It’s been a while since I’ve listened to Delerium. It’s a not-quite side project of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of industrial band Front Line Assembly, leaning more towards ambient, almost new-agey electronica, quite the opposite of their harsh and twitchy main project. You might remember them from back in the 90s when they had a surprise hit with Sarah McLachlan and “Silence” — definite a song of its decade, complete with Enigma-esque Gregorian chant, grooving mid-tempo beat and dreamlike keyboards. That song and the album it came from (Karma) did in fact get a lot of play in the Belfry, and “Silence” does make an appearance on the second volume of the Songs from the Eden Cycle mixtapes.
The project is still active, sliding out an album every couple of years in between FLA releases. Their sound has definitely evolved some, but is still firmly anchored in that classic dreamlike new-age/ambient moodscape. The new album Signs, which just dropped earlier this month, is a stellar record that feels like a return to their best forms, with some quite lovely songs that fit perfectly here in Spare Oom and MU4. I’m quite happy to have them back on my Eden Cycle playlist again.
Dang, how are we on volume 27 already? Or more to the point, how are we not at a higher volume, considering I started the series in 1988? Heh.
Either way, I’m happy to return to making mixtapes more consistently again. I’ve made it a point to give my listening habits a bit more breathing room — and paying attention once more to when a song or album catches my attention, and letting my brain latch onto it instead of just flitting onto the next shiny. I know it’s helping that I made that choice on purpose to tie in with my MU4 novel project, but the real point was to reconnect with why I love to listen to music so much. I’d lost track of that for a while.
[Note: One song is missing from this Spotify version of the mix, “Splinter” by Chatham Rise, which sits between Miss Grit and Beck as track 9.]
Yes, folks. I am old enough that I remember the iconic and extremely low-budget (most of it seemingly spent on tinfoil) video for A Flock of Seagulls’ song “I Ran (So Far Away)” being new on MTV and loving it to bits. Never mind that the non-instrument props are from whatever they had in the studio’s back closet, this was taking the idea of music video to another level. They were part of a British wave of, well, New Wave. Distinctly pop yet heavily steeped in fashion, science fiction and even a bit of doom-and-gloom. It took Cold War darkness and tension into unexpected and highly creative directions.
This past week, the band dropped a Deluxe edition of their first album, a three-disc collection of a new album remaster, single mixes and b-sides, several BBC radio sessions, and even a short live set. The remaster itself sounds amazing, given that it’s not always easy to give a synth-heavy sound a warm feeling. The remaster gives the album plenty of breathing room and clarity for each performer. And Paul Reynolds’ distinctive guitar work, similar to that of U2’s Edge with its soaring and extremely melodic qualities, sounds crisp and clear.
The rest of the album may have its filler moments, but it also contains some bangers such as the singles “Space Age Love Song” and “Telecommunication” as well great deep cuts “DNA” and album closer “Man Made”. I highly recommend giving it a spin!
I mean, with a song — and title — like “Absorbed in Light”, how could this album not be a perfect writing soundtrack for the Mendaihu Universe? I’ve been coming back to this one just about every time I sit down to work on MU4. It’s got everything I love: moody atmospherics, glistening reverb with the occasional wall of guitar drone, and minimal lyrics.
I’m quite thrilled that I’ve latched on to a couple of new albums so far this year, as I’ve been in need of musical inspiration for a while now. This one in particular is not only soothing but drops me right into the mindset I need to focus on this new project. Plus it’s just a lovely record overall, and I highly recommend giving it a spin.
Depeche Mode, one of the defining bands of my youth and later years, just dropped a new single this morning! It’s called “Ghosts Again” and it’s from their upcoming album, the fittingly titled Memento Mori. It’s their fifteenth studio album and their first with just the core of Martin Gore and Dave Gahan (Alan Wilder left in the mid-90s and Andy Fletcher passed away last year) and focuses not just on the pandemic but the passing of their bandmate and friend.
I’ve been a Depeche Mode fan since I first heard “People Are People” in 1984, a full two years before I even knew what college radio and alternative rock or post-punk was. That song was a surprise breakthrough hit for them in the US, making it all the way to number 13 on Billboard’s Top 100 chart. While it took them a few more years to return to such heights here, they’d hit their stride with a trio of albums: 1986’s Black Celebration, 1987’s Music for the Masses, and 1990’s Violator. They never quite hit the same heights after that, even despite strong records, but I don’t think they really needed to at that point: they’d already claimed their spot as a deeply influential and highly creative bands of the era. Many synth bands of the current generation owe a lot to this group.
