Electronically Yours

In an interview due to be published in Finland, Philip Oakey has revealed that The Human League plan to make 'one more album' and it could follow soon depending on the success of 'Credo' that entered the UK album chart at number 44 this week.




Details of the forthcoming interview were posted in the essential Depeche Mode Home forum by Eldritch who recently interviewed Philip for 15 minutes over the phone. Philip also revealed that the League's 10th studio album could feature 'something from every former HL member in it, a co-writing credit, a small cameo, anything' and this could be seen as an open invitation to the likes of Jo Callis, Ian Burden and Martyn Ware to submit possible tracks for what would be a glorious conclusion to The Human League's recording career.
Although The League signed a multi-album deal with Wall of Sound in 2009, Philip hints that there is an entire album of unreleased tracks that could be released whilst a career spanning boxset featuring gems from the Human League's recording vaults in Sheffield may also be on the cards.
Highly sought after League rarities may finally surface in the proposed boxset including Colin Thurston's lost League album from 1985 along with the League's cover of Madonna's 'Into The Groove' that East West were keen to release as a single shortly after the 'Octopus' era.

Members of the Home forum can read Eldritch's tantalizing quotes in full, please jump here. Alternatively, you can read the post in this Secrets forum thread that is viewable to non-members.



Related link:


New Digital Spy interview with The Human League
Also on Digital Spy today - Philip Oakey: 'I'd record with Martyn Ware'

Update: Here's the blindingly wonderful new Alex Metric remix edit of 'Personal Jesus' from Deppy Mode's forthcoming Remixes: 81-11 - this mix really takes the track to another level!
With added ooomph that highlights the track's original glam rock roots, most of the guitar has been stripped away and replaced by a thumping analogue bassline plus a League MK1 segment midway through...we are in absolute heaven right now here at EYHQ and Alex deserves an electro honorary knighthood. Arise Sir Alex!

'Helloooo Londooon!....let me seeee those hands!

EY Webstats: Since January 1st 2011, EY has attracted 98,255 visits making this the busiest three month period in EY's ten year history. The monthly totals are as follows: Jan 2011: 30,541 / Feb 2011: 35,167 / March 2011: 32,547.

EY would like to thank you all for your continued support in keeping thngs electronic and Muse free.

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Premier Synthlord knob twiddler Sir Philip Oakey of Steel City has given his strongest indication yet that a collaboration could be on the cards with original League founder Sir Martyn Ware.


In an interview with Spinner.com, Philip reveals that he would considering a project outside of The Human League in the not too distant future but only if it sticks to the original League manifesto where the use guitars and conventional drums are still strictly forbidden.












The much admired Oakey/Ware partnership ended abruptly shortly after the release of 'Travelogue' (pictured opposite) in 1980 when Philip famously 'sacked' Martyn from his own band citing creative differences and Ware's 'decidedly 'dodgy' beard for the split. Philip would later admit that the split was down to some sneaky manipulation from Bob Last who would go on to manage both League MK2 and Heaven 17.






Following a period of some 30 years when Philip & Martyn refused to talk to each other, relations between the two synth innovators would thaw considerably during 2008's Steel City tour and Philip would later appear on a Heaven 17 documentary for BBC-2 celebrating the 30th anniversary of 'Penthouse & Pavement'.

In the Spinner.com scoop, Philip reveals that he has 'been in contact with Martyn Ware recently' and that it 'wouldn't be a Human League collaboration because he can't be part of the Human League again'.

'We could try to work together again and see if we're of the same mind. I might be interested to kick some ideas around with Martyn and see what's happening'.

With the new album 'Credo' programmed to the League's original 1977 manifesto, Philip is keen to uphold League Mk1's belief that their music should remain 100% electronic; 'It must only be synths and drum machines!' reveals Philip, '...and it's such an odd set of rules and when I break them it's alright but not if it's anybody else.

To read the article in full, please jump here.


In other League related news this week, 'Credo' has made it to number 25 in the midweek UK album charts whilst 'Never Let Me Go' remains on the Radio 2 A-list for a second week running. Philip, Joanne & Susan also appeared on the Simon Mayo show yesterday afternoon and you can listen to the interview via this utterly brilliant link.

Mute unveil Depeche Mode - Remixes 2: 81-11

EMI/Mute have finally confirmed the tracklisting and release date for the new Depeche remix album that celebrates 30 years of the world's most successful synth act. This new release is a sister compilation to 2004's '81-04' that went on to sell over a million copies.

'Remixes 2: 81-11' will be released on June 6th and will come in a beautifully packaged 3-cd boxset with 37 remixes including several that are exclusive to this release. With an emphasis mostly on post Wilder DM, '81-04' does contain two intriguing new remixes from Vince Clarke ('Behind The Wheel') and Alan Wilder ('In Chains').



The rumoured Yeah Yeah Yeahs remix isn't included sadly but Royskopp provide a new take on the 'Speak & Spell' track 'Puppets' on the limited edition bonus disc along with Eric Prydz's 2011 remix of 'Never Let Me Down'. EY probably would have opted for the epic Gus Gus extended version of 'Only When I Lose Myself' and Holden's rare vinyl mix of 'The Darkest Star' over the versions that make the final cut but there are plenty of analogue goodies to keep most Mode fans content until the next DM studio album that is expected sometime in 2012.


Since 1981, Depeche have gone on to sell over 90 million albums worldwide and their most recent album 'Songs of The Universe' topped the album charts in over 20 countries. 'Remixes 2: 81-11' also comes in various digital downloads with bonus tracks plus a single CD edition whilst various remixes of 'Personal Jesus' will act as the lead single sometime in May.

