ANY SECOND NOW – Any Second Now

This album of synth pop genius was released in December but only hit my inbox recently. A London duo of vocalist Steve Olander and synth whizz Alex Hall, Any Second Now take their name from one of the most subtle Vince Clarke-penned moments on Depeche Mode’s 1981 debut, and Any Second Now is resolutely faithful to electronic pop’s best vintages. Containing songs written over the last four decades but which were never recorded, these thirteen songs are filled to bursting point with crystalline, haunting one-note synth melodies and skeletal drum machine rhythms. With the opening and closing instrumental tracks (‘Peking Sunrise’ and ‘Peking Sunset’), Any Second Now isolate the early 1980s’ fascination with travel and far-off, exotic places, while the semi-detached, almost spoken emotional vocal of key tracks ‘Plastic World’ and ‘No Face’ serve as useful reminders of how easily early synth pop evolved out of punk. These songs are all poised perfectly between darkness and lightness, with ‘Who Killed Kennedy?’ tackling one of the most-asked questions of all time with a cheerful, if unresolvable, levity, while the title track is easily one of the most infectiously joyous pop tracks you’ll ever hear. Simply brilliant.

Any Second Now by Any Second Now was released December 17 2022.

https://anysecnow.bandcamp.com/album/any-second-nowanysecnow.bandcamp.com/album/any-second-now

BANA HAFFAR – intimaa’ (Touch)

intimaa’, the latest album from Montreal-based sound artist and modular electronics pioneer Bana Haffar, can be thought of as a sensitive and delicate collision of styles. On the one hand, key pieces like ‘Elemental’ and ‘Lifter’ highlight the vibrant and often unpredictable pathways that can be established by patching a bunch of magical sound-making boxes together; on the other, they are infused with structures, shapes, rhythms, atmospheres, field recordings and melodic detail that nod to traditional Middle Eastern music. As a listener, you can listen intently for these moments, or just appreciate intimaa’ as a richly textured ambient masterpiece.

intimaa’ by Bana Haffar was released May 19 2023 by Touch.

https://banahaffarreleases.bandcamp.com/album/intimaabanahaffarreleases.bandcamp.com/album/intimaa

GOLDSTON / JONES / KELLEY / LARKIN – Miasms (Full Spectrum Records)

Miasms brings together Lori Goldston (cello), Greg Kelley (trumpet), Al Jones (electronics) and Austin Larkin (violin) for four improvised pieces, recorded in 2019. The occasion was an exhibition focused on the remains of a piano which had been dropped from a helicopter onto musician Larry Van Over’s farm in Duvall, Washington in 1968, an extreme artistic gesture that carried more than a whiff of Fluxus about it. The four musicians here are, in part, responding to the visual stimulus of the piano’s shattered remnants, but the main jumping-off point came through Jones attaching various electronic devices to the piano itself. Each piece contains an intense and intricate soundworld that fluctuates between the quiet and the dissonant. On ‘Two’, thick drones emerge from a turbulent, volatile squall of strings, while the comparatively calm ‘Three’ concerns itself with smaller gestures before a disruptive trumpet blast from Kelley forces the adaptable players into a more strident formation.

Miasms by Goldston / Jones / Kelley / Larkin was released August 4 2023 by Full Spectrum Records.

https://fullspectrumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/miasmsfullspectrumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/miasms

AWAKENED SOULS – unlikely places (Past Inside The Present)

awakened souls are a duo of Cynthia Bernard (voice, guitar) and James Bernard (bass, synths, guitar). Inspired by the idea that we can all find creative impulses in the least likely of places if only we took the time to stay present, this collection of ten pieces is perhaps one of the most delicate, contemplative albums I’ve heard. Reassuring and comforting, pieces like ‘waiting’ are nevertheless poised and purposeful, not exercises in empty ambient drifting. An oscillating synth tone on ‘fall asleep, dream’ floats determinedly over soft, undulating sounds and Cynthia’s ethereal vocals, collectively guiding your awareness and providing clarity to the disorganised clutter of your mind. Beyond beatific, and a joy to be in the company of.

unlikely places by awakened souls was released August 16 2023 by Past Inside The Present.

pitp.bandcamp.com/album/unlikely-placeshttps://pitp.bandcamp.com/album/unlikely-places

YUI ONODERA – Mizuniwa (Decaying Spheres)

For Mizuniwa, sound artist Yui Onodera recorded sounds while visiting the Tochigi Prefecture, a landlocked area lying 80km to the north of his Tokyo home. A beautiful, tranquil location encompassing mountains, national parks, water falls and, on the basis of this album, ample sources of inspiration for Onodera. The six pieces here have a life-affirming warmth, full of rich, constantly-moving yet subtle synth layers and naturalistic water sounds. For me, key pieces like ‘Mizuniwa 2’ and ‘Mizuniwa 6’ are sonic embodiments of the concept of shakkei, whereby a background landscape is incorporated into the design of a garden. In this way, Onodera’s pieces encompass distant horizons and close-up details, making for a truly transcendent listening experience.

Mizuniwa by Yui Onodera was released August 4 2023 by Decaying Spheres.

yuionodera.bandcamp.com/album/mizuniwa

Words: Mat Smith

Thanks to Graeme.

(c) 2023 Further.