This new song sounds a lot like their earlier pre-US-fame songs, perhaps something off of Construction Time Again or Some Great Reward, and now I’m curious about what the rest of the album will sound like. It’ll be out on March 24th, and I’m definitely looking forward to it!
Yes, believe it or not, I am not just listening to Belfry-era albums while writing! In fact, I’ve got a lot of relatively new tunes playing as well! Here’s a smattering of what’s on rotation here in Spare Oom…
The Tubs, Dead Meat, released 27 January. This is totally something I’d have listened to back in the late 80s-early 90s. It’s got that post-punk jangliness I loved at the time (The Church, IRS-era REM, and so on), plus its lyrics are very of that time (and very much similar to those of my band The Flying Bohemians). Thanks to KEXP — again — for introducing me to this great London band!
Belle & Sebastian, Late Developers, released 13 January. It’s essentially leftovers from the band’s 2022 album A Bit of Previous but they stand extremely well on their own. It’s a super fun listen and kind of sounds like a successful mix of their folkier early sound and their poppier later years.
Everything But the Girl, “Nothing Left to Lose” single, released 13 January. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt are back as EBTG after far too many years and they haven’t missed a beat. This is a stellar song and I’m eagerly awaiting their new album Fuse, which should drop mid-April.
New Order, Low-Life (Definitive), released 27 January. For some reason I always skipped over this album when I listened to this band back in the day, preferring Brotherhood instead, but giving this one a new listen recently has made me realize just how flipping great it is! However, as I’d mentioned to a friend earlier, it occurred to me that this is a stellar album marred by songs being in the wrong key; not that Bernard Sumner is out of tune (he tends to waver sometimes, which I’m used to), but that these songs are so out of his range, as he really strains on some tunes like “Sunrise”. Still, great album!
파란노을 (Parannoul), After the Magic, released 28 January. Noisy shoegaze from South Korea? Of course I’ll give it a listen! You guessed it — another band introduced to me by KEXP. They’re definitely reminiscent of Ride, with songs that sound like light bursts and unassuming vocals that insert themselves perfectly into the melodies.
Dave Rowntree, Radio Songs, released 20 January. The debut from Blur’s drummer is intriguing in that it’s quite moody and mellow but also reveals who might have been behind some of Blur’s more quieter and more introspective songs as well.
December’s releases were mostly rereleases with a few new albums sprinkled here and there, but those reissues weren’t merely cash-grabs but collections worth picking up and checking out. There were a lot of them this year, weren’t there…? Anyway, this one’s going to be a bit short as well because of that.
Voice of the Beehive, Let It Bee (Remastered & Expanded), released 2 December. One of my favorite albums of 1988, it finally sees a major reissue with several b-sides, single versions and live tracks added. It’s a super fun album full of sassy pop gems. [Music trivia: yes, that’s Woody from Madness on drums! Bedders was also part of the band at one point too!]
Robbie Williams, Life Thru a Lens (25th Anniversary), released 2 December. US listeners might know half these songs better as part of his American compilation The Ego Has Landed, but this is the original UK source album. This was his first peak period with hit singles such as the ubiquitous “Angels”. This too has been reissued with numerous b-sides and live tracks.
Hot Hot Heat, Make Up the Breakdown (Deluxe Remastered), released 2 December. Another reissue of a 2002 album that got heavy play in the Belfry during my writing sessions. “Bandages” was one of my favorites of the year as well, and still pops into my head now and again.
The Reds, Pinks & Purples, Mountain Lake Park, released 2 December. Glenn Donaldson’s output this year has been quite extensive, and with this one — named after a small park here in the Richmond that I’ve walked through many times! — is full of lovely instrumentals recorded around the same time as this year’s Summer at Land’s End (and originally released as a vinyl-only bonus record with that one). And he also dropped a new EP on the 23rd, Dust in the Path of Love.
Paul McCartney, The 7″ Singles box set, released 2 December. A full 159 tracks spanning his entire solo career and containing several rarities such as non-album sides, single edits and international versions. This one’s less about the remixes and all about the original songs.
Leftfield, This Is What We Do, released 2 December. This group sneaks out an album at the end of the year of laid back electropop I love the best: the kind that gets me moving but I can also listen to while chilling out.
