Electronically Yours

1983 was the year of two game changing electronic albums that would reverberate and influence the electronic genre across Europe and beyond. The first was Depeche Mode's 'Construction Time Again' - engineered by Gareth Jones and Daniel Miller who obliterated Mode's cuddly Smash hit friendly tag of '82 with banks of bass heavy samplers and soundscapes of correlated iron.




The second game changer of '83 was New Order's 'Power Corruption & Lies' and its this dawning of the often imitated New Order template that is honoured this month in Mojo Magazine.



Following on from Q Magazines hugely disappointing CD of U2's 'Acthung Baby' that appeared so good on paper with the likes of Depeche, The Killers and Garbage to name just a few, Mojo have this month responded with a freebie CD of their own that won't immediately end up in the bin or gathering dust in some dark corner - home to your Level 42/Simple Minds CDs and other mid '80s horrors (yes...EYHQ has a few of those). We've lost count of how many music magazine freebie CDs we've dumped over the years after we've used the casing on a battered album we love more but Mojo's celebratory New Order CD is a keeper. There is gushing praise from us to those who have overseen and compiled this wondrous collection of New Order covers that flows with a lot of lovelovelove and respect for the source material.





Mojo's 'Power Corruption & Lies' comp opens with new EY faves and a band to watch very closely in 2012 - NY duo and current electro blog darlings The Golden Filter who are awarded their very own page in Mojo under the headline 'The Synth Stars' that reveals a second album already recorded and awaiting release this Summer.


The Golden One's cover of 'Age of Consent' is a blissful and dreamlike reworking of shimmering synths and very much in the mould of their recent must have EP 'Syndromes' - a collection of tracks that have converted EY to their subversive yet melodic knob twisting.
All that really remains of the original is New Order's haunting synth lead amplified here after the deceptively dreamlike Goldrappy intro. The Filter's cover is probably the most radical version on this CD but there are quite a few other acts that impress on this homage to the God like genius of New Order.

Skipping track two completely (Tarwater give a reasonable take on the album's weakest track 'We All Stand'), Glaswegian band Errors provide a very melodic mix of pounding synth bass and echoing lead guitars for 'The Village' - a cover that reminds us a bit of Propaganda's version of The Velvet Underground's 'Femme Fatale'. Errors take the brave step of adding a new synth lead over the verses and it's a really nice touch that pays off even if the cover threatens to go off into U2 territory (rather bizarrely, one can imagine Bono being very inspired by this album's structure back in '83).

The second of the album's choice cuts comes from the London collective known as S.C.U.M with an intro reminiscent of Goldrapp's much admired 2004 remix of Mode's 'Halo' before it jumps straight into the best 'industrial' inspired bassline that so many alternative clubs lack in their worn out vinyl playlists.




In truth, it's difficult to mess up a New Order gem such as '586' but S.C.U.M give it so much energy and we can see this becoming - the track also contains a wonderful pallet of Mode-esque synth sounds and atmospherics - perfect for a club in Berlin in the early hours of Saturday morning.



Our next choice cut is Fujiya & Miyagi who take on one of the greatest New Order tracks of all time 'Your Silent Face' - this was the first New Order song outside of 'Blue Monday' to grab a munchkin sized Orac back in 1983 who he first stole his brother's chrome cassette of 'Power' - four repeated plays on headphones whilst kissing the future of electro. Once again, this is a very faithful cover (you can't mess with those uplifting 'orchestral' chords or pulsating bleeps). This is a lovingly hypnotic cover of a quality that far exceeds your usual offering on a free CD by a band who could easily make this purple page in future months to come on the strength of this cover. Praise also to Australia's Seekae who impress with the late night soundscapes on their DIY club dub update of 'Ultraviolence'. Walls 'Ecstacy' could have been lifted from The Orb's subliminal 1991 album 'Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld' based in part around 'Blake's 7' BBC Radiophonic samples. Destroyer bring the original tracklisting to a brilliant close with the guitar led finale 'Leave Me Alone' and some bass playing that would even impress Sir Hooky.












If this original album of covers wasn't a gift in itself and full of the best freebie electro, Mojo offer four bonus tracks that includes 'Blue Monday' and the 1988 B-side 'The Beach'. Hard to improve or add anything to such iconic tracks that we all know backwards but both versions are welcome additions as are 'Lonesome Tonight' (the catchy new-wavey 1984 B-side of 'Thieves Like Us' provided here by from Another's Blood who could well have a iTunes internet hit with this one).






And finally a new take on the out take track 'Murder'' from K-X-P - where New Order meet post ENO Roxy Music and something of a lost Bernard Sumner classic that really should have made the final cut of 'Power'. its superb closure to a CD that will happily sit with our remastered 'Power Corruption & Lies'.




Of the actual magazine itself, word must go to Ian Harrison who provides a highly readable and very insightful 8-page interview with New Order (and a more reflective Hooky conducted separately over the phone). It's an interview that provokes memories of the great Chris Heath and one we enjoyed hugely.

The whole package costs £4.50 and it's an absolute bargain in a world full of nothing (EMO). Grab a copy now if you love New Order and we want Mojo to do a Pet Shop Boys one next...please.

EY Rating: 8.5/10

Related link

Mojo Magazine

Niki & The Dove unveil anticipated debut

BBC Sound of 2012 finalists Niki & The Dove have released detailed of their long awaited debut album for release on May 14th along with a lovely purple tinted cover. Comprising mostly of tracks released on 'The Drummer' and 'The Fox' EPs last year, the album will also feature three previously unreleased songs plus one of EY's fave tunes of 2010 'Under The Bridges'.

The confirmed tracklisting is:


1. The Fox
2. Tomorrow
3. Mother Protect
4. The Drummer
5. Under The Bridges
6. Last Night
7. Somebody
8. Gentle Roar
9. DJ, Ease My Mind
10. Manon
11. Love To The Test

(Source: In The Line of The Best Fit)