beating Of Your Heart”, “The Impossibles” and “This Buried Love”.

The album was preceded by the single “Porcelain” in December 2021.

Listen to “Barricades”:

About Principe Valiente

Principe Valiente is a Swedish band from Stockholm, formed around Fernando Honorato on vocals and bass and Jimmy Ottosson on guitar. Their sound draws on post-punk minimalism and shoegaze, and is usually labelled dark pop. Jacob Malmström, Erik Grahn and Joakim Janthe have also played in the group.

The self-titled debut album appeared in 2011 through AF-Music, followed by “Choirs Of Blessed Youth” in 2014 and “Oceans” in 2017, which Side-Line reviewed that September. Aenaos Records issued the “Oceans” deluxe edition in 2019.

“Barricades” was the band’s first album for Metropolis Records. Two months after this review the band discussed the record in the Click Interview with Principe Valiente. The follow-up, “In This Light”, arrived on the same label in 2024.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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(Photo by Jaron Baker) The Los Angeles based post-punk band Still has released their new EP, “A Symptom Of Fate”. The EP release follows recent single “Daylight” which was accompanied by a music video of the band performing the song in a natural landscape as a rainy night transitions into the foggy morning.

“The Symptom of Fate” EP follows the band’s debut self-titled EP “Still” from 2019. The EP holds 3 tracks: “Daylight”, “Misplaced Devotion” and “In Vain”. Here’s the video for “Daylight”.

About Still

Still formed when lead vocalist Daniel McDonough was looking to put together a band to turn the song ideas he was beginning to put together on piano into a full band post-punk sound, and reached out to Adrian Johnson and Julian Johnson who had both been playing in bands since they were high school classmates of Daniel, recruiting Wesley Wheeler shortly after to be their drummer.

The band cites influences like The Cure, Cocteau Twins, and Joy Division, as well as various revival bands since like Interpol and Beach Fossils.

The band began sporadically recording the new EP during 2020 at the home studio of Neil Popkins, after producer Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) introduced the band to Neil and recommended they record together while Nick was occupied with other projects. Towards the end of the recording process, Nick Launay himself came back to add his production touch and polish the final mix.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Dark-Wave, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: This self-titled debut album by the French-Irish duo was released last year on Icy Cold Records. The work is inspired by ‘the visually arresting micro explorations of relationships by filmmakers such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Robert Altman and Ingmar Bergman.’

Content: A Ritual Sea is clearly devoted to the good-old Dream-Pop style. It’s reflected in the guitar playing, and also in the production of the vocals. A few songs feature female vocals in duo with the male singing.

+ + + : A Ritual Sea will immediately appeal for fans of The Cocteau Twins and related bands. The band sounds in the tradition of great Dream-Pop, which is mainly created by the beauty of the overwhelming guitar playing. The female vocals are adding a little extra resulting in the outstanding “Violet”. This is a brilliant song, but I also must mention the great last track “Silver Morning” and “Desire Lines” -which also features female vocals.

– – – : A Ritual Sea doesn’t bring anything new, but who cares when you get great music instead.

Conclusion: This album is a true promising debut revealing a band with an immense potential. Dream-Pop is alive!

Best songs: “Violet”, “Silver Morning”, “Desire Lines”, “Seasons (Like You)”.

Rate: 7½.

Listen to “A Ritual Sea”:

Artist: www.facebook.com/ARitualSea

Label: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

About A Ritual Sea

A Ritual Sea is the duo of Florian Chombart and Donna McCabe, based in Dublin, Ireland. The pair works in dream pop, shoegaze and synthwave, with Chombart composing and recording the music and both members singing.

Icy Cold Records released the self-titled debut on CD and digital on 24 September 2021, with a vinyl edition following on 20 December 2021. Donna McCabe wrote the lyrics, Nicolas Subrechicot mixed the album and Benjamin Joubert mastered it. The cover image is by Ashley Glynn, with inside sleeve photography by Kieran Sheridan and Loreana Rushe.

The label has continued to work with the duo, issuing the single “Desire Lines” and the EP “Because You Hate to Care About” alongside the album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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13 years ago, that’s how long Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser has not released new solo music, but that is about to change as she will release a Record Store Day related EP. The EP, released under the Sun’s Signature moniker, will be the first release by the singer since she recorded and released the song “Moses”, written with Damon Reece and the late Jake-Drake Brockman, in 2009.

The title of the EP is simply called “Sun’s Signature” and will be out on April 23rd on black vinyl. The EP will hold five songs and will be released through Partisan Records. Only 8000 copies will be available worldwide.

Tracks included are “Underwater”, “Golden Air”, “Bluedusk”, “Apples” and “Make Lovely The Day”.

Sun’s Signature is the duo consisting of Elizabeth Fraser and English drummer Damon Reece (Spiritualized, Echo & the Bunnymen, Lupine Howl, Massive Attack, The Orb, Way Out West, Feist, Goldfrapp, Fuzzy Logic)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Picture by Violette Guthrie) Scottish trailblazer Robin Guthrie, best known as a founder and sonic dreamweaver of the legendary trio Cocteau Twins, turns 60. To celebrate his coming of age, so to speak, he is releasing new music.

His “Springtime” EP follows his three late 2021 releases – the “Mockingbird Love” EP, the full-length album “Pearldiving” and the “Riviera” EP. A good sign we se Guthrie producing music once again following the untimely death of long-term collaborator Harold Budd.

“Springtime” is a standalone collection. Guthrie comments, “After ‘Pearldiving’, I thought about taking a break as my release schedule has been a bit excessive of late, but I took some time in the studio and got very quickly focused on this as my first release for the new year. Spring is an important time for me. Often it’s time to prepare for what’s to come. It can represent new growth. It can also be a good excuse to use a great photo of some springs that I had taken”.

Check for yourself!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Today brings the release of Robin Guthrie’s “Riviera” EP, his third release this year after October’s “Mockingbird Love” EP and November’s “Pearldiving”., his first full-length album in nine years.

The EP holds 4 tracks and will be available on limited-edition CD and as a digital download via Soleil Après Minuit with distribution in North America via Darla and in Europe by Cargo. Note that “Riviera” stands on its own as a release, apart from the album.

“I made this collection earlier this year while taking a break from recording ‘Pearldiving’. I found a common thread among several unfinished tunes, that curiously, they had all been written on the southern shore of some landmass or other in the northern hemisphere. I was pleasantly surprised when they all fell into place together and retained this atmosphere in my head,” says Guthrie.

You can check the EP below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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A few weeks after sharing their first single “Missing Pieces”, Belgian shoegaze quartet Cecilia::Eyes now unveil another excerpt of their new album “Sore Memories Always End”. A video for the new single is now available and can be watched below.

“Sore Memories Always End” is the band’s fourth full-length record to date and will be released on CD, LP and digital on December 3rd through the Belgian label Dunk!records.

It took the band some time to come up with a new album as their third one, “Disappearance”, already dates from 2014. Cecilia::Eyes consists of Christophe Thys (guitar), Nicolas Denis (drums & vocals), Pascal Thys (bass) and Gauthier Vilain (guitar & samples).

Here’s the video for “Parenthesis”, for fans of Cocteau Twins and related.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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To be released March 18, 2022 via COP International Records is Stabbing Westward’s first new album, in 20 years: “Chasing Ghosts”. The release is produced by John Fryer, who was also a collaborator on the band’s best-selling early releases. The album will hold 10 tracks that have the industrial rock band’s characteristic sound with a modern touch that picks up right where they left off.

But right now you can alrready enjoy the band’s newest single “I Am Nothing” and its lyric video. Note there is also a limited edition physical copy of the single.

A number of limited-edition physical copies for “I Am Nothing” are available for sale on Bandcamp.

Back with a winning team

“Chasing Ghosts” will feature brand-new songs as well as re-workings of the band’s 2020 reunion EP “Dead And Gone” that finds original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) working together with legendary producer John Fryer. Fryer, whose production credits include Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, 4AD, Cocteau Twins and Love and Rockets, originally worked with Stabbing Westward on their best-selling early releases “Ungod” (1994) and “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” (1996).