The Clockworks, “Blood On the Mind” single 9 December. Yet another single by this great band, this one sounds a bit like early Smiths with its bouncy Johnny Marr-like jangle, but it sounds just as tough as any of their previous singles. I see nothing but success for these lads!
Roger Waters, The Lockdown Sessions, released 9 December. The eternally grumpy Waters released an EP of reworks of his classic songs from both Pink Floyd and solo albums, including an extremely moody reworking of “Comfortably Numb” that gives the original a run for its money.
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…and that’s it for the year! Come back tomorrow for my year-end mixtape and best-of lists!
In true Q4 fashion, November contained some new releases but far more box sets and rereleases: Ride’s 4 EPs, Spice Girls’ Spiceworld, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, The Fall’s 1970s, David Bowie’s Divine Symmetry, Erasure’s Erasure, Sparks’ No 1 in Heaven, and the Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots just to name a few. I’ve only mentioned a few here that were of deep personal interest.
SAULT, 11, AIIR, Earth, Today & Tomorrow, and Untitled (God), released 1 November. The mercurial British collective surprises everyone with not just one but five new albums, full of spiritualism, faith and positivity.
Phoenix, Alpha Zulu, released 4 November. I didn’t even know they were coming out with a new record until I heard “Tonight” popping up on satellite radio during our last vacation! I haven’t quite had the time to listen to this too much, but what I have heard I really like.
Seal, Seal [Deluxe Edition], released 4 November. I’ve mentioned this before that this feels more like a Trevor Horn-featuring-Seal album (I prefer his second album to this one), but “Crazy” remains one of my all-time favorite 90s songs. The remaster gives this record a much-needed warmth that was lacking in the original mix.
Fitz & the Tantrums, Let Yourself Free, released 11 November. Another band best heard (and seen) live, they’ve weathered the pandemic and are back with a new and fun album that gets you moving. We’ll be seeing them early next year!
Various Artists, Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes box set, released 11 November. The most enduring part of nearly every movie Hughes made in the 80s was the eclectic soundtrack. Why lean on big names and commercial sheen when you can introduce your audience to New Order, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Yello, Love and Rockets, Simple Minds, Oingo Boingo and more? His soundtracks were a big part of my youth and introduced me to many ‘college rock’ bands I may not have ever discovered elsewhere. This one’s a surprisingly detailed mix of 74 tracks from eleven different films and worth searching out.
Royksopp, Profound Mysteries III, released 18 November. The electronic band completes the trilogy of introspective thoughts about the unknown. It’s quite the achievement as the albums sound great on their own but also work seamlessly as an extended whole. One of my favorite projects of the year.
bis, Systems Music for Home Defence, released 18 November. This Glaswegian band is still going strong with its unique brand of bubblegummy technopop full of fun and humor.
Soundtrack, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, released 25 November. While most of this record is incidental music by John Murphy, it’s the two Old 97’s tracks that make this one such a treat, full of the same silly humor as the Christmas special.
The Cure, Wish [30th Anniversary Edition], released 25 November. released nearly four years after their previous deluxe edition rerelease (2018’s Mixed Up), my favorite 90s Cure album gets not only an extended review but a fantastic remaster that gives it so much more depth and warmth.
Metallica, “Lux Aeterna” single, released 28 November. The band’s first studio release since 2016’s Hardwired…to Self-Destruct album sees them older and more contemplative but still in full-throttle. Written and recorded during the pandemic along with their upcoming album 72 Seasons, the new track feels like a new direction for them.
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Coming tomorrow: December brings the last few weeks of new music for 2022.
I did not expect October to be so crammed full of amazing albums that I almost didn’t have time to listen to them all! Here’s a cross-section of some of the great stuff!
WILLOW, <COPINGMECHANISM>, released 7 October. She’s definitely come a long way from “Whip My Hair”, that’s for sure. This is a badass emo album that’s right up there with the best of Paramore and it’s surprisingly tight and blistery.
ALVVAYS, Blue Rev, released 7 October. Each album from this band has been a step in a different direction, and this one leans towards the bright, loud and dreamlike. This one’s also landed on many people’s end of year lists.
Broken Bells, Into the Blue, released 7 October. I’ve loved each of this band’s albums, and I’ve loved that each one lends itself to some kind of retro mood, but I did not expect their new one to go the same way Air did and get all 70s synth space rock! It’s a great sound for them, though, and well worth a listen.