Here's the full tracklisting:

3-Disc version
Disc 1

1. Dream On - Bushwacka Tough Guy Mix (2001)
2. Suffer Well - M83 Remix (2006)
3. John The Revelator - UNKLE Reconstruction (2006)
4. In Chains - Tigerskin's No Sleep Remix (2009)
5. Peace - SixToes Remix (2009)
6. Lilian - Chab Vocal Remix Edit (2006)
7. Never Let Me Down Again - Digitalism Remix (2006)
8. Corrupt - Efdemin Remix (2009)
9. Everything Counts - Oliver Huntemann And Stephan Bodzin Dub (2006)
10. Happiest Girl - The Pulsating Orbital Vocal Mix (1990)
11. Walking In My Shoes - Anandamidic Mix (1993)
12. Personal Jesus - The Stargate Mix (2011)
13. Slowblow - Darren Price Mix (1997)

Disc 2:

1. Wrong - Trentemoller Club Remix (2009)
2. World In My Eyes - Dub In My Eyes (1990)
3. Fragile Tension - Peter Bjorn and John Remix (2009)
4. Strangelove - Tim Simenon/Mark Saunders Remix (1998)
5. A Pain That I'm Used To - Jacques Lu Cont Remix (2005)
6. The Darkest Star - Monolake Remix (2006)
7. I Feel You - Helmet At The Helm Mix (1993)
8. Higher Love - Adrenaline Mix Edit (2004)
9. Fly On The Windscreen - Death Mix (1985)
10. Barrel Of A Gun - United Mix (1997)
11. Only When I Lose Myself - Dan The Automator Mix (1998)
12. Ghost - Le Weekend Remix (2009)

Disc 3:

1. Personal Jesus - Alex Metric Remix Edit (2011)
2. Never Let Me Down Again - Eric Prydz Remix (2011)
3. Behind The Wheel - Vince Clarke Remix (2011)
4. Leave In Silence - Claro Intelecto 'The Last Time' Remix (2011)
5. In Chains - Alan Wilder Remix (2011)
6. When The Body Speaks - Karlsson And Winnberg Remix (2011)
7. Puppets - Royksopp Remix (2011)
8. Tora! Tora! Tora! - Karlsson And Winnberg (from Miike Snow) Remix (2011)
9. Freestate - Clark Remix (2011)
10. I Want It All - Roland M. Dill Remix (2011)
11. A Question Of Time - Joebot Presents Radio Face Remix (2011)
12. Personal Jesus - Sie Medway-Smith Remix (2011)

Related links:

Depeche Mode official site
Listen to the Alex Metric Remix Edit of 'Personal Jesus'
Depche Mode The Remixes: 01-11 - official micro site
Home

On EY catch up again after hard drive dramas with a couple of new tracks; one from the absolute electro Queen, Fever Ray, who's on the soundtrack for a big movie and another single tease from the newbies Austra (so excited about their new album in May) But first, the dark beat and nordic howl of Karin Dreijer Andersson.

Oh my, people are being mean about 'Red Riding Hood' and it hasn't even premiered yet. Time will tell as it's released in the US and on our shores on the 15th April. It's suffering with 'Twilight' misconceptions; I haven't seen any of these films so happily, this is passing me by.
So for the good bits, a Grimm fairy tale, Gary Oldman and eerie electronica from Fever Ray on the soundtrack, can't be that bad surely? Jump here for the trailer but more importantly new Fever Ray, yes, yes, yes!

'The Wolf' has spooked up raw percussion and is paranormally icy coupled with her esoteric vocals emulating the howl of a wolf; pure brilliance. This track is every bit to the standard of her debut as Fever Ray where she indulges in the darker side of electro in contrast to her lighter genius as one half of the duo The Knife.

The pounding drums and distorted wildness of the reverb suits the adaptation of this legend of 'coming of age' so well. Karin Dreijer Andersson is the Nordic Queen of Supernatural Electronica and is relentlessly full of surprises, churning out a Darwinistic Electro Opera after some years of quirky synthpop.

Although some of her fans are a little dismayed at the mysterious artist doing a soundtrack for such a big production, I'm not at all; she proves again and again that she is completely unpredictable. Jump here for the infamous protest she made for women who had been scarred by acid being thrown in their faces and her way to give them a 'voice'...stunning.

Tremendously inspired by Fever Ray are Austra, another band led by the voice of Katie Stelmanis. The trio clearly aren't afraid to stray from the path most taken when they put their music together and they have a new single out, can't wait for this video after the fabulousness of the last.

Coming off the much anticipated debut, Austra are now streaming 'Lose It' and after the stark gorgeousness of 'Beat and the Pulse', they are too good not to keep a close eye on.

I lovelovelove this new track and getting super excited about the album, 'Feel It Break', coming out on May 16th . Katie Stelmanis has an exquisitely dramatic voice and this track is soooo good; 'in the darkness comes, another another...' her classically trained vocals enchants against the goth electro swirling synths. Listen below or stream away at Soundcloud.

Just pay attention, especially after the brilliance of 'Beat and the Pulse' matched with a wonderfully directed video by Claire Edmondson. I haven't been so excited since, oh god, last week? Austra have sounded super cool from the offset and seemingly have a clear commitment to making high quality experimental electronic music. A reminder of the brilliance of the video for 'Beat and the Pulse'.

This video confronts female sexuality and empowerment head on; topless women dancing can only really be shot by a woman to inhibit any objectification. Jumpy jump again for an interesting interview Katie did talking about her own sexuality, its relation to her sound and the implications for modern music made by gay women.

There's a lot doing this brand of music right now and moving on from the more obvious 'riot grrl' sound of lesbian bands. Very loved and admired for me are Creep and Romy Madley Croft especially after their wonderful collaboration with 'Days' and the recent cross from the trashy sound to electro with Beth Ditto and Simian Mobile Disco.

The album is going to be an experimental noir pop treat; already comparisons are being made with favourites of mine like The Knife, Soft Cell and Kate Bush; a mish mash of sleazy new wave with Katie's spin being the classical and operatic training, pure love for everything Austra have done so far.

The debut 'Feel it Break' is out with Domino on May 16th....can't wait!

Quite simply, 2011 is proving to be marvellous for new and alternative electronica.

Related link:

Austra official site
Austra 'Band of The Day' - The Guardian


(Also published on 'A Room of Her Own)

An album that we very much adore here at EYHQ is finally released tomorrow after a gap of ten long years.
The Human League's 'Credo' is a momentous occasion for EY and it's an album that is wonderfully leftfield and tuned in to it's own manifesto that sits rather nicely with all the other acts we feature on EY.




Whilst the EYHQ computer lay scattered in a dusty mangled heap of confusing bits and burnt out wires, the Wall of Silence PR campaign finally found some momentum with the release of the deliciously catchy robo-disco anthem 'Never Let Me Go'. Auto-tune or no auto-tune, the single works beautifully on radio but does make you wonder how 'All I Ever Wanted' got totally ignored this time ten years ago by Radio 2.

