Tag Archives: Mute

On Record: Vince Clarke – Songs Of Silence (Mute)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

After such a long and prestigious career in music, it feels odd to be talking about Vince Clarke’s first solo album. And yet here it is, the first time he has stepped out in a lone capacity. Having been a key founder member of Yazoo, Depeche Mode and Erasure, where he still resides, you might think this music had been in the offing for a long time – but in truth it was lockdown that inspired Songs Of Silence.

Alone with his cat and the modular synthesizer format Eurorack, Clarke set to work, enjoying the instrumental restrictions and also thriving on a technique which sees him base each of the ten tracks on a drone.

What’s the music like?

Vince Clarke’s music is of very strong presence and character. It is also deeply serious, but with a great deal of light and shade that gives these silent songs a great deal of expression.

Clarke uses drones as his musical currency, rather than intricate synth lines. Catchy chorus hooks are less forthcoming, but that is not a problem. While each of the ten tracks is based on a single note, they provide a strong base over which the treble melodies and textures can freely operate. There is some very descriptive music here too, typified by Cathedral and Red Planet.

At times the music is minimal, stark even – and when this happens emotions run high, the music baring its soul. Reed Hays’ cello cuts to the quick on Lamentations Of Jeremiah, a musical ritual with an intensely emotional melodic line, speaking of trial and hardship. Caroline Joy brings her vocals to the vocalise Passage, releasing energy generated by the preceding White Rabbit.

Textures are often stark, rising ahead like hills in the road or the outline of craggy mountains. And yet there is solace too, the drones offering comfort from the intensity above.

The parallels with the Covid outbreak are notable, Clarke exploring music of resentment and anger, but ultimately the music finds a troubled peace. His electronic pop prowess is temporarily set aside, but he is equally at home in slower music.

Does it all work?

It does. Clarke achieves a sense of timelessness, not just through the drones but also the melodic material that unfolds with grace and stature.

Is it recommended?

Yes, enthusiastically. It is typical of Vince Clarke that he should deliver an album of such quality, but also that it should be consistently rewarding.

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Published post no.2,020 – Saturday 25 November 2023

New music – Vince Clarke: The Lamentations of Jeremiah

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Yesterday Vince Clarke, founding member of Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yazoo, and all-round electronic maestro, announced a new album.

Due on 17 November on Mute, Songs of Silence is described as an ‘ambient instrumental album’. Its first single, The Lamentations of Jeremiah, represents a striking musical structure. A haunting solo cello line takes the lead, a true lament set against a drone accompaniment. It is certainly dark, but has at its heart an outpouring of emotion that is ultimately positive. Listen below:

On Record – Daughter: Stereo Mind Game (4AD)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Daughter have something of a cult following, and it’s easy to see why. They have the ability to build strong connections with their listeners, through subtle music that can often be interpreted as downward looking but actually turns out to have a positive undercurrent beneath.

Their last album, Not To Disappear, was perhaps too dark especially given its January release in 2016, but seven years on from that the group have released a couple of strong singles with their collective eye firmly on the long playing game.

What’s the music like?

Both elegant and profound. Where Not To Disappear carried a weathered expression, Stereo Mind Games looks upward with more kinetic energy, alternating between urgent thoughts and slow tracks acting as a musical comfort blanket. There is a really pleasing contrast of light and shade, and their songs have an attractive poise this time around.

Be On Your Way is a standout song that hits home a few listens in, flickering with promise for the future while telling the first part of a story to be continued. Dandelion has a crisp urgency that is the ideal foil for the vocal, while Neptune gives the voice free reign, climbing up to emotional heights thanks to Elena Tonra‘s input as a breathy but meaningful vocalist. Swim Back makes a lasting impression, its driving bassline and swirling production complemented by strong vocals and enigmatic lyrics.

Tonra’s voice dominates proceedings, but in the intervening years it has become a more versatile instrument, operating in slightly glacial tones but also capable a more direct approach.

Does it all work?