Stray Kids, MAXIDENT, released 7 October. I’m…still not sure what to make of this band. Are they riffing on Disney pop? Are they the K-Pop answer to NSYNC? And the videos are just as mind-bogglingly weird but playful that you can’t not look away.
Bush, The Art of Survival, released 7 October. Another 90s band I’ve always really liked. This one kind of reminds me of the great but underrated The Science of Things, full of hard rocking but without the attempts at commercial poppiness. Really enjoying this one.
The Cult, Under the Midnight Sun, released 7 October. Another classic band returns! I always felt their best work has been when they utilized their dark post-punk-meets-goth sound and this one doesn’t disappoint.
PVA, Blush, released 14 October. Someone’s been listening to their Front 242 albums, because this one’s just full of that chilly, clinical European EBM that I love so much. It’s a wild album and a hell of a lot of fun. This one’s high up on my favorites of the year!
Wild Pink, ILYSM, released 14 October. A curious band with a curious sound…they’ve got that pondering indie rock style that kind of reminds me of Destroyer, but then it suddenly veers into a shoegazey wall-of-sound riff that just knocks me flat. Really love this one.
Knifeplay, Animal Drowning, released 19 October. Dreampop with a darker edge, this is totally something I’d have been listening to back in my teen years. I think KEXP played one of their songs exactly once and I immediately went and put it on my shopping list!
Too Much Joy, All These Fucking Feelings, released 21 October. The gang of goofballs returns once more with a new record recorded over the last year or so and premiered by a year’s worth of singles to promote it! Still dorky and still a lot of fun.
Tegan and Sara, Crybaby, released 21 October. Another album written and recorded during the pandemic, the two sisters came through with an album that sounds surprisingly bright and energetic.
Taylor Swift, Midnights, released 21 October. I’ll admit it right now, I totally love “Anti-Hero” because it’s such a beautifully crafted song despite it being so gloomy. I’ve really come around to her music these last couple of years, especially since her recent re-recording project.
Robyn Hitchcock, Shufflemania!, released 21 October. Ever the oddball, Robyn continues his long and illustrious career with tasty alt-pop goodness combined with his unique brand of strange lyricism with yet another great record.
Sloan, Steady, released 21 October. One of my favorite Canadian bands and another “I will download anything they release” group, this quartet deliver yet another wonderful pop confection.
Arctic Monkeys, The Car, released 21 October. This band has achieved the status of ‘we will record and release anything we damn well please’ and provide us with…lounge jazz? Sure, why not? They can certainly pull it off, that’s for sure. It’s definitely not the album a lot of people expected, but if you give it a shot, you won’t be let down.
a-ha, True North, released 21 October. It’s almost criminal how Morten Harket’s voice still sounds so angelic decades on, isn’t it? Their newest is a wonderful gem, and I’m glad they’re still going strong so many years later.
Sigur Rós, ( ) 2022 Remaster, released 28 October. I had this album on heavy repeat while writing A Division of Souls down in the Belfry back in 2002. The new mix sounds absolutely stunning and it’s still an amazing album.
The Beatles, Revolver Super Deluxe Edition, released 28 October. I mean, of course this one is on my top five best releases of the year! I was extremely curious as to how it was going to sound, considering the limitations of the original. Giles Martin outdid himself here, however, managing to take the song completely apart (with help from Peter Jackson’s magical sound team, doing the same thing they did with the Get Back miniseries) and put it back together in a new way. The album might sound pretty much the same, but the new remix has given each instrument a lot of breathing room, giving each song more life than it already had. As I’d said a while back on Twitter, the original sounds like a black-and-white movie from 1966 while the remix sounds like a movie made today about 1966. Absolutely stunning.
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Coming up next Tuesday: November tunage! December will follow on Wednesday, followed by a year-end review on Thursday.
Pretty sure it was about this time that I realized that I had not made or completed any mixtapes this year! There’s just the one that I’d thrown together back in March but never sequenced. Shame on me, considering I had the time to do it, but never got around to it. Not going to kick myself about it, though…I’ll have time to start fresh again in the new year. In the meantime, this month definitely had a bumper crop of great new albums and singles that captured my attention!
