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Arcadia was a side project by Duran Duran members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor undertaken while the band was on break. The sound of the music is virtually indistinguishable from Duran Duran at the time. I remember reading somewhere that Arcadia was the best Duran Duran album they didn't release. And in many ways, this ranks up there with the best Duran Duran material.
Right off the bat you get the big hit single 'Election Day'. I can't even begin to tell you how often I see this song online listed as a Duran Duran track. People just don't think of it as anything but. This is a fantastic song and to make it even more brilliant than it already is, flamboyant pop diva Grace Jones appears on this track to deliver a spoken word bridge halfway through the song. Her presence takes this track from amazing to A-maz-za-ing!!!!
'Keep Me In The Dark' starts off with some tense Asian sounding chords. It evolves into a full on song with a decent melody and Le Bon delivers a soulful vocal performance. You can hear his yearning and desire. I think this is a great number for showing off his skills as a singer. There are all kinds of blurps and blips throughout the song and they're wonderful. I enjoy the arrangement from start to finish.
Around this same time, Duran Duran recorded a track for a James Bond film, 'A View To A Kill'. I know that was the title of the movie and the song is pretty good. But honestly, 'Goodbye Is Forever' is far and away the best Bond theme song that never was. Not only is it an awesome title for a Bond movie, but it's so thematic. The tune swells and churns through an orchestra synth chord sweeping behind the vocals making the entire song intensely dramatic. I can't listen to this song and not imagine it as a Bond theme. I just can't.
'The Flame' begins with Le Bon singing. Once the music kicks in, you get some interesting sounds but frankly, this is a song I'm not overly impressed with. It's not bad, but it doesn't stand out either. Next up is 'Missing'. This minimal sounding track is light and mysterious. Even the saxophone sounds like a piece of percussion on this number. It all kinda clinks and rolls along while Simon seems to call from a distance. Honestly, this song reminds me of Tears For Fears and I can almost hear them singing.
'Rose Arcana' is a segue introduction to 'The Promise'. It sounds like drums, chimes and gongs playing outside of an ancient Chinese temple. A thin, delicate synth line kicks in and suddenly you're enveloped in sound. Arguably the best song on the disc, 'The Promise' is a 7 minute mood that washes over you like an uncontrolled feeling. Fear, despair, sadness... "Heaven hide your eyes, Heaven's eyes will never dry". It's a piece of musical magic and Sting appears as a guest vocalist backing up Le Bon on the chorus. This pairing is astounding and utterly harmonious. I remember this is a song I heard on an old radio program called "Rock Over London". It came on once a week and would play New Wave songs by British bands. I used to sit in my mom's bathroom holding the radio antennae because that was the only way I could get a clear signal and hear the program. This was one of the songs I heard on that show and I fell in love with it. I bought this album years later because I'd always loved this song and I wanted to have it in my collection. I've enjoyed Duran Duran, but I never felt obsessive about them the way I have with other bands. Still, Arcadia presented me with a chance to jump on and jump back off. I still have some Duran Duran albums I really love and I'll eventually buy them. That's beside the point and I'm rambling now. I just can't think of more good things to say about this amazing song. It's truly a great moment in pop music history.
'El Diablo' is the 8th track on this disc and it starts out sounding like a gypsy violin and then transforms into a pop song with South American flute playing. This song reminds me of the Duran Duran tune, 'Cracks In The Pavement'. I lose interest in it because I actually prefer 'Cracks In The Pavement' to this and 'El Diablo' sounds like a cheap copy to me. I hate to say that because I find the disc very compelling, but I can't get past this one. By far, my least favorite track on the disc.
The final track is 'Lady Ice'. It sorta has a spooky start with a lot of ambient background noise playing over a sustained keyboard note. It's a very somber sounding piece and even the small twinkle sounds that emerge sound sinister. After some dull explosions, the basic song takes shape and you get a swelling synth motif rising and falling behind Le Bon's distant sounding voice. At this point, we feel like we're on a battlefield after the fighting has ended. The chorus almost feels like sun breaking through a dense cloud cover. The tune never breaks with its soft, gradual tempo. It's a fitting final track and for some reason, when I listen to it, the picture on the front cover of the CD seems to make perfect sense. She is the 'Lady Ice' and all of this has happened at her bidding. Everything kinda fades away and you're left wondering if it was all just a dream.
I think Arcadia was a highly effective side project for these band members and it's probably my favorite of all music released by Duran Duran or its members. I think it's brilliant and I highly recommend it. My final words: A SINGLE SHOT OF PERFECTION FROM A BAND OF 80'S SUPERSTARS! NOT TO BE MISSED.
ARCADIA - SO RED THE ROSE
01. Election Day
02. Keep Me In The Dark
03. Goodbye Is Forever
04. The Flame
05. Missing
06. Rose Arcana
07. The Promise
08. El Diablo
09. Lady Ice
Alphaville released an interesting disc with this Singles Collection. It's basically an 8 track EP with 4 songs. Each song appears with 2 versions. The first is probably the band's most popular track. 'Forever Young (Special Extended Mix)' is interesting for a number of reasons... First, it features a new vocal track recording by Marian Gold. It's quite different from the original and the music is arranged with a bolder, fuller sound. It's a great mix and very satisfying to listen to. The second track is 'Red Rose (Single Version)'. This is basically an edit of the album version even though it's a little longer. 'Red Rose' is from the bands second album, "Afternoons In Utopia". Hearkening back to their first album, track number three is the single version of 'Big In Japan'. This is a fairly standard version of the song. The biggest difference you notice is the intro. On the album, it segues from another song and the opening sequence is much louder and dynamic. There are also some slight differences in some sounds. I hear a bit of an echo on this single version I don't hear on the album version.
Track 4 is the long version of 'Dance With Me'. This is another release from "Afternoons In Utopia". The reason this song is a long version is because there are extended instrumental portions between the vocals. Still, it's not bad and it's a great arrangement. There are two album versions appearing on this release and number five is one of them. It's the album version of 'Forever Young'. Once again, this makes perfect sense as this is probably the band's most well known and popular track. It doesn't hurt to include it here in its most noticeable form. I also think it was smart to put the mix first. Listeners just interested in this track will hear the different version and hopefully appreciate the band's musical diversity.
There's a 12" mix of 'