09 January 2014

Marnie - Hearts on Fire (A Cappella)

Here's the A Cappella version (just vocals) of Marnie' song "Hearts on Fire". In December 2013, she released the stems of this song for a remix contest.

Download

04 January 2014

"Crystal World" and "The Hunter" accolades

Crystal World appeared on some end of 2013 lists:
- #1 on The VPME's Albums of the Year;
- #1 on Softsynth's Electronic Albums of the Year;
- #5 on Electronic Rumors Best Albums of 2013;
- #57 on Love Is Pop 60 Best Albums of 2013;
- mentioned on The Electricity Club's End of Year 2013 Review;
- #11 on Last Year's Girl site.
- mentioned on Release Magazine Best of 2013 (Niklas Forsberg's list).

Also the single "The Hunter" appeared on two lists:
- The Electricity Club's 30 Best Songs of 2013;
- #3 on The VPME Best Music Videos.

01 January 2014

Happy New Year!

Daniel Hunt left a message on his Facebook page:

"Feliz ano novo / Happy new year! I have some new music to come next year; we are working on material for the 6th LT record, and in addition soon I'll be able to play you something from a brand new project I have down in Brazil that we are very excited about. Love. 2014 é nóis! X".

Helen Marnie also posted 2 nice pictures on her Instagram account (click on pictures):


19 December 2013

Aces High (Ladytron Remix)

"Aces High" remixed by Ladytron themselves. You can find it on Gravity the Seducer Remixed. It seems that they were inspired by Brian Eno for this ethereal remix.

18 December 2013

"Crystal World" is Softsynth's Best Electronic Album of 2013

According to Softsynth, Crystal World is the "Best Electronic Album of 2013"! Congratulations to Helen!

The album was introduced with these words:

Ladytron are one of our favourite bands, full stop. But Ladytron albums are often a mixed bag. Different vocalists, varying styles, some of it works like magic, some of it just doesn't, but the sheer boldness of their ongoing experimentation is thrilling and keeps their fans coming back, breathless, to see what they're going to do next.

What they've never been is predictable. Helen Marnie's debut solo effort is predictable in the sense of, "if Ladytron made the consummate, expected Ladytron album what would it sound like? Or put another way, if we could make our own perfect Ladytron album what would it be?" It would be Crystal World. Produced by bandmate, Daniel Hunt this "half of Ladytron" or "Ladytron light" strikes a perfect note.

With a chilliness one might expect from an album produced in Iceland, it's got a pristine quality that feels untouchable at first, unwelcoming at worst. But spend some time with these lyrics, and more so, these exquisite melodies (listen to the unexpected soar of her vocal throughout "The Wind Breezes On", or the building intensity of "Sugarland", or the out of left field vocal harmony on the bridge of "We Are the Sea", or... or... or... take your pick.

There are so many "moments" here you'll go dizzy searching them out) will simply grow on you like a virus. A very pretty, icy-sweet virus. Nearly flawless, Helen Marnie has transcended simple electronic music to bring us an honest-to-dog work of art. And it's the electronic album of the year.

17 December 2013

Reuben Wu - Mechanoids

The title of that instrumental tune by Reuben Wu for GE is "Mechanoids".



It's also available on Soundcloud:

Reuben Wu did a soundtrack for a promotional video

Reuben Wu did a soundtrack for a promotional video titled "Over 2 Million Containers, 2,000 Routes - GE" for GE:



The music is excellent and it sounds like Ladytron and Orbital. The video is great too, because it's synchronized with the music. More details from this site:

In an attempt to "artistically demonstrate the complexity involved in the tightly-orchestrated intermodal process that is required to move goods", GE and Barbarian Group collaborated with Reuben Wu, of British band Ladytron, to create a new music video (of sorts) called "Over 2 Million Containers, 2000 Routes".

To create the music for the video, Wu integrated organic terminal sounds from CSX Intermodal Terminal in North Baltimore, Ohio with original instrumentation. The video takes the terminal sounds and original music, and creates a natural fit for the them "synchronized against key moments in the intermodal process". This may all sound very complicated and clinical, but the video succeeds at making this process appealing, giving the viewer an idea of all the complexity that goes into the "tightly-orchestrated intermodal process" in a way that is actually enjoyable.

16 December 2013

"The Hunter" featured on TEC's 30 Best Songs of 2013 list

"The Hunter" featured on The Electricity Club's 30 Best Songs of 2013 list. The list is sorted alphabetically by artist names. The song was introduced with this paragraph:

"Ladytron's Helen Marnie released her long awaited debut solo album Crystal World in the summer. Recorded in Iceland, it suitably captured the island's beautifully relaxed but volatile atmosphere. Its opening track "The Hunter" was a tremendous calling card and the vibrant electropop single that Ladytron never quite got round to releasing. Very pretty and delectably glacial, the tune was vocally and musically expansive like an Arctic escapist fantasy, melancholic but free of doom".

Helen Marnie was also mentioned in End of Year 2013 Review by The Electricity Club:

"Artists who made their name during electroclash such as ADULT. and Miss Kittin made welcome returns in 2013 while also from that era, Ladytron's Helen Marnie released her first solo offering Crystal World; crowd funded via Pledge Music, it was a novel but effective way of securing a promotional budget that involved fans in the process by offering exclusive updates and an opportunity to purchase exclusive memorabilia. In Marnie's case, items on sale ranged from hand written lyric sheets to her Mini-Cooper and a bikini!".