The Observer kicked things off with an interview by Paul Morley and we were all expecting talk of 'Credo' but the headline 'Don't You Want Them, Baby?' clearly should've been a warning of what was to follow. There was very little about 'Credo' and Morley clearly didn't want this current League with too much focus on Butlins tours and Dare nostalgia. There was a link to EY which is more than we've ever got from Wall of Silence who run the official League Faceache page but it was cold comfort to us given the surprisingly deflating nature of Paul's article.
It did however raise a giggle with this bit;

'Phil listens, the disappointed romantic wearing a brave face, someone who has spent three decades getting accustomed to gruelling pop realities, constantly searching for new refreshed signs of that original pop life that led to the deliriously infectious Being Boiled and the hyper-seductive Dare. Is this it for ever now, I ask? Half has-beens, half legends? Half stoic, half heroic? Where will they be in 10 years' time?

'Well, I'll be 65," admits Oakey the realist.'

On the day the Morley article went live, The Human League's manager Simon Watson posted the following comment in the Secrets forum: ' Lazy journalism, which is a little disappointing coming from him.'

You can read Paul Morley's article in full via this link.

A much better time was had in the company of Mark Radcliffe and Stuart MaConie - two passionate League fans who interviewed the League a few days later on Radio 2. EY has to admit that we rarely tune in to Radio 2 but the interview was wonderfully entertaining with Susan setting the record straight over the Morley article and his description of Susan as ' bossy, mouthy and fantastically intolerant'.
The interview also included the first ever UK radio play of 'Sky' that sounded lovely and crisp and one of the best thing to come out of the speakers of our digital radio...



















In the same week that our PC died, the League appeared on Die ultimative Chart Show to perform the European single 'Egomaniac' (and possibly one of our fave 'Credo' tracks though it's hard to choose out of several).

This digital only German release comes with a new radio edit and a rather good instrumental version and you can have a listen and grab both by jumping here.





More terrific League links for you to savour and this one comes highly recommended here at EYHQ. Joanne gave a warm radio interview with some terrific questions from Cubwolf on HFM a few weeks back. Joanne revealed that her fave 'Credo' track was 'Into The Night' along with 'When The Stars Start To Shine'. There was also hints that a full UK tour of 'Credo' will take place at the end of the year.
You can hear Cubwolf's interview with Joanne in full crispy stereo here.



Joanne's choice 'Credo' track was also including on a free CD in the latest edition of April's Word magazine that also includes the new Blancmange track 'I'm Having A Coffee' - full details here.

Several festival appearances have been confirmed for the League including The Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd July 2011- for ticket details please jump here. The band will also make their first appearance at Barcelona's mecca for live electronica Sonar. Aphex Twin will also be making a rare live appearence too and you can get ticket info here.

(With thanks to Darren Wunjer)




Finally, there have been dozens of 'professional' reviews of 'Credo' from the likes of The Guardian etc with quite a few banging on about 'Dare' etc...but the best of the bunch is from Simon Price of today's Independent on Sunday:

'HL exist out of time now.
They make HL music. A 10 year hiatus, therefore matters nought.
T decades after Dare, Credo is their most 5 letter-begins-with-C-album since 86' Crash.
Raw stats will get you nowhere.
What matters is that I Monster team have cooked up a production that matches our expectations of a League LP.
And the single Night People is an exuberantly anthemic HL classic'.

For the bestest 'Credo' reviews though, you can always rely on the music blogs to get beneath the surface to appreciate a great album and one of our fave blogs Electronic Rumours has done just that. For those who like their leftfield knob twiddling and underground bands, Electronic Rumours is heaven and a blog well worth adding to your browser faves if you've grown a bit tired of 'synthpop' by numbers (Mirrors etc).

For their brilliant review - please jump here.

At the time of writing this update, 'Credo' is the 11th best selling new release on Amazon.





Update: If you can handle just one more League link for today (we know you all can) - here's a very recent Katey Wallace interview with Joanne for Radio Teeside with a running time of 15 minutes. Joanne talks about 'Credo', song writing fall-outs and the day the League bumped into Lady GaGa - jump here.

Coming up next.....stomping new tunes from Fever Ray and Austra!

Introducing Aluna Francis and George Reid, a very exciting London electro pop duo, she does the spirited away vocals and he does the super clever bleeping. It's crossover mayhem, I love it when bands do this; indie, dance, house, pop, dubstep, all wrapped up in a catchy lo-fi melody; this band are by no means going to be predictable.

The electronic beep beep is very clever but the maker and keeper for this band are Aluna's vocals; imagine Lykke Li, Lily Allen and a smurf in a threesome, Aluna is the 'baby' and in my mind, there's northing wrong with the weird. It's not strange and freaky but kind of sweet, as cute as she can sound, every now and then you 'jump' and she proves sometimes 'belting' a tune isn't necessary to put feeling in a track.


The double A side debut is really teasing what is to come from this duo, 'Analyser' has the energy of Santogold's LES Artistes, another crossover crazy artist. The lo-fi kind of echoes the mysterious Swedes jj, who incidentally have a new single out this week 'The End'; might be a grower but it was pushing too many 'music to meditate to' buttons on my first listen.




Back to AlunaGeorge though, they are hard to define and that's always good in my book; each track is either 'interesting' or 'instant'; creative times basically. There's a whole load of that old Bristol sound circa Portishead, that new super current South West dubstep (thankfully Muse haven't killed the cool coming from these parts) mixed up with Goldfrapp and a whole heap of Madge of course. I am completely in love with 'Disobey', even unsigned this track crept onto the American version of 'Skins', this could well be their year. Very much looking forward to an album so hurryhurryhurry up!


The Analyser/We Are Chosen double A-side single is released on May 2nd.


Heads up from mybandsbetterthanyourband



Related links:
Official Site
AlunaGeorge - Make No Mistake
AlunaGeorge - Disobey
AlunaGeorge - 'Band of The Day' - The Guardian



Which leads nicely on to Glass Candy...soooo love this lady...



















This is super catchy and discovered after the electro gothettes Austra tweeted about them. Glass Candy's frontwoman Ida No is an electro Kate Bush in primary colours and the boy/girl duo made a brave attempt at Kraftwerk's 'Computer Love'; throw in a 'Sex Dwarf' soon please and it will tick so many boxes for me.

