Tangerine Dream: Under Cover Chapter 1

Tangerine Dream are of course best known for their typically instrumental Electronica and New Age compositions. Over their several decades of activity, the group have released a great number of original works, with brief forays into songwriting. This particular release is unusual being the first release of only cover versions of various rock/pop songs by artists including REM and The Goo Goo Dolls.

Tangerine Dream: Under Cover Chapter 1


The release begins with the cover of ‘Cry Little Sister’ from the soundtrack to the 1987 film The Lost Boys, with a suitably brooding beginning which is idiomatic of the band’s style, developing into a 5:40 ballad which combines synths with layered guitars and typical backing vocals suitable for this setting. The later track ‘Precious,’ first performed by Depeche Mose is particularly notable for its clean production and accomplished alternative setting of the original.

Comparing the upbeat styles of say ‘Wicked Game,’ as made popular by Chris Isaak, with the Tangerine Dream cover of Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’ reveals a vast difference between styles. The setting of ‘The Model’ is very influenced by the attempts of jazz performers to provide an ambient style of lounge music in years gone by. For readers familiar with the original, the great deviation from Kraftwerk’s version may alienate listeners, due to the great deviation from the mechanical-sounding and heavily programmed nature of the original. Meanwhile ‘Wicked Game’ employs a reinterpretation of the original in a similar style but with a clear influence from Tangerine Dream’s own music.

Having attended the band’s ‘Zeitgeist’ concert at the Royal Albert Hall, UK in April 2010, this reviewer did note the conspicuous conclusion to the concert with a cover of ‘Norwegian Wood’ by The Beatles. The recording from the concert appears as track 12 of this album, without doubt, one of the album’s highlights.

Despite professing to being a ‘Just For Fun’ release, originally conceived as the result of a bet placed by the band, several tracks from this release are particularly well executed and are a welcome addition to one’s musical library. With that said, the vast range of styles seen in this album may prove too different to the original releases for some listeners. Either way, this landmark Tangerine Dream release will remain an interesting side-note in the bands history for many years to come.

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Pete Burns: Never Marry An Icon

Pete burns rose to fame in the 80's as frontman of the band 'Dead Or Alive,' a proponent of the New Wave movement who found great success in their 1984 single 'You Spin Me Around (Like A Record).' Since departing the band, Pete Burns has promised upcoming solo material, the first offering being his debut solo single 'Never Marry An Icon.'

Pete Burns: Never Marry An Icon

For anyone aware of the Pete's unique fashion sense and general opposition to conformity, noticeable even from the album artwork shown above, the musical style will be of no surprise. Throughout, vocals are processed to sound purposefully electronic, accompanied by electronic drums and synthesisers. Lyrics such as "I like to change my face on a regular basis" and the less modest "Who d'ya think you are taking on a superstar?" are typical of the artist's writing, which frequently includes autobiographical mentions and themes of self-professed celebrity.

The song is well crafted with a typical verse-chorus structure but embellishments such as an extended synthesiser solo and other additions not always seen in contemporary music add interest for the listener. The production is sound, remaining clear despite the extensive layering of tracks. With that said, there is a quiet hum present throughout, most audible at the start and conclusion which could be argued to be serving no musical purpose which raises doubt on if this is intentional or a mixing error.

Marking the first original material in several years, this catchy track is a welcome return to the industry for Pete Burns. While confusion remains over whether subsequent releases will take place following the anger expressed by the artist's label due to the unauthorised uploading of the track to various online free-play sites (Youtube et al.), this reviewer certainly hopes that more material is on its way soon.

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Various Artists: Ministry Of Sound 'Anthems - Electronic 80's 2'

Following the success of the previous 'Anthems Electronic 80's' compilation, reviewed last week, available here, a 2010 followup was soon in the works. Once again containing some of the biggest names in the synth pop scene, this compilation offers another 60 tracks of electronic music.

Various Artists: Ministry Of Sound 'Anthems - Electronic 80's 2'

The release begins with 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League, soon followed with tracks from Eurythmics, Kraftwerk, OMD and Yazoo. Unlike the first in the Ministry Of Sound's 'Electronic 80's' series, this volume contains a more varied selection of material. The inclusion of 'Love On A Real Train,' a New Age/Ambient track by the German groupTangerine Dream and tracks like 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers add an extra dimension to the compilation, going beyond purely synth pop, which comprised the majority of the first volume.

This volume in the series also includes several tracks which were conspicuous in their absence in the previous release. Tracks such as 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' by Dead Or Alive and the classic 'She Blinded Me With Science,' so deserving that the track received it's own review here, shine in amongst this collection which once again proves a very appealing purchase for the new romantics among The Sonic Music Review's readers.

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The Scissor Sisters: Night Work

The Scissor Sisters first rose to fame with the 2004 release of 'Scissor Sisters,' an electroclash album which went on to achieve great commercial success. With further refinements to their style with a notable influence from the synthpop aesthetic, the third studio album, 'Night Work,' is the result of a collabaration between the band and the producer Stuart Price.

The Scissor Sisters: Night Work

The album begins with the title track 'Night Work,' telling the possibly autobiographical tale of a night worker in the band's inimitable style which throughout this album combines multiple synthetic elements alongside electric guitars and other reminders of the group's past output. Soon after comes 'Fire With Fire,' the shamelessly repetitive first single of the album.