“Chasing Ghosts” was mastered by Tom Baker who, like Fryer, worked with Stabbing Westward on their early releases and is part of the reassembled production team on the latest album. The current Stabbing Westward band lineup includes Carlton Bost (guitars and programming) and Bobby Amaro (drums).

Presales for “Chasing Ghosts” will begin in early January. The album, featuring artwork by David Seidman (an artist who has also worked with Coheed And Cambria and is known for his ethereal and surrealistic imagery) will be available in digital, CD and vinyl formats, with full details and exclusive, limited-edition merch to be announced soon.

Stay tuned for more news!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Shortly after Seasurfer’s third album “Zombies” has also been released on vinyl in addition to the earlier CD edition, the Hamburg-based dream pop duo Dirk Knight and Apolonia come up with a new version of the song “Drifting” (and a video which you can see below). “Drifting” is taken from Seasurfer’s third album “Zombies” (which was recently issued on limited edition black vinyl).

Beside the previously unreleased track “Ghost Children”, you also get 3 “Drifting” remixes by the Spanish dreamwave duo Stereoskop, the Russian shoegaze band Life On Venus and the French electro artist Giirls.

Dirk Knight explains: “For me “Drifting” is the song with the coolest bass of the whole album ‘Zombies’. For the first time I recorded all the basses by myself and learned to love playing this instrument. Basses are extremely important to us and determine the harmonies and melodies, similar to how Simon Gallup (The Cure), Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order) and Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) are doing it. For the single and the extended mix we let the drums run straight through to make the song even more mesmerizing. I also love the bonus track ‘Ghost Children’, where we experimented a lot with heavy guitars, 80s synths and strange vocals which are partly in German. The three remixes are great as well: they all sound very different from the original version, so the EP appears somehow like an album with various songs.”

Here’s the new video.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(By our Norwegian correspondent Jan Ronald Stange/Motlys press info) ‘a-ha The Movie’ is scheduled for cinema openings this week in over 130 cinemas across Norway, and has been picked up for screenings in multiple countries. Among these are USA, UK, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, Hungary, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Germany, where it opens on 80 screens on September 14th. The movie is being met with raving reviews after previews and early screenings at film festivals like Filmfest München and Tribeca Festial (New York), where it also became the runner up to the Audience Award.

The directors Thomas Robsahm and Aslaug Holm wanted to tell the full story of how three young men followed their impossible dream of becoming world famous pop starts outside Norway – a country known for “zero points” in the Eurovision Song Contest.

When ‘Take On Me’ reached nr 1 on Billboard in the US in 1985, the dream came true. Or did it? The band was not prepared for what the success could bring, including tension between the three band members. The film team travelled with a-ha for almost five years, and we had a quick mail chat with Thomas Robsahm to get some details.

Side-Line: How did this movie come about?

Thomas Robsahm: I’ve always wanted to make a film about the making of an album, and the original idea was to make one about a-ha´s 10th album, after the success of ‘Foot of the Mountain’ (2009). But they decided to split in 2010, and then the album ‘Cast in Steel’  from 2015 was made in secrecy before the band did they comeback the same year. When we started filming in 2016, we were hoping for a new album to be made during the years we were planning to film, but one said yes, one said maybe and one said no…

So, instead we followed them on the road, told the whole story of a-ha and continued hoping.

S-L: It took several years to finish – lots of obstacles along the way?

TR: The main obstacle was actually the financing, because in the documentary world everybody wants to see more and more finished work before they want to commit, so the film was made very much piece by piece. The three members of the band were lovely to deal with all the way. It’s only when they have to be all three together as a-ha that things turn dark.

S-L: How much did the corona situation affect the launch?

TR: The premiere sold out in ten minutes and was supposed to happen in November 2020, but we had no choice but to postpone.

S-L: What was the best and the worst parts of doing this movie?

TR: The best part was to be around the band for so long, to study their work even harder, including tons of archive material. The worst part was not getting them to make more music, of course. It was close, but didn’t happen.

S-L: I saw the movie will be shown on NRK (Norwegian public broadcasting) too, split in four parts. Is it the same as the cinematic version, or some extra content added? Is it scheduled for TV/streaming abroad too?

TR: Yes, that’s right, the NRK-version is a little bit longer, but not that much. Also structured a bit different since it’s in four parts. It will be released in theatres and on television in around 30 countries (so far) and eventually it will end up at some streaming service, but it will not be for a while.

S-L: Collectors of a-ha music and memorabilia will definitely ask this right after the openings: when is it coming on DVD/BluRay? Any extra content there?

TR: DVD and BluRays will be released in several territories. I am not a big fan of adding deleted scenes, cause it actually affects how you remember the film. Like the scenes were actually in the film. But, let’s see.

S-L: Other plans/upcoming projects with a-ha or other bands?

TR: I would love to do more music films and have a couple of ideas, but nothing is confirmed, yet.  Oh, yes, I have one in development already; The Punk Pensioners. The title says it all, right? Let’s see if anybody wants to fund it.

S-L: Which band(s) would be your dream project(s) for next music movie(s)?

TR: If I could choose I would make the definitive film about ABBA. Or Everything But The Girl, the most underrated band ever. Or Cocteau Twins.  Or Motorpsycho. Yeah, plenty of great bands.

Get yourself to the cinema and enjoy the movie!

PS! Thomas Robsahm is also a musician, involved in several punk, gothic and dark wave bands since the 80’s, and together with Arvid Skancke-Knutsen their band White Lord Jesus is actually busy crowdfunding their 1984 album ‘Amen’ in the series Norwegian Album Classics On CD – get yours there!

We also wrote about the project some months ago – after a summer break they’re at it again, have passed 130 releases, the next 20 lined up!

Side-Line also covered a-ha’s ‘True North’.

Jan Ronald Stange

Sometimes – when I’m not cooking, biking, listening to music or attending concerts, I write stuff for Side-Line.com. Mostly about Norwegian bands, but it’s been some Swedish, English, American, Danish, German and others too… 😉

www.facebook.com/jrstange

Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Cold-Wave, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Reconverb is a Danish solo-project driven by Helge Vammen. After an instrumental debut album he now strikes back with a new opus, which has been produced, mixed and mastered by Portuguese artist Pedro Code.

Content: The sound of Reconverb clearly sounds as the offspring between different, but related styles. There for sure is a Cold-Wave atmosphere hanging over the production, but the songs are also injected with dark dream-Pop and elements of Shoegaze. The production of the vocals has this typical Dream-Pop/Shoegaze intonation. I sometimes get the feeling of listening to a sonic hybrid of The Cocteau Twins, The Cure and Jesus & The Mary Chain. Producer Pedro Code has been also very active singing on one of the songs, but also adding some extra sounds on a few more tracks. One of the cuts has been remixed by SYZYGYX.

+ + + : The sound formula is interesting and especially appeals for lovers of evasive dark music. The 80s influences have been perfectly incorporated creating this fuzzy, dreamy production. Music and vocals are perfectly matching, but it also sounds like a relief discovering the more charismatic vocals by producer Pedro Code.

– – – : I probably understand why the debut album was an instrumental one; the vocals aren’t bad at all, but  missing passion and maybe conviction. I’m also missing a true climax in the songs.

Conclusion: Reconverb has the inspiration and I like the idea to mix different genres together, but the global writing process needs a bit more elaboration.

Best songs: “Reverse Day”, “Sour Soll”, “Behind Closed Doors”.

Rate: (6 ½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/reconverb

Label: www.coldtransmission.com / www.facebook.com/coldtransmissionmusic

About Reconverb

Reconverb is the solo project of Helge Vammen from Horsens, Denmark. Discogs lists the ten-track digital debut album “Unreversed” (2018) and the five-track EP “Heraldik” (2019), both on Cold Transmission Music, plus appearances on the label compilations “Zeitgeist Vol. 7” (2018), “Cold Transmission Family” (2020) and “Spotlight Vol. 2” (2022). The project also features on the double-CD V/A Spotlight reviewed on Side-Line in September 2020.

