EP Review: Science Remixes Part 1 - Cinnamon Chasers

Purveyors of slinky synth-house, Cinnamon Chasers still seem to be relatively unknown but, on the run up to their debut album, their latest EP is a good introduction to their material. Science Remixes may be packaged as a remix collection but actually consisting of a number of originals too.

We're in the realm of warm house music here - not overly banging nor is it particularly likely to appeal to the more crusty of house fans, Cinnamon Chasers are fairly straight up. At their best they recall GusGus' less techno, more house influenced efforts. This is particularly true of opener 'Tattoo' and its accompanying 'Retro 909 Version', which (surprisingly) adds some 909s and a bit of an acid edge to things. 'Tattoo' is minimal and laid back - too laid back for a peak time set but just perfect for some beach time or sunset chilling and frankly that's just fine with me. The noodling melody of the synth line is lush and combines particularly well with the 909 version's drum roll.

'Smooth Station' is a little, dare I say it, cheesier. The original version is a little Royksopp, which is all well and good but the vocal (already pushed to the back of the mix) really adds little. The 'Deep Electric Version' moves things in a bit more of a trance direction and throws in some BT-esque stutter-edits but it's all a bit insipid to leave any lasting mark.

Whilst 'One Million Balloons' treads a similar path its accompanying remix is definitely an improvement, stripping the vocal back and pushing the dubby electronics to the foreground. Final track 'Magic Lover' is a bizarre one - a slightly ska feeling number which again benefits from a remix in the form of the 'Deep Electric Version'.

Science Remixes Part 1 has its moments but ultimately falls short of hitting the mark. 'Tattoo' shows that Cinnamon Chasers, or Russ Davies to use his real name, can make great tracks but the rest of the selection here seems to see him  falling between the gap between pop-crossover material and a more serious electronic sound. The quoted sources of inspiration (Moroder, Vangelis, Jean Michael-Jarre) may be admirable but in the wrong hands they have a tendency to whiff a bit. If they are going to succeed Cinnamon Chasers just might need to choose which way they want to jump: does Davies want a commercial or a critical hit?

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Science Remixes Part 1 is out now on Modus Records, available on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].

Album Review: Mirror! Mirror! - Sons & Daughters

Sons & Daughters' new album Mirror! Mirror! feels rotten to the core. Produced by Keith McIvor, also known as JD Twitch and one half of Glaswegian DJ duo Optimo, it feels significantly darker than anything the band have done before.

Drenched in black with stripped back production Mirror! Mirror! feels a bit like the post-punk revival of the past ten years never happened. Whilst the band cite inspiration as coming from Stevie Nicks, Siousxie, PJ Harvey and Fever Ray it's really more a fairly faithful interpretation of the sounds of Joy Division, Gang of Four et al. Not that this is a bad thing - Interpol and more recently the Horrors have both created great music by using little more than a collection of four or five records from 1978-1983 as inspiration.

In fact Sons & Daughters sound so raw on this record that there is very little not to love. The Optimo sound surrounds this record like creeping dense fog - it's claustrophobic and pretty much impossible to escape. Guitars crunch whilst feedback cuts from left channel to right like a knife on 'Orion', all of it underpinned by David Gow's tight percussion. And the rhythm is the real star of the show here - whether straight up, no-frills and uncompromising as on reverb heavy 'Don't Look Now' or the punchy bass of tribute to murdered actress Elisabeth Short 'Axed Actor'.

The same is true of the 'Ink Free', which tackles singer Adele Bethel's writer's block, and it is a real highlight. Heavy and taught with the production applied with a subtle enough touch to give enough room for Bethel and (second vocalist and guitarist) Scott Paterson's frankly terrifying duet. The occasional burst of distorted white noise and the snare hits that punctuate the atmosphere feel like they actually leave a holes in the structure of the song.

Mirror! Mirror! is lean and focused and for that it should be applauded. Sons & Daughters have created, with the assistance of Keith McIvor, a dizzying and uncompromising album full of tiny details. As a whole body Mirror! Mirror!, the title surely a reference to self-absoption, talks more of the spiral of depression than anything else and that comes through in the palpable claustrophobia this record seeps out throughout its length.

