New album for this Norvegian duo which saw their single "Secret Sky" reaching an high position in the charts in Norway, Sweden and Denmark a couple of years ago. After these years of silence the band decided to come back with a new single ("All Over" which is also the second track of this album) and a new CD titled LITTLE GIRL LOST. The eleven tracks we find here are deeply influenced by bands like Garbage, Cranberries, Cardigans but with some exception concerning some sounds solutions (see for example "Mermaid" with its Noisex like noisy rhythm lines) and their melodic tendency to pick up something from goth (like on "Vandalist Virgin") and new wave (see my favourite song of the lot, the beautiful "I Need My Love", which is the only one sung principally by a male voice). I didn't find this album a must but some songs are highly appreciable and a couple of them are really beautiful. Maybe they focused too much the album on mellow and melancholic atmospheres but when they decide to make the energy bust they are capable of doing a good work as on my second favourite one: "Never Fall Again". A little curiosity: this album has got Ted Skogmann and Vegard Blomberg from Apoptygma Berzerk helping for programming and drums.

With the exception of one track "Tomorrow's Tuesday" by UK one man band The Glimmer Room (aka Andy C.) is an instrumental, fortunately. The music is a visionary journey that has the organics of a movie soundtrack more than that of a record, in my opinion. It's synthpop music, melodic electronic music, ambient synthscapes, heavenly pads with creative drum patterns. I had to listen to it about 5 times 'cause the music was so sweet, laid back, relaxing and peaceful that I kind of lost the focus... Neu Harmony has a lot of records with the same base dna but this one (which among other things has a nice classical art work) is kind of more "happy" sounding (in lack of a better term). It really sounds like a Klaus Doldinger "The Unending Story" soundtrack at times, and even if I can't come up with another movie right now, I am sure that a lot of other movies might find this album a great match. The tracks float carried away by the soft but infectious beats in what might remind you of a Gary Numan or a Gary Flanagan album at times... If you like calm electronic synth music give this a try and check out their distributor's website (link above) for a lot more stuff...

Xero G are a duo from N.Y. formed by Victoria Angell (vocals) and Seth Questor (synths, programming and vocals). ARE YOU WEIGHTLESS is the first album of the duo and contains eleven original tunes along with a cover of Who's "Baba O' Reiley" and a Sigma 7's remix of the opening song "Run". The first thing I noticed is that the album seems to miss a real hit single even if "Carry On" with its "Pet Shop Boys goes goth" atmospheres can be a possible one. This has been a particular CD for me because the songs started to catch me only after the second listening and this isn't a usual thing. The album has got dark and light atmospheres with energetic tracks and good tunes (like "Too Much" or the instrumental "Uranium"). The tracks I preferred were the ones from fifth to eleventh, because they have got a certain dark vein which make them more interesting for my tastes. Only sometimes I lost my concentration but this is because on the first tracks Victoria's singing is a little more melancholic and mellow. It takes time to appreciate this one but it's worth it.

This has been a fantastic year for Empire State Human. They released different albums (see our interview, you lazy ones...), did some gigs in the States for the first time and most important of all, they are getting more and more attention and I assure you that they deserve everything they achieved because they are talented and kind. It has been also a pleasure to see a Mexican label (Hi, Oscar...) doing everything possible to release good stuff with this CD and with Nexus 8 which also remixed for this CD "Night Flight". MUSIC FOR HUMANS as the previous release, "Pop Robot", contains high enjoyable synthpop, with six brand new songs (along with those you can find a new version of "Night Flight", a remix of "Shoot The Breeze" and the mentioned "Night Flight N8 Future Light Dub") which are melodically and rhythmically involving. The tracks goes to the fantastic potential hit (damn the charts which doesn't realize how fantastic this music is) "Shoot The Breeze" to the darker "Das Kapitol" (which seems an intriguing electro kraut track) passing through "Scalper", "The Plutocrats" and other five. It's enough to tell you that I love their music? Don't you think there should be a reason? :)

I listened to this CD a month ago when I received it and I liked it even if I wasn't totally thrilled. It was a particular thing to listen synthpop and e.b.m. matching together and I didn't figure why people from Ganymede and Nukleon got involved into such a thing. Well, at this moment while I'm writing this review, I'm listening to it again and I assure you that I'm bloody digging this stuff! The album is a sort of concept album with lyrics that talk about vigilantism, street crime, and nocturnal urban decay. It's strange to imagine Charles Bronson as an electro addicted but a thing is for sure: tracks like "Vigilante" or "Guardian" are a blast. The rhythms are always pumping and the melodic lines are well built and never too simple. FR/ACTION took away from e.b.m. evil vocals and replaced them with synthpop finest tunes adding also bleeping synth lines and everything in need to make of this album a must for your days that need a "musical booze". "Walking alone, city lights at my back / My senses are sharp as theyíre under attack / 44 Magnum is close by my side / A feeling of hate and a feeling of pride"...