Two Door Cinema Club, Keep On Smiling, released 2 September. The band has mellowed out a bit over the years, but they’re still consistent with their infectious pop that’s fun to listen and move to.
The HU, Rumble of Thunder, released 2 September. The Mongolian folk metal band returns with another badass record of songs of both battle and peace. We saw them at last year’s Outside Lands and they put on one hell of a great show!
Codeine, Dessau, released 6 September. I remember this band from my college days in Boston — a NYC slowcore band that frequently played in the area and even occasionally got play on WFNX — and this is what should have been their second album before it was shelved to make way for The White Birch instead.
Preoccupations, Arrangements, released 9 September. This noise-rock band consistently releases great post-punk albums full of thick tension and irritation. The new album is a shorter affair but is no less powerful with its walls of guitars and twitchy beats.
Quivers, “If Only” single, released 9 September. One of my favorite Aussie bands sneaks out a standalone single and it’s a lovely torch song. I’m of course looking forward to hearing more from this band!
Sudan Archives, Natural Born Prom Queen, released 9 September. Kind of weird, kind of funky and definitely an album that captures your attention and refuses to let go. I’ve been seeing this one show up on a lot of music journalists’ end-of-year list, and they’re not wrong.
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, When the Lights Go, released 9 September. Known for his work as a producer and numerous guest spots on other electronic acts (such as BRONSON, where I’d first heard him), this is a great album for chilling out and relaxing.
The House of Love, A State of Grace, released 16 September. I’d always felt this band never got their proper due here in the States other than their occasional single like “I Don’t Know Why I Love You”. Great to see they’re still rocking out and still writing great tunes.
Death Cab for Cutie, Asphalt Meadows, released 16 September. Ben Gibbard seems to be returning back to what DCFC did best in the early 00s: brilliant melodies and heartfelt lyrics that never quite fit the pop mold yet still hit you square in the heart. Still, this one’s also a lot more noisy, kind of reminding me of Kintsugi‘s weirder moments.
The London Suede, Autofiction, released 16 September. So glad to see this band has returned after a number of years on hiatus, as they’ve always written such great heartfelt songs with just that slight hint of glam but without ever quite going full T Rex (I mean, aside from that first album way back in ’93…). The new record is a lovely listen.
The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field, released 16 September. One of my favorites from the last few years, they return with another banger of gorgeous guitar pop that just makes you want to bop around. Highly recommended!
Hooverphonic, “Mysterious” single, released 16 September. Oh hey, one of my favorite 90s bands sneaks out a single as well! Sweet! I’ve always loved their brand of symphonic music that would fit easily both on a dance floor and as a movie soundtrack.
The Clockworks, “Advertise Me” single, released 21 September. Damn, this band just keeps coming out with amazing music! A new song just a few months after their debut EP, it features them at their best: angry yet somehow heartfelt at the same time.
Editors, EBM, released 23 September. This band’s career has taken so many interesting turns: the bleakness of Joy Division, the tension of early Interpol, the grimness of goth, and now they’ve entered an entirely new and more electronic-based field with the addition of Blanck Mass as a full-time member. And they pull it off beautifully.
Asian Dub Foundation, RAFI (25th Anniversary Edition), released 23 September. Completely passed over in the late 90s, this group blended drum ‘n bass with reggae and made a number of brilliant records that hardly made a dent here in the States. “Naxalite” was one of my favorite tracks to listen to during the latter half of my HMV years.
Buzzcocks, Sonics in the Soul, released 23 September. Pete Shelley may have passed away a few years back, but he gave Steve Diggle the blessing to keep the band going, and their new record maintains their classic post-punk rage.
Pixies, Doggerel, released 30 September. Good to see this band is still going strong after reuniting some years back. This one definitely reminds me of Bossanova — not as noisy as their other classic albums and maybe a bit more radio friendly, but not without Frank Black bringing in his weird lyrics.
Bjork, Fossora, released 30 September. It’s been a good five years since her last album, but she’s no less weirder, musically and visually. This is her take on the pandemic, full of songs about loss and desolation, but somehow it still comes across as beautiful.
Dropkick Murphys, This Machine Still Kills Fascists, released 30 September. If anyone could revitalize Woody Guthrie’s protest music and give it a much-needed shot in the arm, it’s these guys. Guthrie’s daughter Nora provided them with his lyrics and they put together a great album full of righteous piss and vinegar.
Walk In Silence 