Feel the love and listen to 'Feeling Without Touching' and then keep an eye out for them. I completely love this video that has been choreographed from the same school of 80's moves The Knife are so expert at. They have been knocking about for a while but gathering a following lately...and so well deserved.

Related links:
Glass Candy @ Myspace
Glass Candy 'Computer Love'

Hideous & tiresome computer problems here at  EYHQ after a trojan virus killed our hard drive - but we are finally back and quickly want to share with you all a promo video that we really quite admire. These are the things that quite endear us to The Mighty Human League. We've never seen a promo video quite like this one and we adore the quite freakish David Cronenberg imagery. Awards must surely be on the cards for this video and huge amounts of respect to the director from EY.

'Never Let Me Go' has this week achieved a feat that somehow alluded 'Al I Ever Wanted' ten years ago - the new single was today added to the Radio 2 A-List despite some recently bizarre on-air comments from DJ Steve Wright about the 'autotune' vox . The DJ cut the single short during one of his shows. Wright once famously slagged off Depeche Mode's sublime 'Shake The Disease' back in 1985 claiming that the title was too 'depressing'. Steve Wright is of course a clown.

Radio 2 is the UK's most listened to radio station with an average daily audience of 14 million.

Did we get it right this time with our review of 'Credo'? Check out the musicOMH review for a second opinion here.






For those still in shock in the UK over the 'Being Human' finale on Sunday night, jump here for Babooshka's most excellent review of the greatest show on the idiot box.
Babooshka's review has been awarded a link on the official BBC-3 'Being Human' site so let's raise a glass to our fab EY writer who'll be sending some leftfield electro our way very shortly.

Gary Numan/John Foxx winners!


Congratulations to Gerry Philpott, Michael Beverland & Dawn Cooper - you've all won tickets to see Foxx and Numan live on stage all in one analogue charged night. Apologies for revealing these winners so late in the day but we hope you can all still make the gig.



More techy issues: There is currently a problem with embedded YouTube videos that won't play on various browsers including Internet Explorer (which is probably the worse browser on the planet anyway). We haven't the foggiest why this is happening and it appears to be effecting Soundcloud too...perhaps its something to do with those pesky solar flares or the full moon?

EY strongly recommends that you view this site and our featured videos with Google Chrome (which is the bestest browser on the planet). You can grab it quickly via this link

It is almost ten years to the day since the very first Electronically Yours update went live with news about the 'All I Ever Wanted' promo CD from Papillon records in 2001.

Ten years later on and with some odd electro synchronicity in the air, EY is celebrating its tenth anniversary on the eve of the first album from The Human League since 'Secrets'. EY was privileged and honoured to receive a promo copy of the album that is an absolute joy and with the release date being brought forward, we've received the official go-ahead to share with you our 'Credo' thoughts...

1: Never Let Me Go



The new single and a radio friendly grower that grabs you with each listen, 'Never Let Me Go' immediately reminded us of the not too fondly remembered 'Crash'. Some of you may groan at the comparison with the 1986 album that seemed more of a vehicle for Jam & Lewis then the League we had come to love and adore but...' Never Let Me Go' is exactly how 'Crash' should have sounded.



'Credo' is full of subtle little nods to the League's illustrious and ground breaking career and this opening track could well be an appreciative tribute to the production skills of Jam & Lewis. With some distinctive 'Ooooohs' from Philip (that we bet every listening will be mimicking in the coming weeks), the track sees Susan take care of most of the vocal duties. Much has been made of the autotune vox (Mojo were bizarrely horrified by it). Treated vocals are nothing new to The Human League (the intro of 2001's 'All I Ever Wanted' was driven by robotic Cybermen) and it seems perfectly natural that the League would jump on current technology and why shouldn't they?



'Never Let Me Go' is Credo's traditional 'love' song (with stalker elements) and has lovely League touches but our favourite element is the crisp and squelchy bassline (of which there are many on 'Credo'). Whilst not completely representative of Credo as a whole (the album has so many twists and turns), 'Never Let Me Go' is a good indication of some of the very nifty I Monster knob twiddling to come with clear and crispy production.


Best bit: 3m.12s - 70's inspired illuminated dancefloors will light up in your head as the League suddenly jump into robotic DISCO dance mode with Daft Punk sequencing and you'll be wanting this bit extended on the forthcoming Wall of Sound remixes. EY would pay top Euro to see Philip dancing like a robot live on stage to this part of the track.



2: Night People




For those who may have been a bit under whelmed by this 'viral' release, we should begin by saying that the track works even better as part of the 'Credo' listening experience (of which there have ben many here at EY HQ). Much has been written about this single and the media seemed to embrace it but perhaps it wasn't the League stomper that some were hoping for.


Presented on 'Credo' in its full glory with a running time of 5m 30s, 'Night People' is bonkers pop and most of you will know the song backwards by now but we have to join and hail the track at 3m 04s when it all moves up a gear and Susan and Joanne lift the track with one of their finest vocals. It's a sublime moment, a point at which the song goes from the edgy League MK1 into full blown pop gem that wasn't fully exploited on any of the mixes.
'Night People' quickly went on to become a live fave during the League's UK winter tour of 2010 and slotted in perfectly with the band's genre defining hits from the Virgin era.



3: Sky



Hearing 'Sky' in its full glory for the very first time reminded EY of the ecstasy of when we first got hold Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence' in 1990. 'Enjoy The Silence ' like 'Sky' clicked immediately on every level - a beautiful and most perfect listening experience and a track that forced its way into your personal Top 10 of all time analogue faves'.Sky' is 'Credo's 'Shameless' moment.

Every League album has one (except perhaps 'Crash'). 'Sky' is 'The Stars Are Going Out' from 1990's 'Romantic' and 'These Are The Days' from 1995's 'Octopus' all rolled into one sonically enticing five minutes of League loveliness. Add to it the haunting atmospherics of Travelogue's 'WXJL Tonight' and 'Sky' ultimately becomes one of the League's finest ever album tracks - a track that highlights and promotes all the things that Philip & co are so effortlessly good at.

Like all classic 'linear' League tracks, 'Sky' tells a story much like 1984's 'Louise' and the intro momentarily sounds a bit like Pet Shop Boys 'West End Girls' right up to the first two notes of a fantastically realised bassline that resonates much like Philip's perfectly captured vocals.Sky' is a track that will create filmic images in the mind's eye as Philip recalls a chance meeting with an enigmatic (alien) lady who vanishes as soon as he arrives but leaves a profound after echo that will follow the narrator to the grave.


Favourite bits: 'Sky' is such a clear and warm recording on all fronts but we particularly adore the vocal bridge at 1m 19 seconds as Philip sings; 'And she talked and she smiled, little more than a child..' and it leads into one of the League's most haunting choruses to date.
We also adore the middle 8th - it's a 'Life On Your Own' 12" moment - totally unexpected but very welcome. Those who know their League sounds might pick up on a very brief nod to 'Sound of The Crowd'- a sample possibly but a very nice touch. 'Sky' has officially made it into EY's own personal Top 10 League tracks of all time. Genius x10.
'Life goes on after Sky' as the track blends into...



4: Into The Night


This one may lack the immediate appeal of the previous track but 'Into The Night' is another grower that reveals many layers as the song shifts and changes with unexpected twists for there is nothing predictable or safe about 'Credo' (and these are the albums that you tend to return to years down the line). A slow tempo track with an 'acid' bassline that pumps away with vox from Philip that are so expertly recorded that you'll think he's in the room just a few feet away particularly when he utters these following few words in that distinctively rich tone; 'Will you turn the key?'.

The chorus is aided by floaty BBC Radiophonic inspired synth sounds that will take you to another planet. This is brilliant production from I Monster - the point when at which they display tricks that even go beyond Toy' the mixing desk masters of 'Secrets'. Philip has never sounded so good and listeners new to the League will be impressed by Philip's vocal range. We're not sure what mics used to capture the vocals so brilliantly or the synths from which I Monster created 'Credo's rich pallet of sounds but 'Into The Night' is full of forward thinking electro trickery that far exceeds even EY's monstrously high expectations. This is Radiophonica for the new millennium.

Best bit - : the haunting and ambient fade-out where Philip repeats the line: 'Do you turn left? Do you turn right? Back to your bed or into the night?' Minimal 70's sci-fi synth sounds that would make Warp Records proud as Philip's vocals appear to be beamed further and further out into space. Sublime x10.

5: Egomaniac



Having had the 'Credo' promo for a good few weeks now, EY had scribbled down many notes as we got to know all the tracks intimately and next to 'Egomaniac' was the repeated word 'Single! Single! Single!'.

One of the first things that struck us about 'Egomania' (apart from its instant appeal) was the EMP-like dance intro for this is the League in full club mode without the aid of a remix. It is also the closest that the League have come to sounding like the Pet Shop Boys at the top of their game. 'Egomaniac' is the kind of track we were expecting from the Pet's recent 'Yes' album and pretty much how the League would sound with production from Xenomania.

'Egomania' sounds like nothing the League have recorded before yet it's still full of that League charm - the kind of charm that would sell for many, many Krugerrands if you could find a way of getting it in a bottle. 'Single! Single! Single!' written all over this one and we want an extended dance remix. Mania indeedy.

Best moment: When Philip sings 'You're on your own' in the deepest tone imaginable over a stomping melody.



6: Single Minded


This one get's off to a fairly good start with lots of inventive I Monster knob fiddling and a lovely fat bassline as Philip sings; 'A modern man ...since time began' (Credo is full of quotable lyrics - you could fill a novel with them). 'Single Minded falls apart at the limp chorus which is a shame as the build up is pretty good especially the vocal bridge. 'Single Minded' is 'Credo's filler track even though it has entered our heads quite unexpectedly not wanting to leave during office hours which is an odd thing. This isn't an awful track by any stretch of the imagination, but the rest of 'Credo' is just so much better.



7: Electric Shock



How EY's heart sunk when we first heard this track on YouTube proving if anything that most people should avoid at all costs crap mobile phone recordings of tracks that make their live debut.

The poor capture of this song made it sound a bit like Little Boots doing Moroder but to be honest, the bass was so loud that it was hard to distinguish anything other than Philip's fabulous attire.

On 'Credo', 'Electric Shock' is one of the album's revelations, the kind of track you wish that Kraftwerk or OMD would bounce back with for it is full of energy. You'll punch the air when Philip sings 'The static hits!' followed by a brilliant vocal line from Susan as the track blends into that classic League trademark of quick fire vocal interactions (we wish that we had the full 'Credo' lyrics). 'Electric Shock' is a perfect title considering the crispy urgency of the track with its pulsating analogue buzz... for The Human League are The Kings of Analogue.

Best bit: The tinkly off-key synth lead during the chorus ...clever stuff.



8: Get Together


Chant -a-long-a-Oakey time with this one as the 'Glam Rock' chorus kicks in at 1m 06s seconds and this could well be single number 4 but the preceding vocal bridge is every bit as good. Structurally, the verses and reminiscent of the 'Hysteria' era but there are one or two new tricks in this track that the League have never attempted which is the beauty of 'Credo' - its definitive League but not quite what your expecting.

Following the second repeat of the chorus at 2m 19s, there are some very impressive wailing vox and by the third repeat the chorus becomes an urgent chant. Once again, the vocals are so clear on this track and at 2m 50s the track goes all tribal with some marching percussion of the kind that Heaven 17 played around with on 'Penthouse & Pavement' and this will be a brilliant moment on the forthcoming 'Credo' tour.

Its all hands in the air stuff and probably could have done with being one or two minutes longer but the best is still yet to come....

9: Privilege




Like 'Night People', 'Privilege' jumps right back to League MK1 invention for this unusual yet quirky track. The track ominously begins with what sounds like a warning siren before telling the story of a 'tough guy' who is speeding up the M1 and out for revenge with 'bother on his mind'.

There is an absolutely brilliant League moment of the kind that only the League can get away with when Philip sings 'past the lights of Birmingham' (a city famed for concrete and erm...we will get back to you on that one). Its a line that really made us chuckle the very first time we played 'Credo' and some may groan like they did with the mention of 'And where there used to be some shops' in The Lebanon (The Lebanon!) - but we also happen to love that lyric too because these clever little mentions of the banality of reality help ground a song.


'Privilege' really is 'Reproduction's 'Almost Medieval' ' but with a production edge and more inventive sounds including a genius lead synth (the Melotron possibly?). We also admire hugely the 'growling' and menacing bassline on this one and the track makes us think of the film 'Get Carter' and the opening shots of Michael Caine on a train heading up North with a soundtrack by John Carpenter.




10: Breaking The Chains

Jo Callis inspired guitar chords kick off this penultimate 'Credo' and again, this really doesn't sound like anything the League have recorded before but you will still adore every note and hit replay. The closest League moment we can think of is 'So Hurt' from 'Hysteria' - a track that really didn't quite work back in 1984 unlike 'Breaking The Chains' which hits the ground running. There is a nice build up full of strange sounds before the chorus completely grabs you at 1m 07s and its like the chorus has been with you since the very first time you picked up a Human record (1981 for Orac).

By our count, 'Credo' has already exceeded 2001's 'Secrets' in terms of catchy sing along vocal hooks which is an amazing achievement considering the quality of that album and all the others before it. You can probably tell by now that we are in love in 'Credo' so whatever we say about the grand 'Credo' finale will probably not surprise you......


11: When The Stars Start To Shine.


Crickey! This is exceedingly good. All albums should end with an epic track - Depeche are past masters at it and 'Octopus' bowed out with fan fave 'Cruel Young Lover' but we think that the League may have just edged past that gem with 'When The Stars Start To Shine'.

Like 'Egomaniac' and 'Get Together' this is totally Nu-League and it's their most joyfully optimistic and loved-up track since 1995's 'Filling Up With Heaven'. Interestingly, the verses are very early Heaven 17 and you can easily imagine Glenn Gregory belting out this one for 2013's 'The Luxury Gap' tour but 'Stars' is so much more than that. In terms of structure and hooks, this track really reminds us of Thomas Dolby's 'Europa & The Pirate Twins' a track we absolutely lovelove and adore here at EY and so 1982.

There is a delicious bassline running through 'Stars' that provides you with a 'Tell Me When' feeling and they've chosen a really warm and buzzy sound for it. We can imagine the League performing this track in single line as they did on Top of The Pops back in 1995 for 'Tell Me When' - it is that kind of song. Actually, this is the happiest song the League have ever recorded and like 'Sky' its placed is cemented in EY's All Time League Top 10. Simply a great track to perform as an encore and one that you won't be able to get enough of. All of this leave you wishing that 'Credo' came with a few more bonus tracks but that's the key to the album's appeal...it leaves you wanting more.

Thirty years on from that album and this wonderfully analogue genre still belongs to The Wonderfully Mighty Human League....

Tracks to sample & love: 'Into The Night', 'Sky', 'Ecomaniac', 'Electric Shock', 'Get Together', 'Privilege', 'When The Stars Start To Shine'

EY RATING: 9/10



Credo is released on March 11th in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and March 21st for the UK and the rest of the world.



Related links:

THL @ Facebook
THL offical Twitter page
Pre-order 'Credo' from Amazon
Never Let Me Go - official single stream


(With thanks to Sidewinder Management)

The Evil Tharg last night confirmed in the Secrets forum of one or two 'Credo' related changes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Fans in these countries will now be able to snap up copies of 'Credo' from Friday 11th March.








The League have also secured a major TV slot in Germany where the band have been asked to perform EY fave 'Egomaniac' and this track will now be relased in the territories mentioned above in place of 'Never Let Me Go'. The 'Egomaniac' performance can be seen on the Die ultimative Chart Show and it airs on Firday 4th March. Due to the quick change of plan. there will be no remixes or promo video for this European release of 'Egomaniac' but the League have just completed one for 'Never Let Me Go'.

'Credo' will still be released in the rest of the world on March 21st except for the US (where the League don't currently have a label). You can hear a glorious 2 minute preview of 'Egomaniac' over at Juno Records.
The latest issue of Gay Times has awarded 'Credo' with 5/5 and ended their review with the following quote: 'Credo is an incredible pop offering and proof that - should proof be needed - The Human League are not, and never have been, just another 80s band.

One of 2011's essential albums'.

To read Evil Tharg's forum update in full, please jump here.

Related links:

Mixmag review of 'Credo'
Pre-order 'Credo' from Amazon

EY's website F2s hosting fees are due on March 6th 2011. If you enjoy this site then please consider making a small voluntary contribution via the PayPal button below.

Thankly you muchly in advance for helping us to stay online.

The weekend starts right here, right now with this delicious cut of synthy Detroit House from the rather marvelous and much admired Beth Ditto.

Taken from Beth's forthcoming EP and expertly produced/knob fiddled by Synthlord Oakey faves Simian Mobile Disco, EY's Babooshka choose this one as her fave several weeks back and the suits at Sony have wisely chosen 'I Wrote The Book' as the lead single.

Some are calling this early '90's techno', but for those with a slightly longer memory it's 100% Inner City who were just about the bestest band to ever come out of Detroit way.way back in 1987 and whose sound was initially inspired by the Combination Mix of Deppy Mode's 'Get The Balance Right'.





In the new vidcast above a radiant Beth pays loving homage to one of Madonna's finest moments with moody black & white scenes lifted straight from 'Justify My Love'. Can the weekend possibly get off to a better start than this? Hit play and Dance Like A Star.


Beth Ditto's EP is released digitally on March 7th

Related link:

Soundcloud Beth Ditto EP preview

One of the best music sites on the web The Quietus has an exclusive interview with The Mighty Human League by John Doran as promotion from the rather brilliant new album 'Credo' slooowly steps up a gear.

Philip, Jo & Susan all provide some great answers but like a lot of these interviews, there is a tendency from the chap asking the questions to keep harking back to 'Dare' and split of League MK1 etc. We were hoping for a few more questions on the 'thoroughly modern sounding album' 'Credo' .

EY would also take issue with 'Reproduction' & 'Travelogue' being described as 'patchy' but the interview as a whole is a jolly good read and worth 20 minutes of your precious time.

Jump here for League Action.



The League will also soon be interviewed on the Janice Long show on BBC's Radio 2 on Feb 21st around about midnight-ish and the show will be available on the iPlayer soon after.










UPDATE: Juno Records have added a brilliant little audio player that features 2 minute long samples of every track from the new Human League album 'Credo'.

You all know the drill, grab a glass of wine, turn up those speakers and jump here for 'Credo' is a gem.




View backstage camera shots from the promo of the new Human League single here.

Niki & The Dove EP news






The NME has this week confirmed that EY faves and Swedish Sensations Niki & The Dove are close to unleashing a new EP.






'The Fox' will be released in April UK label Sub Pop. No tracklisting has been confirmed just yet but we are dearly hoping that they will match the sheer quality b-side 'Under The Bridges'. Celebrate the news with us and have a look at the 'The Line of Best Fit' Niki & The Dove live session recorded just a few months ago where the band performed a stripped back version of 'Mother Protect' with lots of mad & buzzy synth sounds. This is proper knob twiddling stuff from a band that aren't trying to turn back the clock in order to sound like OMD or something...


We are keeping a close eye on Twitter for more updates from this elusive band....

(With thanks to Babooshka)

Martyn Ware Talking...

Comedian Ian Todd kindly contacted EY HQ about a podcast he's just recorded with BEF supremo Martyn Ware. We've just had a listen and pleased to report that it's far more entertaining than that rather regrettable Heaven 17 advert that is currently running on ITV.

The podcast is available for absolutely free over on iTunes along with some of Ian's previous interviews with various peps associated with the classic series of Dr Who so do check 'em out.

Let us all raise a massive glass to La Roux who won a Grammy over in the States a few nights back for their self titled and wonderful 2009 debut - fully deserved and a massive achievement considering some of the online hostility that Elly & co received from the mean spirited electro mafia here in the UK.



Expect some new La Roux tunes this summer and hopefully EY will survive the solar flares and still be around to cover all that for you lovely people.





Who's That Girl?

A few blogs including Popjustice have gone into electro meltdown for a new artist known only as Queen of Hearts. Based in London, Queen of Hearts was also lavished with praise this week over at The Guardian.

Her debut single 'Freestyle' can best be described as 'FrappMoroder' - a tune that Kylie probably wishes she could still knock out. 'Freestyle' is also the kind of tune that was missing from the ill-fated Little Boots debut 'Hands'.



Queen of Hearts identity is shrouded in mystery according The Guardian... but long time readers of EY may just recognise this new analoge maiden who made her brilliant CD debut on 'EY VOL 1' a few years back.

Here's the stompingly pumpy full version of 'Freestyle' lifted from The Guardian;

Austra seem to have embraced experimentation not dissimilar to the artistic approach of 'The Knife'...so of course I love this new video release for 'Beat and the Pulse'.






It's another gem to share in a week of pretty fabulous music videos that visually tease and add to the anticipation of more to come from these new bands.

If you are at all familiar with some of her earlier work, Katie Stelmanis, the main vocalist for Austra, has always been dark and very dramatic, nowadays mixing up a menagerie of stark electro for her current band.

Sounding like early Depeche Mode, through Bjork, a bit of Lykke, some Fever Ray and all matched with vocals of operatic levels having been classically trained in her homeland Toronto; it all smacks of super brilliance.









This very interesting video directed by Claire Edmondson does give a little taste of what's in the pipeline with Katie Stelmanis' latest project Austra.







It is stylish and darkly erotic and does have some nudity in places for those of a delicate disposition or those surfing in the office. Censorship of art isn't a good thing but if you prefer, there are 'so called' clean versions knocking about in blogland and Youtube. Nipples are welcome here though, as are oddly webbed fingers and arms and anything wonderfully weird in music.

So what was all that about? Not just boobies, you lazy reviewers out there. Surely a take on female sexuality and empowerment, the 'beat and the pulse', being alive, is the beauty and truly feminine and not the tiresome pursuit of perfection? Could be?
It's no accident that this video is packed full of women of all sizes, nationalities and looks.


The females in electronic music aren't just singing and looking pretty anymore, they are pushing the buttons and taking more control and making points in their production; empowering on many levels in what is quite a sexist industry.

The quirky dancing ranges from the exotic to the clumsy as does the underwear they are cavorting around in for the ladies perched on chairs, ironically fully clothed and looking the most uncomfortable. All under the watchful eye of the enigmatic front woman and the electronic beats of this fantastic debut from an album due out in May...yay! '

Feel It Break' will definitely be an exciting offering and guessing by the tracklist will be full of noir otherworldliness and fetish delights to dance about to.

Backed by her band Maya Postepski and Dorian Wolf and mixed by Damian Taylor of Bjork and Robyn fame, Austra are definitely making some waves now.

Tracklist for Feel It Break:

Darken Her Horse
Lose It
The Future
Beat and the Pulse
Spellwork
The Choke
Hate Crime
The Villain
Shot the Water
The Noise
The Beast





Austra official site
Purchase 'Beat & The Pulse' EP digital download
'Beat & The Pulse' 12" vinyl
'Beat & The Pulse' - Extended Remix
Moshi Moshi Records

In related news, very interestingly and super cool is that The Knife are doing a workshop for girls only at Popkollo, what a shame it's only in Sweden? It seems the push for the women to become the knob twiddlers is rising.

Karin and Olof says: We think it's great to be part of Popkollo and to share our skills and we hope there will be more girls behind the mixing desks, in the dj booths, by the synth controllers and by the computer composing!

From 'difficult' Rough Trade indie darlings in the early 80's to the shining white hot sophistipop of 'Cupid & Psyche '85', Green is back for a Scritti Politti's first ever compilation that brings together choice singles, album tracks and a few new cuts.









Pure pop connoisseurs & lovers of red wine with a fine ear for production, sequencing and knob fiddling will all unite and quite rightly hold up 'Cupid & Psyche '85' as a truly inspirational work of electronic loveliness (and rumoured for the remaster treatment in 2011 according to top US pop blog So Hip it Hurts).

Many of us will also melt inside at the mere mention of the extended remixes for 1984's 'Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)' and the timeless-techical sheen of 'Absolute' (enhanced by Art of Noise legend Gary Langon). Scritti's glorious quartet of perfect pop would go on to include 1985 gems 'The Word Girl' and 'A Perfect Way' - and track that would lead Scritti to write and produce for Chaka Khan a year later. 1988's follow-up 'Provision' had its moments ('Oh Patti' and 'Boom!' are both included on the forthcoming compilation 'Absolute'), but the album was a depressingly poor attempt to recreate the highs of 'Cupid'.


Scritti went into hiding following the last minute cancellation of a UK tour due to chronic stage fright until Martyn Ware and BEF discovered Green locked away in a disused mine shaft in Wales way way back in 1990. A collaboration followed in 1991 in the form of Beatles cover 'She's A Woman' that crept into the UK top 20 and featured programming from Sir Ian Craig Marsh (EY bought that one and it didn't come with a specially fortified BEF dance remix) .