“Airport Oxygen Bar” was released by Cold Transmission Music on 26 February 2021 as a download and on CD. Vammen wrote and recorded the album in Horsens; Pedro Code produced, mixed and mastered it in Lisbon, Portugal. The twelve tracks are “Vanishing Paintings”, “Sour Soil”, “Eventually, We Merge”, “Increasing Rash”, “Afternoon Shift”, “Behind Closed Doors (feat. Pedro Code)”, “They Used To Be A Memory”, “Beyond Disconnection”, “Hem”, “Reverse Ray”, “97” and “Odd Birds (SYZYGYX Vocal Mix)”. Discogs lists no later Reconverb releases. “Airport Oxygen Bar” is the project’s second album and its only Side-Line review.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Italian multi-instrumentalist Luca Bonandini this year released his fourth production to date. He has been always attracted by every kind of sound, but got intrigued by silence, which is like a mystery that fascinates him. That brought him to the name of the project The Illusion Of Silence. The new album “Gardens In The Dark” is about the absence of connections between human beings and nature. In Luca Bonandini’s opinion nature is going the wrong direction, people thinking too much about economic issues getting unhappy and frustrated. They ignore the language and the rules of nature, its beauty and its gifts are wrapped in the dark of the time we live in. “Gardens In The Dark” has been released by Shadowplay Records and is a great artistic creation faturing elements of Neo-Classic, Neo-Folk and Cinematographic music. This work is one of the sonic jewels I got the opportunity to discover this year.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you briefly introduce us to the sound universe of The Illusion Of Silence? How did you get in touch with music and especially the sound you’re dealing with?

Luca: It is not easy to answer because for me music is a very intimate process as the melody changes time to time as I change. So it would be reductive to tell you that I produce Neo-Classical, Neo-Folk or Ambient music. The nature is the place where I have a true communication. I need this kind of contact and the main of my inspiration comes from nature. I like to alternate my productions with instrumental albums or with more Experimental music as I did for the album “Music For Certain Rituals”. 

My goal when I perform my music is to reach a state that I call ‘spirituality’. About the sound of TIOS, I can tell you when I was a baby I listened to a lot of kinds of different genres. At home my father listened to Classical music, Ennio Morricone, Wendy Carlos and  John Barry.  And I loved to listen to the radio where I discovered my favourite artists: Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Smiths, David Sylvian, Dead Can Dance, Franco Battiato, This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins, Harold Budd And many more.

Q: What are the instruments you’re playing and how do you explain this fascination for all these instruments? And do you’ve a favorite instrument or one you feel closer with?

Luca: My favorite instrument is the piano as its sound is close to my way of conceiving the music. I also play the bowed psaltery, the zither, the santoor, the kankles, percussions, the classic guitar, the flutes. These instruments have their own soul, their peculiar vibrations and I am attracted by their sounds.

Q: Next to music your new album also reveals a taste for poetry. What do you like in poetry and how do you try to transpose poetry into music? And do you think music can become a kind of poetry as well?

Luca: As for music, poetry can quickly describe a feeling or a condition with only a few words.  When I read a poem, I can feel a rhythm, a melody and it is normal to start playing and singing. I consider the music an arcane language that speaks to the soul, therefore it is also poetry.

Q: Let’s talk about this new album “Gardens In The Dark”. I can imagine it took you a lot of time to prepare, compose, record and produce this album especially because of the impressive number of guest musicians and –singers. How did it all happen and how did you manage all different aspects of the production?

Luca: “Gardens In The Dark” was mostly composed and recorded in a hilly area in the Northern Italy and I took over 3 years to achieve it. While I was at the end to record the instrumental album “The White Summer”, I started to write songs where I could sing my own lyrics and some of my favourite poems. At the beginning, I thought I wished to realise an intimate acoustic guitar album: all the songs where first composed with the acoustic guitar and when I focused on the melodies, I sent some of my compositions to Alex Popov and Tatiana Korotkova (Sunset Wings) who both helped me for the arrangements and recording. In the meantime I started to write and record with Aima Lichtblau our first opus “Music For Certain Rituals” so there was a pause of several months. Later I started to add some instruments and I got in touch with Andrey Torkunov and his wife Maria (Sever Ga); I asked them to help me creating some Neo-Classic arrangements with the strings and the flutes. Then other musicians joined in to complete the work.

Q: I’ve been impressed by the global evolution in writing and production from your early work till “Gardens In The Dark”. How do you look back at your early work and what did you try to accomplish with this new opus?

Luca: Thank you for your words! For the first album “Black Rainbow” I set to music some of the poems I had written and went in a studio to record the song, which felt like like closing a circle. “Black Rainbow” was a pure and naive album and I did not have any kind of expectation. As the first album was recorded in four very intensive days, with “Gardens In The Dark” I wanted to take all the time I needed to arrange the songs with a more dynamic and refined sound.

Q: Do you’ve specific references and/or criteria when composing your music? How do you imagine your further work and what are the further plans? 

Luca: I’m very instinctive when composing. I play music for some days and then try to forget about it. After some time, I listen to the demos; when some of them inspire me with new arrangements I finally decide to move on with the work.

About the future I have two albums ready. A new work for Aima & The Illusion Of Silence and an instrumental album inspired by the poem “Le Cimetière Marin” by Paul Valery. During the last few months I have been writing a lot of instrumental music with the piano, but it is too early to understand how the work will evolve.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Seasurfer is a band driven by Hamburger (Germany) based musician Dirk Ritter. He worked together with different female singers and musicians. Two noticeable albums were released on Saint-Marie Records. This label has a nose for talented artists dealing with  Shoegaze and Dream-Pop, both genres being SEASURFER’s main sources of inspiration. By the end of 2020 Seasurfer stroke back with the third album entitled “Zombies” released on Reptile Music. It’s a great piece of music released as double album. The bonus disc features guest vocals by Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra Paris). The new work got produced by Robin Guthrie (The Cocteau Twins). No doubt about it, “Zombies” is one of the best productions in the Shoegeaze/Dream-Pop genre so I got in touch with Dirk.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What kind of band did you want to set up with Seasurfer and how do you look back on the evolution of the band, the different albums and line-up changes?

Dirk: For many years I really worked as a band with my Dream-Pop band Dark Orange, each band member had something to say. With Seasurfer I wanted to build my own sound without compromises so it’s not easy for fellow musicians. After a while you notice whether it fits and is accepted or not. In arts, communities are often fragile. Most of the changes happened because for some reason it just didn’t fit anymore. It makes a difference whether you play in a democratic Punk band at the age of 18 or later when having your sound in your head and absolutely want to implement it.

Q: You worked with different singers, first Dorian E, then Julia Beyer and later on Apolonia. A singer often is the ‘image’ and ‘frontman (-woman)’ of the band. What has been the impact of each singer on the music and your work as musician? What makes the chemistry between musicians and singers?

Dirk:  A singer has to inspire me; there has to be a spirit and an atmosphere of its own. All three singers did that and I’m still grateful for it. After the intensive work on an album, you often fall into a hole and wonder what can come after that, how it will go on. If then you aren’t convinced, then you should better leave it.

With Apolonia everything is easier now, she lives around the corner and we meet up with our art community regularly to talk and to drink. She’s more than a singer to me, she’s also a very good friend.

Q: I noticed you consider Robin Guthrie as one of your mentors. What makes the magic of this artist and what exactly makes him a mentor?

Dirk: I grew up with bands like The Cocteau Twins and for me Robin Guthrie created one of the most beautiful guitar sounds ever. I also find his instrumental songs very inspiring. When he remixed and mastered something for me and I was allowed speaking to him, those were nice moments. A very friendly person… only his Scottish accent was sometimes hard for me 😉

Q: You last year released the album “Zombies”. How did the writing and production of the album happened and what do you try to reflect with the album title?