Yes, it does – because Daughter reach their listeners with subtle, elegant songs and few frills.

Is it recommended?

It is. Give it a few listens and Stereo Mind Game will set up its own corner in your head.

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On Record – A Certain Ratio: 1982 (Mute)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

At first glance, an album with the title 1982 might be seen to be wearing rose-tinted spectacles. In the case of A Certain Ratio, however, it is nothing more than a mischievous curveball, for they renounce any links with nostalgia on the surface at least – apart from in the song of the same name.

Instead they go about their business with a continually refreshing disregard for genre boundaries, creating where the music takes them in the course of ten songs.

The line-up remains constant, with Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson working alongside Tony Quigley, Matthew Steele and Ellen Beth Abdi, with a guest slot for Chunky the rapper.

What’s the music like?

Varied and vibrant! This is an album that pulses with activity and good vibes, right from the off.

When the easy beat and upward looking chorus of Samo sets out the band’s stall, the signs are good – and as 1982 progresses they only build on that good feeling. The title track is a blend of German pop music homage and loping Manchester groove, while Constant Curve features exalted levels of funk thanks to a guest turn from Emperor Machine.

Waiting On A Train mines a sweet melancholy thanks to a slower groove and Ellen Beth Abdi’s wonderful voice, complemented by the more nasal tones of Chunky and a dreamy piano prologue. Abdi takes over on Afro Dizzy, too, a dreamy mix of Afrobeat and sultry vocals.

Meanwhile Tombo in M3 is an ultra-cool instrumental, powered by liquid keyboard lines and a springy rhythm, while Holy Smoke bubbles up when Tony Quigley’s saxophone gets involved. Tier 3 finds Abdi on flute duties, behind the album’s catchiest riff.

Finally Ballad of ACR is an experimental sign-off, part song and part modern jazz workout, closing the album in a haze.

Does it all work?

It does. An open musical book is the best way for A Certain Ratio to work, and yields thoroughly invigorating results here.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. If you’re a fan, you know exactly what to do – but if you’re new to ACR, this is a great place to start too.

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Switched On – Sunroof: Electronic Music Improvisations Vol. 2 (The Parallel Series / Mute)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones are the electronic music equivalent of London buses. After spending the best part of four decades on their first collaborative album of improvisations, released under the Sunroof umbrella in 2021, they have knocked up the second round of musical trades in a matter of months. The instinctive musical understanding the pair have is brought together in a series of eight improvisations. This time they opted for more space, and allowed their ideas to either knock against each other or to get carried along with the flow.

What’s the music like?

Always intriguing, and with a spirit that carries the listener right back to those first collaborations in 1982. Miller and Jones find that the instinctive approach bears fruit, as does the decision to give their ideas more space.

At times their music evokes a busy beehive, or semi-repetitive industrial processes. The feeling is that of constant development, the pair able to bring forward interesting motifs, rhythms and textures in a spirit that recalls early electronic invention from the likes of Cabaret Voltaire.

January #2 concentrates on small fragments, moving together or against each other like tiny life forms squeezed into a small space. These are set against a longer drone, before shrill sounds from a triangle-like percussion begin to dominate. The music of July #2 suggests a series of codes, with voice-like fragments and bleeps put into the mix. November is a broader canvas, initially darker with more acidic sounds before panning out to reveal a more industrial landscape.

July #3 buzzes only briefly in comparison to July #1, which is a hive of activity and incident, its voice given a disconcerting Dalek edge. Meanwhile October brings in the most obvious rhythm, reminiscent of a game of ping pong but with accompanying synth arpeggios that bubble with activity. January #1 explores bell-like sonorities and acidic timbres, expanding to cavernous reverb in the process.

Does it all work?

It does, though sometimes the feeling is that Sunroof could have gone even further with their ideas, for their imagination is certainly fertile enough.

Is it recommended?

Very much so – a compelling set of improvisations that offers a ready complement to the first volume. Hopefully Miller and Jones are just getting into their stride, and we will hear the fruits of more Sunroof collaborations in the near future.

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