Peeling
Edition #64 with exciting tracks by Liv Alma, Jonathan Bree & Princess Chelsea, Betterov, Ladytron, and Baby Rose.
Jonathan Bree – Destiny (feat. Princess Chelsea)
A buzzing bass line slowly melts with the synthesizer's melody while dreamy voices whispers of love.
It's a New Zealand duet to die for: The obscure masked singer Jonathan Bree and the devilish angel voice of Princess Chelsea are a perfect match. And not the first time they've collaborated: Bree co-produced Princess Chelsea's albums Lil' Golden Book and The Great Cybernetic Depression while she contributed to his tracks like Static or Kiss My Lips.
With Destiny, they add another work into their collaborative cabinet. In all fairness, Destiny is hardly a surprise for avid Jonathan Bree fans. The song is put together with the same construction plans as basically any Bree track: A thick bass line, melodic synthesizers, and his sombre voice. They all create a distinctively melancholic sound with a glorious vintage vibe.
Jonathan Bree
Liv Alma – Peeling
The tension is oppressing, almost brutally violent, but definitely leadenly heavy.
German musician Johanna Klein, aka Liv Alma, came into contact with various instruments at an early age: After learning classical piano, she dabbled with the saxophone and jazz music. Then, she deepened her musical skills at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. The pandemic was finally the catalyst that gave creative birth to her alter-ego Liv Alma.
Although Liv Alma is undoubtedly a newcomer, her work doesn't sound amateurish. After Palmtree and Anonymous, her third single, Peeling, is a beast: dense, dangerous, and dark. The strange humming and rattling are juxtaposed with her sensual singing to polish this experimental pop pearl. With Peeling, Liv Alma plugs an impressive flag onto the musical map.
Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 14, 2022
Ladytron – City of Angels
Glimmering electro-pop with a unique voice—shooting Los Angeles into space.
Ladytron was founded in 1999 in Liverpool. Since then, the band has gained a considerable following amongst electro- and synth-pop fans around the globe. Their simply structured and often minimal songs are reminiscent of early 80's electronic music. I first encountered Ladytron in 2018 with their stunning singles The Animals and The Island; however, their most successful tracks remain Seventeen and the pushy Destroy Everything You Touch.
City of Angels is a smooth track, refined in Ladytron's sonic forge. Their sound remains somewhat postmodern, inherently retro, and still travelling through space and time with alien technology. The conjuring, trance-inducing voice of Helen Marnie is simply unmatched.
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Baby Rose – Go
A gripping voice, meandering between soul, R&B, and stunning singer-songwriter artistry.
Baby Rose made significant waves with her 2019 debut record To Myself—receiving high praise from Rolling Stone magazine to the New York Times. Later, Rose even received a Grammy nomination for her contribution to Dreamville's record Revenge Of The Dreamers III. The now 28-year-old US artist returns with two new songs.
Go is one of these two, a slightly bulky neo-soul track, carefully combining impressive contemporary beats and the silky smoothness of her captivating voice. But Go feels like something new, unexplored, undefined and not confined by sticking to a particular genre. It's a song that needs time to unfold its beauty fully.
Betterov – Bis zum Ende
Driven indie rock soaked in a post-punk feeling—simultaneously exciting and thoughtful.
28-year-old Manuel Bittorf, alias Betterov, is a relative newcomer but one that sees great success with his captivating cocktail of indie rock sounds and post-punk vibe. In 2020, the German musician released his debut EP Viertel vor irgendwas and now followed up with the album Olympia.
Bis zum Ende is a perfect example of Betterov's qualities: A fast-paced track, exhilarating and breathlessly delivered, accompanied by lyrics that capture adolescents' doubts, fears, and self-reflection. Despite its depressive premise, Betterov always manages to transform negativity into sparks of optimism. Bis zum Ende is no different and remains deep down a hymn to hope.