Dirk: I played all the instruments by myself and mixed everything alone. That was a challenge because you don’t get that much feedback and sometimes you don’t know whether something is good or crap. And I wanted to develop myself further, using more electronics. When the rather gloomy mood of the first Corona wave came during the final mixing, the sounds of the album developed by itself. “Zombies” represents how we all felt during this time.

Q: The bonus disc of “Zombies” is featuring Elena Alice Fossi as guest singer. How did this collaboration happened –especially in times of Covid-19?

Dirk: A very good friend, the photographer Christian Klepp, is a huge Kirlian Camera fan. He kept saying, ‘hey, do something with her, it will be cool’. The contact was made via Stefan Herwig from the record company Dependent and then it started. Elena Alice is a lovely woman and she was delightfully easy to work with. The songs were done before Corona and are therefore not as dark as the ones from the “Zombies”-album. The bonus-album is called “The Dreampop Day” by the way.

Q: You’re based in Hamburg, which always had a very important alternative scene although Seasurfer sounds more like a British Shoegaze and Dream-Pop band. What do you like in the ‘British’ sound and do you feel any kind of influence from the scene where you live? What brings the future?

Dirk: I was never at home in the German or Hamburg music scene. In Hamburg, many looked to England in the 80s. Guitar music from England was just cooler than German stuff. The Cure, The Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine…all right? If you grow up with it, then it shapes and you develop your own sound with these genes. Unfortunately all concerts have been canceled and it won’t start again until next year. I’m doing a real Dream-Punk EP with Apolonia this year, no song allowed to be slower than 180 bpm. And with the wonderful Gloria de Oliveira, she is also on our label, I work out Electronic songs at the moment that tend to go into the witch-house corner.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Courtesy Attasalina) Black Needle Noise’s first release on COP International Records is a fact. Out now is a new single “Machine” featuring vocalist Attasalina and violinist Meredith Yayanos. The “Machine” EP features remixes from Christopher Hall (Stabbing Westward), Mark Hockings (Mesh/Blackcarburning), Sick Jokes, Soman and (London DJ) Samantha Togni.

Says Fryer of “Machine”: “It’s taken a while to find the right song for Attasalina so we could collaborate again. She did an amazing job on ‘Messages By Dreams’ and she has done an exceptional job on ‘Machine.’ It’s always a pleasure working with Attasalina, and it’s been great having Meredith Yayanos on board this time around playing violin on the track, adding another dimension.”

Attasalina, best known for her collaboration with Daniel Ash (The Soldiers of Everyday), has also released music with her band The Seraphim Rising and is currently working on her first solo record in collaboration with John Fryer, to be called Freed From Rage and Sorrow. She previously collaborated with Fryer on the Black Needle Noise track “Messages By Dreams.”

See the video for “Machine” below.

About John Fryer

John Fryer started his career in 1979 at London’s Blackwing Studios (London) and soon began working with seminal bands on 4AD, Mute, Rough Trade and Beggars Banquet, including Depeche Mode, The Wolfgang Press and Cocteau Twins. His achievement in helping develop the latter’s pioneering ethereal and ambient sound ultimately led Watts-Russell to recruit Fryer as his partner for This Mortal Coil.

Since then, Fryer has produced many iconic artists, including Love and Rockets, HIM, Cradle of Filth, Clan of Xymox, Nitzer Ebb, Dead Can Dance, Yaz (Yazoo), Xmal Deutschland, Fields of the Nephilim, De/Vision, Stabbing Westward and many others. Fryer has also produced many film soundtracks, such as Seven, Clerks, Johnny Mnemonic, Mortal Kombat, Faust and Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Currently Fryer also works closely with COP International and its roster and this debut Black Needle Noise release on the label is being hailed by COP founder Christian Petke who says, “I know how much this project means to John and I think it represents some of his finest work. Black Needle Noise is his vehicle to execute his artistic visions. It is not bound by style or fashion but represents the distilled essence of a man honing his craft for 40-plus years. To say it is an honor to represent Black Needle Noise on COP International is an understatement.”

Fryer recently celebrated a #1 entry on the German DAC Charts with the Chiasm & John Fryer album “Missed The Noise”. Good to know, Fryer acts as an A&R and a producer at COP International Records, helming the work of artists such as Stabbing Westward, Azam Ali, Chiasm, Stoneburner, Blackcarburning and more.

For more on John Fryer, see A Cloud Of Ravens release remix EP feat. remixes by Clan of Xymox,… on Side-Line.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Shoegaze, Dream-Pop.

Format: Digital, 2CD.

Background/Info: After having released two noticeable studio-albums on Saint-Marie Records the German duo Seasurfer (Dirk Knight and singer Apolonia) signed to Reptile Music to unleash their third album at the end of 2020. “Zombies” features an extra disc, which is a kind of mini-album of eight songs featuring Elena Alice Fossi (Kirlian Camera, Spectra Paris).

Content: The main disc features 16 songs and reveals a rather classical mix between Shoegaze and Dream-Pop. The tracks have been accomplished with Electronic arrangements often injecting an extra melodic touch. Some tracks have something dual for the mix of melodies and raw sound treatments. Most of the songs have been sung by Apolonia, but you’ll also hear Dirk Knight singing.

The second disc features Elena Alice Fossi and brings 6 extra songs plus two noticeable remixes by John Fryer (the legendary producer of bands like Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins, NIN ao). The sound isn’t that different compared to the main disc, but is maybe more accentuated around the Dream-Pop style.

+ + + : “Zombies” is a brilliant, creative exposure of modern Shoegaze and Dream-Pop music. It also is the magnum opus from this band. The album took me by surprise for its extended tracklist of 16 (!) songs (some cuts have been previously released as single), but also for the constant, high qualitative level of the production. I can’t say there’s one single track to throw away while there are several potential hits featured. The production sounds pretty 80s like, but with this extra, contemporary production on top. This album is dark and sensual, revealing a great fusion between guitar play and Electronic arrangements. There also is a fascinating sphere recovering the album, but which will maybe remind you of the famous “Twin Peaks”-tune at “Love Me… Dead!”. I however prefer the songs like “Tears & Happiness”, “Zombies”, “Venusberg”, “Time After Time”, Heaven”, “Dead In The Garden”.

The bonus disc is more than a little extra. Getting Elena Alice Fossi on board while getting two remixes by John Fryer makes this mini-album interesting. Dream-Pop cuts like “Fairies In Twilight” and “Blue Days” both are pretty cool songs.

– – – : Elena Alice Fossi is a great and sensual singer, but I prefer the original singer of the band: Apolonia. Her timbre of voice and especially the way of singing is more appropriated to this kind of production. I also expected a bit more from the John Fryer remixes.

Conclusion: If you like Shoegaze and Dream-Pop and you think there’s much more to find beyond Jesus And Mary Chain and The Cocteau Twins, “Zombies” is definitely an album to purchase!

Best songs: “Tears & Happiness”, “Zombies”, “Venusberg”, “Time After Time”, Heaven”, “Dead In The Garden” + “Fairies In Twilight”, “Blue Days”.

Rate: (9).

Artist: www.seasurfermusic.com / www.facebook.com/seasurfer

Label: www.reptile-music.net / www.facebook.com/reptile.music

About Seasurfer

Seasurfer is a Shoegaze and Dream-Pop project led by Hamburg, Germany-based musician Dirk Ritter. Two earlier Seasurfer albums were released on Saint-Marie Records before the band signed to Reptile Music for “Zombies,” issued in digital and 2CD formats at the end of 2020. Vocalists on past Seasurfer releases have included Dorian E and Julia Beyer, with Apolonia singing on “Zombies.” The album was mixed with input from Robin Guthrie of The Cocteau Twins, and its bonus disc, titled “The Dreampop Day,” features guest vocals from Elena Alice Fossi plus two remixes by John Fryer. In a Click Interview with Seasurfer, Ritter said the gloomy mood of the first Covid-19 wave shaped the sound of the album during final mixing. “Zombies” is Seasurfer’s third full-length and the release under review here.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Gothic, Post-Punk, Dark-Wave, Dream-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Three years after the brilliant album “Under The Falling Stars” (2017) Belgian gothic proud The Breath Of Life strikes back with this new opus. This must be the band’s tenth studio album since 1985. Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Didier Czepczyk (bass guitar), Giovanni Bortolin (keys and violin) and Philippe Mauroy (guitar, drums & loops programming) bring us eleven new songs.