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Mirror! Mirror! is out now on Domino, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: Native To - Is Tropical

I've been following Is Tropical since before they were featured on Kitsuné Maison Ten and signed to the Kitsuné label - they feel a bit like a sun bleached, tie-dyed take on the nu rave sound of the Klaxons. It was single 'South Pacific' that really caught my attention however and as such it's a pretty appropriate album opener here, a contradictorily epic shoe-gazing anthem it recalls holidays, the seaside and hope.

The only problem with opening the album on 'South Pacific' is that it gives the rest of the set a lot to live up to. It's a task Is Tropical step up to with a relatively admiral aplomb but never fully address. Native To is short, at just 36 minutes, and therefore has no real problems with overstaying it's welcome but it also struggles to leave a lasting idea within that time. In comparison to 'South Pacific' the majority of the album is considerably more electronic and danceable. 'Land of the Nod' has a thick, warm baseline that splatters things with Is Tropical's trademark colourful sunshine whilst 'The Greeks' hums along, fuzzy and chunky.

But the music is best when rebellious and surrounded by space - 'What ???', with it's rapid fire vocals a soaring chorus ("Temptation to be good”, they sing) is the track that gets them closest to the wonderment of 'South Pacific' and 'Berlin' sounds suitably starry eyed and overwhelmed.

Native To definitely feels like a debut effort - it's a little rough around the edges and content to figure out what it is as it goes along. And sometimes I like that. Whilst Is Tropical are unlikely to top any album-of-the-year lists this certainly cements them as ones to watch. And maybe that is the point - final track 'Think We're Alone' pulls the plug seemingly abruptly, almost like the band are determined to head off before you hear too much of what might be coming next.

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Native To is out now on Kitsuné, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD and MP3 [affiliate links].

Download: 2011 Overview Mix - Mario Basanov

Mario Basanov is another artist who has been on my radar for a while. Last year he dropped the nice disco effort 'Up' (which featured on Future Disco 4, as covered here) and he also featured on the Future Balearica album. Whilst those tracks are good it is his latest single, the first to feature a full vocal (delivered by Mario himself no less) that really blew me away.

'Lonely Days' is pure summer Balearic heaven - a fusion of cosmic disco and house that I can't get enough of. The original mix is pure laid back summery goodness whilst the Plate Dub adds a slow piano combined with a driving build-up this is utterly irresistible - to listen to this and not dream of being out lounging in the sun is impossible. Even better is Drop Out Orchestra's remix, which adds a heavier disco flourish to the original and some awesome guitar (there is nowhere near enough guitar in house music). You can check out embeds of the former two on Soundcloud below, but the Drop Out Orchestra version is worth seeking out:

Mario Basanov - Lonely Days 12'' by Mario Basanov

Mario Basanov - Lonely Days (Plate Dub) 12'' by Mario Basanov

Mario has also just released a free downloadable mix and I'm pleased to say that it totally brings the lush, warm sound that I love about his work to a long form mix. No track listing at present (let us know if you find one) but trust me, it's a keeper. You can listen to it and download on the Soundcloud player (or link) below:

Mario Basanov - 2011 Overview Mix by Needwant

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'Lonely Days' is released on Need Want on 13 June, available for pre-order on Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

Video: Hawaiian Air - Friendly Fires

Friendly Fires' eponymous debut album was one of my favourite albums of 2008, their epic indie sound capturing the feeling of classic house perfectly. The band's sophomore album, Pala, came out a few weeks back - I'm aiming to do a full write up soon but suffice to say there are a few gems and 'Hawaiian Air', performed live above for the O2 Academy, is one such gem.

'Hawaiian Air' is Friendly Fires' next single and it does a cracking job of capturing the excitement that fuels a long flight to a far off land so it's definitely worth checking out the video above. You can also head over to YouTube for videos of 'Jump In The Pool' off the first album and another Pala highlight in 'Blue Cassette'.

Friendly Fires tour the UK in November this year - details are on the tour page on their site.

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