Friday 12 April 2013

Noblesse Oblige - Affair Of The Heart

  Pulsating with raw passion and a desire for anthemic melodies, Berlin based Noblesse Oblige have crafted their most polished and unapologetic work to date. New album release ‘Affair of the Heart’ presents a sophisticated pop opus, destined to unite the ears of dance floor dreamers and bedroom escapists alike.
Powerful male & female harmonies melt over an ocean of warm electronics, voluptuous dance floor beats and euphoric disco arpeggios, as you’re welcomed into a rich fantasy world of exotic spies, demonic preachers and lonely souls lost at sea…


   “Affair Of The Heart is a romantic journey in the classic sense of the term. Our study of human passion from its most uplifting to its gloomiest…”


   Formed after a chance meeting at a masked ball in London, French performer Valerie Renay and German producer Sebastian Lee Philipp have spent the last few years touring the European club circuit, picking up a Russian Music Prize for their chanson pop album ‘In Exile’ along the way…



  However, when it came to working on their latest release, the duo locked themselves away in a live-in factory on the outskirts of Berlin (at studio haven ‘Turmwerk’, founded by Chris Corner of Sneaker Pimps/IAMX.) Undisturbed by the rest of the world, they collaborated for the first time with mixing engineers David Wrench (Caribou, Bat For Lashes) and Harald Blüchel (Cosmic Baby, Energy 52) in order to bring a fresh dimension to their sound.

   The result is an album that defies the isolation it sprung from and instead, shoots straight for the dance flloor and into the soul. Harnessing pop sensibilites and a slick electronic production, ‘Affair of the Heart’ recalls the emotional energy of iconic 80s bands like Eurythmics, Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode, whilst also reaching out to fans of more contemporary favourites like Hurts, The Knife, Austra and Trust. 
 

   It’s a far cry from their arty beginnings in London’s electro-punk scene, but if the album’s chilling and hypnotic cover of an Eagles’ classic demonstrates anything, it’s that not only are Valerie and Sebastian braving new territories; they’re creating their own as well…

  “As an artist, you never know how the music will sound after you leave the dream world of the studio, and how it will translate into the real world of the listeners. 

 The many moments of joy, the countless late nights we spent in the studio, and passionately worked on our music, remain particularly fulfilling moments in our memory. I hope that this energy and emotion are felt by the outsiders, and will entice them into our world…”
In short, Noblesse Oblige welcome you to share the pleasures of their new found pop universe. An invitation no one should refuse.




New Album: AFFAIR OF THE HEART





Release: 24. 5. 2013 (RepoRecords/AL!VE)
Singles: RUNAWAY (Video dir. Chris Corner)
MATA HARI (Video dir. Valquire Veljkovic)

Tuesday 19 March 2013

IAMX - I Come With Knives



   Chris Corner aka. IAMX just unveiled a video for the song I Come With Knives. After The Unified Field and Quiet The Mind, I Come With Knives is the third output of IAMX‘s upcoming album The Unified Field (out March 22).

  I have waited for this song and video as IAMX announced their new album. THIS is Chris and his magical art, full of intense emotions, seductive noise and exploding energy!  Thanks to IAMX!!
  I'm chilling to these next days to hear whole new fucking good album :))  




Saturday 2 March 2013

Ballerina Black



  Driving Mope-Rock could be one way to describe their sound, Grave-Wave might be another. Regardless of the sonic hemispheres, the paradoxes that exist in the Los Angeles based quartet Ballerina Black are startling. Singer-songwriter Moynahan seems to be incapable of answering band and music related inquiries without delivering a hyper-metaphoric, stream of conscious response.. that’s ironically focused and congruent. This is ever-present lyrically as well. “Tears and fury are not that distant of relatives,.. and sometimes funerals are fun to dance at”. Joined by bassist Sugich in 2007, a telepathy was forged; completing their first full length (Cattle Arithmetic) in 2010 and opening for the likes of Silversun Pickups and Interpol at LA Greek Theater. The two embelished on their uniqueness with drummer Anthos and extra guitars and keys provided by Eton, after which, releasing the first of a series of EPs in late 2012 under the division titled Injureless. “Maybe if Nirvana had decided to do covers of the Cure?,.. might come close to hitting some planet of reference in the Black universe surrounding these guys sound”. What is apparent though, is the refreshingly austere catchy-ness of Ballerina Blacks message. But the biggest mystery still remains… how long is it going to take the rest of the world to start freaking out about this band?!

 “Elegantly juxtaposing melancholy, with beauty and euphoria; a kind of melan-phoria if you will. Dance with all the desire of a first time pill-popper while fat tears of grief roll down your face.” -Repeat Button

Enjoy!!