Content: I can’t say this album sounds like one of the band’s most versatile ones, but there clearly is a mix between different 80s related influences emerging at the surface. The songs are moving in the typical Dark-Wave and Post-Punk vein, but there also is a more explicit and fragile aspect, which comes closer to Dream-Pop. Most of the songs are driven by a melancholic sound, which has something dreamy-minded while the guitar playing has this elevating effect. Isabelle Dekeyser has this impact of a Goddess by her now fragile and then mature and passionate timbre of voice.

+ + + : The Breath Of Life is one of these bands, which no longer has anything to prove. They simply compose the music they like and each album again they’re pleasing their fans. The main strength of this work comes through in the sensitive and melancholic approach of the song writing. The guitar accentuates the emotional side on songs like “She’s Not Real” and “Her Dream Cloud”, but also shows pretty refined playing on “In Her Darkness” –this song being the absolute highlight from the album. I get the feeling this album is a bit more into Dream-Pop influences, which here and then again remind me of The Cocteau Twins, but this band first of all remains a formation with a very own sound identity.

– – – : I think this album can’t compete with its predecessor although it’s an accomplished and fascinating work. I’m just missing a few more songs with some climax!

Conclusion: The Breath Of Life each time again sounds a bit different from their previous full length although you always recognize little details making the essence of their sound.

Best songs: “In Her Darkness”, “Her Dream Cloud”, “She’s Not Real”, “The Girl In A Box”, “She Wore A Crown”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.the-breath-of-life.com /

www.facebook.com/TBOL.official

Label: www.wool-e-discs.be / www.facebook.com/woolediscs

About The Breath Of Life

The Breath Of Life is a Belgian gothic and post-punk band formed in 1985. “Sparks Around Us” is counted as the band’s tenth studio album, with a lineup of Isabelle Dekeyser (vocals), Didier Czepczyk (bass guitar), Giovanni Bortolin (keys, violin) and Philippe Mauroy (guitar, drums, loops). It followed the band’s previous album, “Under The Falling Stars” (2017). The Breath Of Life later released the “Echoes Of Time” anthology retracing nearly four decades of the band’s history, followed in 2025 by the EP “Slowly Crashing”, billed as a teaser for the band’s eleventh album.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Dream-Pop, Shoegaze.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Based in Roma (Italy) 3+Dead saw the daylight in 2017. Set up by Elisa Pambianchi (vocals), Roberto Ruggeri (guitar, synths) and Giuseppe Marino (bass) they released their self-titled debut album by the end of last year.

Content: “3+Dead” is an album getting us back in time, somewhere in the magic and dark 80s decade. The Shoegaze style mixed with an explicit Dream-Pop influence has something reminding me of the magic of The Cocteau Twins. The guitar playing is an essential element of the album, but especially the spirit of the songs. Elisa Pambianchi sings in a fragile and sometimes emotional way. One of the most surprising songs is the cover version of DAF “Kebabtraume”, which has been transposed into the band’s approach.

+ + + : 3+Dead doesn’t take the work by surprise; the originality is hard to find, but the way this band has achieved their debut album is absolutely remarkable. They found a perfect balance between all the influences with masterfully guitar injecting a true spirit and emotion into the songs. That has been accentuated by the fragility of the singer’s timbre of voice. It resulted in several dreamy, dark Dream-Pop songs, but still in a few harder pieces like the “The Thing That You Call Love”, which is for sure my favorite one. But I also have to mention their very personal adaptation of “Kebabtraume”. You for sure recognize the lyrics of the song, but the music has been reworked into pure Shoegaze & Dream-Pop. 

– – – : The debut part of the album features a few songs, which are a little less hesitant, but quite progressively the work evolves towards its best part.

Conclusion: Even if this album was already released a while ago, it’s a successful debut from a band I can only, but recommend.

Best songs: “The Thing That You Call Love”, “Kebabtraume”, “Snake Of June”, “Shine”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/ThreePlusDead

Labels: www.swissdarknights.ch / www.facebook.com/SwissDarkNights /www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords

About 3+Dead

3+Dead is an Italian darkwave/shoegaze band from Rome, formed in 2017 by vocalist Elisa Pambianchi, guitarist and synth player Roberto Ruggeri, and bassist Giuseppe Marino, according to Discogs. Their self-titled debut album originally appeared in 2019 and is reissued here via Swiss Dark Nights and Icy Cold Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Internet is getting artists closer, giving birth to new bands. Before the new millennium it was nearly impossible to imagine a duo featuring the singer living in Germany and the musician living in Brazil. Wintry was the daylight thanks to the internet. Anne Goldacker (ex-Obsyre) and Alex Twin (3 Cold Men, Individual Industry, and still owner of Wave Records) joined hands together. They released a debut album “Atmosphere Around Us” in 2009 and struck back in 2017 with the single “Ausweg”. “Timeline” has been released as a collaboration between Wave Records and Young And Cold Records, but also got released in the US by Cleopatra Records. Their music reminds the golden years of 4AD and will appeal for lovers of X-Mal Deutschland, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus and others. I got in touch with Anne and Alex. (Picture credits by Falk Scheuring).

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Wintry has been set up in the 90s as a solo-project and became a duo when Anne Goldacker joined in for the debut album “Atmosphere Around Us”. How did this meeting happened and what did Anne brought to Wintry expect her beautiful timbre of voice?

Anne: Alex and I met thanks to Bruno Kramm. Alex was looking for a singer and Bruno recommend me. The main part is my voice, the second part are the lyrics, which I write myself.

Q: The single “Ausweg” has been released in 2017, but it took you ten years to release a successor to the album “Atmopshere Around Us “. How do you explain this long absence and what motivated you to start again?

Anne: For me, music is an important part of my life. But first of all I have a demanding profession, which takes me lot of my attention. As a dentist you certainly need to get a balance and I found it in music. But time goes fast and it takes a little longer to finish an album.

Alex: I’m involved with many others projects, so I can write new music when there is some free time. But I also have to take care of the label and the e-shop. It’s not that easy when you’re doing this all alone while it takes much time.

Q: When did the writing of the new album “Timeline” started and what kind of album did you try to accomplish?

Anne: I don’t know exactly when. For me the work started with the musical basis from Alex. I got my ideas for singing when writing the lyrics. And the result is an album giving us satisfaction after a long period of creation.

Q: How did the writing-, recording- and production of the album happened? And how did it happened for the vocals as you don’t live in the same country? And what has been the real input of both guest artists?

Anne: In times of internet, the distance is no problem. I went to a friend‘s studio to record my vocals and send it to Brazil. Alex did the rest.

Alex: I compose the songs and send them to Anne. After getting back the vocals, I sent it all to our guest musicians, Franck from Opera Multi Steel on bass and Audret from Scarlet Leaves to play guitars. The final production has been done by Marclo Gallo (Pitch Yarn Of Matter), who’ s doing mixing, production and mastering for years now here in São Paulo.

Q: Wintry is often linked to some bands from the legendary 4AD roster. What did this label mean to you and what do you consider as the real sources of inspiration?

Alex: I think the main bands active in the dark scene and dealing with post-punk, dark-wave, ethereal and related genres are influenced by the 4AD era. These bands were the pioneers of dark music.

Things are a bit different today. Bands no longer  compose music like 4AD artists did. We have these bands in mind, but there also is the influence from ‘new’ bands. We must move ahead and listen more to new music than only to the ‘old ones’, at least that’s how it works for me. Actually I listen much more to new stuff than old work. Wave Records get many demos every week and trust me, I have heard numerous great new bands since 2010.