Following 'Fire With Fire' comes the second track of the album to be released as a single, 'Any Which Way.' This number in particular exemplifies the upbeat style which the band rarely deviates from. An interesting component of this track in particular is the apparent influence from Funk music which is best seen in the basslines during the choruses. The mood of this track contrasts pleasantly with the dark, and verging on fetishistic, 'Harder You Get' which follows it.

An album of highs and lows, 'Skin This Cat' proves to be one of the poorest example of 'popular' music in this reviewers library, memorable but sadly for the wrong reasons. This track appears alongside some of the most phenomenal tracks of the album and indeed the band's entire output: 'Sex And Violence' and 'Invisible Light,' both of which employ a very interesting style of composition, achieved purely through synthetic instrumentation (with exception of the vocal parts). Also of note is 'Something Like This,' a homage to the band's influences, actually going as far as to sample Kraftwerk's 'Radio-Activity' (reviewed here) and Kylie Minogue.

This album, with the omission of some brief slips, is one of the band's most remarkable work and is evidentiary of the way in which electronic compositional styles influenced by previous groups can be applied to popular music.

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Tangerine Dream: Booster Volume II

Following the success of the 2008 compilation 'Booster,' reviewed here, a second volume, 'Booster Volume II' was added in 2010 to the series which at time of writing includes four volumes in total. This new collection of works again comprise of a combination of live recordings and studio work and also includes some tracks from the group's Five Atomic Seasons series.

Tangerine Dream: Booster Volume II

The album begins with two contemporary reflections of works released several years ago by the group: 'Cloudburst Flight 2008' and 'Scrapyard 2008.' Compared to the original versions, released some thirty years previous, it is evident that both tracks have greatly benefited from modern synthesis and mixing technology. Being typical of Tangerine Dream's Independent Years, the sonic quality of the tracks in the album are a fine example to many electronic musicians.

The album contains in total 20 tracks across two CDs. Of note is the penultimate track 'Beyond The Cottage And The Lake,' which cannot easily be found on any other release. This particular track exemplifies sequence based composition and while it contains largely repetitive material from a musical standpoint, there is great variety in the track which generates great interest for the ear. This track is then followed with 'Trauma' which has become one of the iconic pieces of the group's Five Atomic Seasons series. This track could be considered in some respect to be an electronic application of the contemporary classical music tradition. From its intimidating pseudo-bell introduction to the emphatic musical textures which occur later, this piece is one of the best crafted tracks to be seen in the band's contemporary output.

For the avid collector, this compilation serves as a great accompaniment to the previous 'Booster' volume and showcases a further number of fine compositions by Tangerine Dream.

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Ellie Goulding: Lights

Amoung the credits to the English singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding are performing at the 2011 royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, placing her in a rarefied position of success considering at the time of writing, Ellie Goulding has only released one studio album. 'Lights' is the singer's 2010 debut album, following her 2009 introductory EP.

Ellie Goulding: Lights

This album is noteworthy for it's approach, which combines uncommon electronic processing with synth based singer/songwriter writing. Throughout, the artist's smooth voice leads synthesisers alongside often either piano or guitar leading to an almost electro-folk sound.

This album is in no way short of good material and includes a performance of Elton John's 'Your Song,' for which the artist received a great amount of airplay. The UK deluxe edition from iTunes, which is reviewed here, includes live tracks and videos alongside the core track listing. Among the highlights of the album are 'This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)' and 'The Writer,' the latter of which shows the proficiency of the songwriter with very well constructed and transparent change of metre between 3/4 and 4/4 throughout.

In amongst the latter tracks are the title track 'Lights,' which achieved great success as a single from the album and the hypnotic 'Animal.' Considering the quality of material on offer, this album represents great value from a music release.

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Pendulum: Immersion

Aussie band Pendulum have celebrated great success from their first two albums. Their third album, the 2010 release 'Immersion' sees further refinement to their style. Unsurprisingly, the album went to the #1 spot on the UK charts in its first week of release

Pendulum: Immersion

The album begins with the feaux-orchestral work 'Genesis' which quickly becomes embellished with modulated synth tones. This moves swiftly into the next track, 'Salt In the Wounds,' an instrumental track which builds a sense of pace in preparation for the first track in the album to feature vocals, 'Watercolour.' This track, also released as the first single of the album, combines a singer songwriter style of writing with Pendulum's predominant drum and bass writing. Structurally, the piece employs largely a verse/chorus interaction but the use of a pre-verse section approximately 3:30 in to the track gives light relief from the frantic beats which underpin the track.

The album contains several noteworthy tracks but 'The Island, Pt. I (Dawn)' and 'The Island, Pt. 2 (Dusk)' are arguably the most recognisable tracks from the album. Part 1 presents a somewhat mysterious atmosphere, while part 2 is almost exclusively synth-led in a much harsher dub style.

Of the remaining tracks, 'Witchcraft' too deserves a mention. Again, Pendulum exhibit more a  more traditional songwriting within the context of aggressive Drum and Bass/House music. Overall, this album presents a selection of good material and shows the gradual stylistic development the band is undertaking.

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