With more intense career gaps than The Human League and a bizarre foray into American rap music back in 2000AD, Scritti received a Mercury Music Prize nomination for the 2006 album 'White Bread, Black Beer' that had one fairly decent track on it 'The Boom Boom Bap' which is oddly missing from the new comp.









Quite often, compilations of this nature come with one or two bargain basement tracks - extra enticements to part with hard earned cash.




They quite often give us the same amount of joy as ideological Tory cuts (can anyone actually remember the last Pet Shop Boys single from their 2010 hits collection?) .



Scritti's new single 'A Day Late And a Dollar Short' is well worth 3 minutes of your time if like EY you still get a bit misty eyed over Politti's finest moments - you may well lovelove this one.




After the acoustics of the previous album, Green has gone back to the finely sequenced synth bass of 'Cupid' with some helium Beach Boys inspired harmonies. It's a bizarre mix but quite, quite agreeable on what has been a fine Spring like day here in misty olde England.

'Absolute' is released Feb 28th

Related links:

Scritti official site
Pre-order 'Absolute
Absolute - 1984 Extended Version - a blueprint for all 12" remixes - and one of EY's Top 10 tracks of all time.
Bonus! The Perfect Way (Way Perfect Mix) - genius!




And finally, EY's Babooshka has found a rather fab witchery vidcast...

Finally revealing the faces behind Creep, Lauren Dillard and Lauren Flax start their tech pop spell in front of a gothic fireplace (of course) showing off the enchanting Romy Madley-Croft's down tempo vocals as she's seemingly trapped behind a screen.

I can't really say any more on the track that I haven't already, I have too much lovelovelove for it. The single still sounds doom synth brilliant after many plays and people are spookily levitating to the 'House of Witch' to remix it and doing a good job.....my personal favourite being the one from Deadboy. Very much wondering what will come next from these creepy girls.

There's been some witchery dubskipping over here to it from me (as Babooshka) and Orac...creepy corridors, invocations, forlorn otherworldly damsels running in dark woodland and backdrops of glitter and purpleness. Really, what's not to love about it?





Related link:


Creep @ Twitter

Follow the wonderful waffle of EY on Twitter.

Visions of Trees are the dreamy electronic duo Joni Juden and Sara Atalar and 'Sometimes It Kills' is set for release on Monday 7th February after being the title track on the EP last year.

It has been matched with this surprisingly bleak video of urban decay produced by Saloon Films and directed by Ben Strebel and Lewis Kyle White. The video jarred a bit with me at first but they do seem to have a unique fusion of urban ambiance going on in their music that lifts you out of the greyness of city life.

The video sort of clashes with the whimsical feel of the track that reverbs Sara's vocals along side a Joni's buzzy synth sound, but I suspect that is the point and it's always good when musicians experiment with these things.

They sounded pretty fab at Bestival last year so it's not surprising Moshi Moshi have snapped up this London duo. Hypnotic vocals and tribal beats...all good good and one of my favourite acts that being newbies meant they were in a teeny tent doing an intimate set. The video certainly grounds you and stops you floating away with the music.



After a couple of listens, much lovelovelove...enjoy!



(Visions of Trees image - Babooshka)




Related links:

Visions of Trees - official blog
Visions of Trees -Soundcloud.com
Moshi Moshi Records
EY @ Twitter

There has finally been some much needed League action over on Wall of Sound's official website this week with news of the next single to be lifted from 'Credo'.







The album's opening track 'Never Let Me Go' will officially be unleashed digitally to the nation and all known dimensions on March 21st and you can hear an official stream of the new single here.

No details of remixes or more importantly formats just yet (EY thinks that this track warrants some kind of CD single/vinyl release that isn't quite as staggered as 'Night People' - we didn't think the 'viral thang' worked).

As for the single itself, 'Never Let Me Go' is a definite grower. Parts of it may take you back a bit to 'Crash' (or the bits of 'Crash' that actually worked - particulary Philip's 'Goooo ooooh Goooo!' segments that we've been copying all week in the office).

'Never Let Me Go' is funky League in full Daft Punk mode with some possible nods to Jam & Lewis which we rather like here at EY HQ. We also adore Susan's autotune vox and the final third of the track. It's a lively opening to 'Credo' and a hint to all the twists and turns that follow throughout the entire album.




This is definitely one made for the radio and the track shifts enough to make repeated listens very, very enjoyable so here's hoping for some decent promo this time round.


Update: The Human League have confirmed via Twitter that 'Credo' has been brought forward by a week and will now be released on March 21st. Remixes for the new single 'Never Let Me Go' have also been confirmed with expert knob twiddling from Aeroplane, DJ Pierre and Italo Connection.
Jump here to an Aeroplane remix that we love.

Related links:



The Human League - Twitter

Wall of Sound

The Human League official site - with European 'Credo' tour dates
The Human League - Twitter

A few weeks back, EY teamed up with the legendary ZTT to offer three irresistible and beautifully packaged elemental titles as compy prizes to EY readers.


Prizes included the brilliant comp 'The Art of The 12"' and the Claudia Brucken retrospective 'Combined' that are both released next Monday.
Frankie's 'Liverpool' has hit technical duplication problems but ZTT will be substituting that title for another one of their lovely releases.





Congratulations to the following winners:


Simon Blackmore - Isle of Wight

Dennis Ohrt - Germany

Andrew James - Scotland

Your sonically enhanced ZTT packages are on their way to you.


(With thanks to Ian Peel)



There is still time left to win guest pass tickets to see Gary Numan & John Foxx live on stage...in the same night.
The gig featuring Synth's Dark Lords takes place on Saturday 2nd at The Troxy in London - planet Earth's music capital.
Have a great night on us and enter by sending your full name and postal addy with the header 'Numan & Foxx' to this email link.

And finally....some heart warming EY feedback in our 10th anniversary that makes it all worthwhile since there are some terrific music blogs out there...



Hi Orac,

There are two words that come to mind when I think about your blog (having been a regular visitor for several years now): integrity and standards. You put the other music blogs to shame. Thanks so much for all you do. (I just made a modest donation to your bandwidth fund.)

Best regards,

Craig Conley

'Do you turn left? do you turn right? back to your bed or into the night?'

January news archive