Q: “Timeline” has been of course released on your own label, Wave Records, but still here in Europe on Young & Cold Records and in the US on Cleopatra. Why releasing an album on three labels when we all know the CD format no longer sell? What are the further plans for Wintry?

Alex: After I had finished the Wintry master, I got a message from A&R from Cleopatra, and he asked me about some bands I released. So I sent him the new Wintry and we got a deal for North America exclusively. Young & Cold Records are partners for selling recrods via the e-shop, but Wintry also has 70% of the tracks in German, so we just found a deal for the vinyl release exclusively for Europe. The CD edit features bonus tracks and Wave Records sell it worldwide.

About the CD sales, I can tell you this format is still  selling, but not like in the 90s. But we have many customers only buying CD editions. Of course vinyl is growing the last years, but the main people at least in Brazil just buy CD’s. I think releasing 3 different formats is a good way to reach all kind of customers.

The plans for Wintry are to compose more tracks next year so a new album will be probably released for 2021/2022.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

(Photo by Elsiane) Elsiane is one of those few bands which immediately caught my attention after War-n from Hungry Lucy pointed them out to me a few years ago. The mix of sensual and very recognisable vocals by frontwoman Elsieanne Caplette swimming in subtle dark wavish pop (with a clear reference to Cocteau Twins) did its work really well.

Out now is “Sinai”, the brand new – and long-awaited – single by the female fronted duo Elsiane. And it’s again a perfect merge between these two highly talented musicians. Just check the new single below!

Peru and Canada united

Elsiane was formed in the year 2000, after singer/musician/composer Elsieanne Caplette emigrated to Montreal, Canada from Lima, Peru, and met drummer Stephane Sotto. The duo are an unlikely match to say the least, merging the classically trained Caplette with the self-taught Sotto, and doing so with unprecedented style. With shared influences spanning across jazz, rock, electronic and world music, and an intriguing nod to the trip hop of Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky, the pair creates a musical experience that is entirely unique. 

The 2007 debut album Hybrid established them as the hottest new act in Canada, which was followed up by ecstatically received live performances, including tours with Delerium and Beast, as well as performances at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. A devoted live following began to form, drawn to the shadow-filled dreamscapes of songs like “Vaporous,” and the arresting visuals and the hypnotic intensity of Elsieanne Caplette’s voice and stage presence. 

In 2012 Elsiane followed Hybrid with a self-produced second album, Mechanics of Emotion, which further galvanized both their sound and following. Their third album, Death of the Artist, was released independently in 2017, receiving high praise and being regarded by many as their best work. Elsiane then began working non-stop, with two European tours, performing with Cirque Du Soleil, and releasing an album in collaboration with science fiction author Rich Shapero for his multimedia interactive novel Rin, Tongue and Dorner. 

After the passing of Sotto’s father in 2018, the duo settled down and began to write a new album in dedication to his memory. They feel inspired to take their creativity to the next level and embark on a new chapter, and with the first single “Sinai” out in June 2020, fans will get a preview of the forthcoming transformative era of Elsiane. 

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

(Photo by Pharmadiver/Kim Hansen Photography) Good news from Stabbing Westward, the band has inked a deal with COP International for a brand new album called “Wasteland” to be released later this year alongside at least one new single. In January, the industrial rock band already released the EP “Dead And Gone” with all new material.

It will be the band’s 1st LP in nearly 20 years. The other good news is that they joined up with John Fryer for the production of this new album. Fryer, whose production credits include Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, 4AD, Cocteau Twins and Love and Rockets, was behind the boards on Stabbing Westward’s seminal early albums “Ungod” (1994) and “Wither Blister Burn + Peel” (1996). “It’s grand to be working with Stabbing Westward again,” says Fryer. “The first two albums we made together were some of my finest work as a producer.”

Stabbing Westward frontman Christopher Hall adds, “I was so excited to have the opportunity to go back to the very roots of Stabbing Westward by working with John again. John really helped us develop our sound on our first album and then helped us take a huge leap forward with our second album. Even though this is our fifth full length, after such a long break it feels like a new beginning and it’s very cool to have John at the helm once again.”

Anno 2020 the band consists of original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) as well as longtime bandmate Carlton Bost (bass) and newest member Bobby Amaro (drums).

New production company for COP International

Good to know also, this won’t be the only work Fryer will do for COP International. The label teamed up with producer John Fryer last year to form a production company under the COP International umbrella. Fryer is producing and engineering the majority of the forthcoming COP catalog and also working as A&R in helping to select appropriate acts.

Side-Line also covered John Fryer’s ‘Away EP’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Wave-pop, goth-pop.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl.

Background/Info: Wintry resulted from the collaborative efforts between German singer Anne Goldacker (ex-Obsyre) and Brazilian musician and label Wave Records label owner Alex Twin (3 Cold Men, Individual Industry). They released a debut album “Atmosphere Around Us” in 2009 and struck back in 2017 with the single “Ausweg”. “Timeline” has been released as a collaboration between Wave Records and Young And Cold Records, but also got released in the US by Cleopatra Records. Notice by the way the digital and CD edits are featuring four bonus songs.  

Content: Wintry is a project that clearly sounds devoted to the 80s new/cold-wave spirit. The songs remind me of X Mal Deutschland –also because of Anne Goldacker’s timbre of voice, but also to Bauhaus for some of the guitar parts. Most of the songs are sung in German, but you’ll also discover two English sung cuts. The album opens with the single title song “Ausweg” while the last song is the single’s B-side “Auch Ohne Dich”.

The bonus cuts feature two remixes by Marcelo Gallo (who produced the album and who was previously involved with Pitch Yarn Of Matter) and 2 other ones by Pieter Nooten (Clan Of Xymox).

+ + + : If you’re nostalgic of the 4AD golden years, Wintry will sound as a relief. There’s a similar spirit in the writing, mixing dark 80s atmospheres mainly accentuated by the guitar playing and refined with electronic arrangements. I like some of the electronic parts for their minimalism. The global production stands for delicacy and dark, evasive songs. Anne Goldacker is a truly talented singer who put her stamp on this work. Last, but not least I also have to recommend the album for its artistic artwork –at least for the CD format!

– – – : The album is fully entertaining, but I’m missing this kind of hit to speak about a total successful release.

Conclusion: Wintry evokes some real good souvenirs, getting me back to some legendary 4AD bands such as X Mal Deutschland, Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus… while the contribution of Clan Of Xymox member Pieter Nooten is also a wink. 

Best songs: “Dependence”, “Sehnsucht”, “Ausweg”, “Schmerz – Remix by Marcelo Gallo”, “Sehnsucht –  Remix by Pieter Nooten”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/wintryofficial 

Labels: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords  / https://youngandcold.de /

www.facebook.com/youngandcoldrecords

About Wintry

Wintry pairs German singer Anne Goldacker with Brazilian musician Alex Twin, who also runs Wave Records and has worked on Individual Industry and 3 Cold Men. The two connected through a recommendation from Bruno Kramm and released a debut album, “Atmosphere Around Us”, in 2009, followed by the single “Ausweg” in 2017. Goldacker records her vocals separately and sends them to Twin, who composes the music; guest musicians Franck of Opera Multi Steel and Audret of Scarlet Leaves contributed bass and guitar to “Timeline”, produced by Marcelo Gallo of Pitch Yarn Of Matter.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Gothic, cold-wave, dark-pop, minimal-electro, dream-pop.

Background/Info: “Dark Nouveau” features a fine selection of twenty four bands from all over the world and dealing with ‘dark’ music. The compilation has been realized by Athan Maroulis (Spahn Ranch, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, NOIR ao). “Dark Nouveau” stands for the contemporary exposure of ‘dark’ music.

Artists: NOIR, FTR, Paradox Obscur, She Past Away, Ash Code, Hante, Dark Door, Antipole, Shadow Age, Balvanera, Skeleton Hands, Dancing Plague, Push/Button/Press, Night Fail, Canter, Decedent vs. Slighter, Seeming, The Harrow, Dead Leaf Echo, Twin Tribes, Weird Candle, The Shyness Of Strangers, Iamtheshadow, Inopera.

Content: Twenty four bands is an impressive tracklist to celebrate the newest formats of ‘dark’ music. The featured bands are covering an impressive canvas, which is moving from gothic and cold-wave to dark-pop and wave-pop. Somewhere in between you also will discover bands dealing with dream-pop, minimal electronics, but also a few artists clearly inspired by the cold-wave icons such as Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, The Cure ao.

+ + + : Athan Maroulis did a great job on this compilation. He brought a nice selection of artists together, but there’s an impressive list of great songs. From the Turkish goth sensation She Past Away to the phenomenal minimal-electro from Greek Paradox Obscur to the dark-pop from Argentina project Balvanera to the sexy French dark-wave revelation FTR to the raw electronics from Canadian duo Weird Candle to the Portuguese hybrid between Skeletal Family and Joy Division called Iamtheshadow, this compilation has a lot to offer. It also is an opportunity to discover less familiar bands and who knows, maybe further Metropolis artists. 

– – – : I don’t have a real minus point about this compilation, which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best I’ve heard this year. It’s just a pity this  work is not available as a physical format.

Conclusion:  Most of the compilations today are a kind of shop window for the labels, but luckily there are still a few compilations bringing something new! That’s why “Dark Nouveau” is a must have!

Best bands: Paradox Obscur, FTR, She Past away, Balvanera, Weird Candle, Iamtheshadow, NOIR, Dancing Plague.

Rate: (8½).

Label: www.metropolis–records.com / www.facebook.com/MetropolisRecords

About Metropolis Records

“Dark Nouveau” was compiled by Athan Maroulis, known for his work in Spahn Ranch, an electro-industrial group active in Los Angeles from 1992 to 2000, and for his later project Nøir.

Metropolis Records was set up in 1994 by Dave Heckman and built its American roster around acts including VNV Nation, Front 242, Front Line Assembly, Wumpscut, Project Pitchfork, KMFDM and Numb, several of which connect to the gothic and cold-wave lineage “Dark Nouveau” surveys.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Andrea Kerr and Jared Hawkes, the duo behind the UK outfit Living With Eating Disorders (aka LWED) are in the process of re-releasing all the LWED ep’s in their original electronic versions. They have all been remastered and are having a digital release for all streaming sites.

Remastered as the first in a series of forthcoming digital releases, the “Superhero” EP is where LWED’s story began, way back in 2001. Originally distributed as limited edition CD-Rs (sold directly to fans at live shows or online at lwed.co.uk), it was these stripped-back and more electronic tracks that caught the attention of John Fryer (producer to the likes of Depeche Mode, Cocteau Twins and Nine Inch Nails) which led him to sign the band to his new label Something To Listen To.

Besides “Superhero” you’ll also find “Polaroid” and “Harm” with “Everything You Hide”, “More Than This” and “These Pieces That You’ve Saved” following later this year.

These are the EP’s that are already available:

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Black Needle Noise, featuring legendary producer John Fryer (Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, This Mortal Coil), has teamed up with PIG for the download track “Seed Of Evil”. “Seed of Evil” features PIG vocalist Raymond Watts.

Watts explains how the collaboration started: “When John Fryer called, it was like cream was fed to my poison crop. I was thrilled to lend Satan’s little helping hand to Black Needle Noise,” says Watts of the devilish collaboration. “The result from this marriage made in hell was appropriately called ‘Seed of Evil’ … it pours out of me into the night, where the devil ties it nice and tight.”

Fryer meanwhile states: “After many a moon passing we finally get to work together again. I had to find the right song for Raymond but I think we have a great noise-pop hit on our hands. It’s been a real pleasure working with Raymond on this and I can’t wait to hear it in the clubs.”

Black Needle Noise has previously released music featururing a diverse who’s who of alternative vocalists such as Mimi Page (Delirium), Jennie Vee (bassist, Hole), Ana Breton (Dead Leaf Echo), Omniflux (Puscifer), Kendra Frost (Kite Base), Andrea Kerr (Colt), Sivert Hoyem, Antic Clay, and ZiaLand, among others.

“Seed Of Evil” is now available on Bandcamp, and you can check it out below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Wave-pop, shoegaze, rock-wave.

Background/Info: Basnia is a Polish project set up in 2017 by songwriter Baśnia Lipińska (vocals, percussion). She has been joined by Adam Kaliszewski (guitar), Łukasz Zaorski-Sikora (bass) and Filip Onufry Jaremko (drums). This is the band’s debut album featuring ten songs.

Content: The band’s main influences are clearly 80s inspired. The songs are mixing different influences such as rock, new-wave and shoegaze. You can feel a dreamy sensation listening to this album although a few cuts reveal some harder guitar riffs. The last song (cf. “Night Of The Lost”) features trumpet play by a guest musician.

+ + + : Basnia is first of all characterized by the sensitive and fragile timbre of voice of leading lady Baśnia Lipińska. The music seems to have been composed around her vocals, which might explain the dreamy sensation. This is perfect music to relax while the album features a few cool cuts. I also have to say a word about the cool, artistic digipak format of this work.

– – – : There’s not a lot of diversity in the songwriting. When you’ve heard one song you get the impression to have heard the entire work.

Conclusion: This dreamy sound experience makes me think to a kind of contemporary Cocteau Twins, but Basnia still has to find the ‘magic’ that made Cocteau Twin that famous.

Best songs: “This Love Is Dangerous”, “Hard Crush”, “Maybe I’ve Gone Mad”, “Night Of The Lost”.

Rate: (6).

Artist: www.facebook.com/basnia.music

Label: www.alchera.org / www.facebook.com/alcheravisions

About Basnia

Basnia is a Polish post-punk project launched in 2019 by vocalist and songwriter Baśnia Lipińska, joined by Adam Kaliszewski on guitar, Łukasz Zaorski-Sikora on bass and Filip Onufry Jaremko on drums.

“No Falling Stars And No Wishes,” the project’s debut album, was recorded, mixed and produced by Waldemar Sorychta, known for his work with The Gathering, Lacuna Coil, Moonspell and Tiamat, and features a guest trumpet performance by Michał Michota on the closing track.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

FTR (Future) is a French trio that saw the daylight in 2012. Based in Paris, Yann Canevet (bass, vocals), Pauline CP (keyboards, programming) and Brice Delourmel (guitar, programming) this year released their second full length album entitled “Manners”. The work has been released in France by Third Coming Records and in the US by Metropolis. The sound can be defined as a mix between cold-wave and shoegaze music with some electronic arrangements on top. It’s an obscure and somewhat disturbing experience, but still a great opus, which incited me to get more info about the band and their new work. I’ve been in touch with Pauline CP.

(Picture credits by Arthur Weed / Interview courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Can you briefly introduce FTR and the way you got contaminated by the (dark) music virus?

 Pauline: We are three. We’ve always been involved in common musical scenes and projects between Rennes and Paris. When Brice and Yann both came from Rennes to Paris in 2012 they started playing together, and recorded, the first EP “Abyss” in 2013 in Lannion (Brittany). I joined the band during the winter of this same year. Then we released all together our first album “Horizons” (RPUT) in 2015, and toured in China in September 2016. We took our time, and now we come back with a second album, “Manners” (Third Coming Records, Metropolis Records), under the name FTR. It has the same meaning as Future, it’s just a different way to write it.

We have different personal stories about our taste for dark music, but we all can say that it’s been a while, with different shades of darkness. For me, it was fumbling my mother’s CDs when I was a kid, attracted by the artworks, and finding Art Of Noise (cf. “In Visible Silence”), Cocteau Twins (cf. “The Pink Opaque”- comp) and Dead Can Dance (cf. “A Passage In Time”-comp).

Q: FTR stands for ‘future’ while your music is clearly inspired by ‘retro’ elements such  as shoegaze and cold-wave. What is the band name all about  and can you reveal your sources of inspiration?

Pauline: We probably have an ambivalent opinion about the concept of future which explains why we like that word and use it with all the softness and irony possible. We are coming from a classic noise-rock tradition, from the no-wave with Glenn Branca, Rhys Chatham, then obviously Sonic Youth, Big Black, and definitely The Jesus & Mary Chain. Cold-wave, with The Cure, Bauhaus, Siouxsie… 90’s grunge and shoegaze classics are also part of our influences, from Nirvana to smaller bands like KG. More recent bands like A Place To Bury Strangers, Metz, Soft Moon, Spray Paint or The Name Of The Band have been really important for us for different reasons. 

Q: Another retro element is the vinyl format of “Manners”, which has been released in France  by Third Coming Records and in the US by Metropolis. The vinyl is quite trendy today and often an item for collectors. What does it mean to you and what’s your favorite format (vinyl? CD? Streaming)?

Pauline: We don’t really see vinyl as a retro object, just as one format between others that sometimes is relevant sometimes is not. Both labels have it on vinyl and CD format, only Third Coming Records released it on tape format. Artworks are important for us, as both albums are drawn by the artist Marion Costentin, so vinyl is obviously a good format to appreciate them properly. We don’t have a fetish for a specific format between vinyl, tape, CD,  it depends of the compression and recording. So download mp3 is obviously not the best, but we must admit it’s handy. Streaming is more a way to discover than a way to support and collect music.

Q: What kind of album did you’d in mind when starting the writing of “Manners” and tell us a bit more about the extremely dark sphere recovering the songs?

Pauline: It’s the result of time we spent together, life changes and common energy we had at that time. Yann just dropped all his ideas and we all delved into what you describe as an ‘extremely dark sphere’, because it was it and we were happy to be in it. It was actually a lot of fun. 

Q: How would you compare the evolution  from your debut album “Horizons” (2015) towards  “Manners”? 

Pauline: “Horizons” was more atmospheric, cold, kinda pop in a way. With “Manners” we mixed our noisy and cold influences in a more violent and straightforward atmosphere. We changed the dynamic of composition, Yann had a huge creativity flow, and we decided to reduce the number of layers to get closer to how we sound live. We delegated all the mixing work to Bernard Canévet (Yann used to do the pre-mix on the first album) so that we can all be listeners of our music and it worked pretty well!

Q: You’re based in Paris, which has been last week world-news because of the terrible fire in  the Cathedral Notre-Dame. In which way do you feel affected  by this tragedy and how do you see Paris for artists like you dealing with cold-wave/shoegaze music?

Pauline: That night when Notre-Dame rooftop burnt, I had a drink with a friend in a bar in front of a church. That one friend, told me there was a theory that churches were actually alien spaceships, as if arched-buttress were space launcher that could be activated once it will be the time to do so. Since then, I can’t stop looking at churches as spaceships.

To answer your second question, it’s not that bad, but it could definitely be better.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

If you think Massive Attack, you instantly think “Teardrop”, the massive hit Massive Attack had in 1998. “Teardrop” features lead vocals and lyrics by Elizabeth Fraser, the lead singer for the Cocteau Twins. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, “Mezzanine”.

Now, 20 years later, Massive Attack announces that they are taking 1998’s “Mezzanine” back on the road in Europe and North America in early 2019 with collaborators including Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser. This will be Fraser’s first time touring since she toured with the group in 2006.

The song Madonna was about to record…

Small but important detail, songwriter Andrew Vowles originally sent the demo to Madonna as he wanted her to record the vocals for the song as the band had previously worked with her on their 1995 reworking of the song “I Want You”. The two other band members Robert Del Naja and Grantley Marshall on the other hand wanted Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins to record the vocals. Madonna was very keen to record the vocals, and was disappointed when the two-to-one vote went in Fraser’s favour.

The concert dates

• 01-28 Glasgow, Scotland – SSE Hydro
• 01-28 Manchester, England – Manchester Arena
• 01-31 Brussels, Belgium – Palias 12
• 02-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live
• 02-04 Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhunderthalle
• 02-05 Munich, Germany – Zenith
• 02-06 Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum
• 02-08 Rome, Italy – Palalottomatica
• 02-09 Padua, Italy – Kioene Arena
• 02-11 Paris, France – Zenith
• 02-13 Nantes, France – Zenith de Nantes Metropole
• 02-14 Bordeaux, France – Bordeaux Metropole Arena
• 02-18 Lisbon, Portugal – Campo Pequeno
• 02-22 London, England – O2 Arena
• 02-24 Dublin, Ireland – 3Arena
• 03-01 Bristol, England – Steel Yard, Bristol

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com

Background/Info:

About Stella Diana

Stella Diana is an alternative rock and shoegaze band from Naples, Italy, founded in 1998, led by Dario Torre alongside Giacomo Salzano and Giulio Grasso. Earlier releases include “Supporto Colore” (2007, Seahorse Recordings) and “41 61 93” (2014, Vipchoyo Sound Factory). Former member Raffaele Bocchetti later joined In Her Eye, part of the same Italian shoegaze movement dubbed Italogaze.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Background/Info:

About Candélabre

Candelabre is a French band from Toulouse, fronted by singer Cindy Sanchez. “Candelabre”, reviewed here, is the group’s self-titled debut EP, released in 2018 on Solange Endormie Records.

The band followed it with the album “For To Have Time Is To Have Wings“, released on 7 May 2021 through Manic Depression Records in digital, CD and vinyl formats.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Dark-wave, ethereal-gothic, goth-pop.

Background/Info: Hailing from Israel, but based in The Netherlands this is the first new studio album since “Third Wish” (2006) for Sophya. Set up in the late 90s by Sonja Rozenblum and Idan Karutchi, Sophya became a recognized and established formation at the wider fields of dark-wave and gothic music.

Content: “Broken Mirrors” takes off with a surprising minimal-electro piece, which is less representative for the rest of the album. I however have to mention there are a few more electronic passages, which sounds pretty vintage-like and even joined by robotic vocals. But the sound is rapidly evolving towards the more familiar dark-wave format on, which electronics and guitar plus bass are in perfect harmony with each other. The sweet melancholia reminds me once more to Cocteau Twins while other guitar parts might remind you of The Cure. The male- and female vocals are mainly alternating from song to song.

Notice by the way a few guest musicians have been invited to achieve this album.

+ + + : “Broken Mirrors” doesn’t feature the magic from the early days, but I can assure you it’s a noticeable ‘return’ for Sophya. The duo delivers an accomplished piece of music, which takes me by surprise for its electronic minimalism (cf. “The New One”, “Machine”) while confirming the evasive and melancholic dark-wave style (cf. “Technicolor”, “Soul Stealer”, “Open Eyes (Digging Souls)”. Sophya brings good-old 80s souvenirs alive while this band always has had something apart from other bands. The guitar play reminds an important and great part of the work while Sonja Rozenblum still has this melancholic way of singing.

– – – : “Broken Mirrors” is a noticeable return and according to me a fully enjoyable album, but as I said the magic is a bit gone. Sophya can’t take me by surprise as they did in the past.

Conclusion: “Broken Mirrors” is an appropriate title for an album filled with melancholia. A mirror is a fascinating and symbolic object in many cultures, but a broken mirror has something baleful… but maybe not for gothic bands!

Best songs: “Machine”, “Technicolor”, “Open Eyes (Digging Souls)”, “The New One”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.sophya.nl / www.facebook.com/sophyamusic

Label: www.seja.nl / www.facebook.com/sejarecords

About Sophya

Sophya is a dark-wave duo formed in the late 1990s in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Sonja Rozenblum and Idan Karutchi after Rozenblum relocated from Israel. The band released “The Age Of Sophya” (2000), “Dream” (2003) and “Third Wish” (2006) before “Broken Mirrors” became its first new studio album in over a decade, released through Dutch label Seja Records.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com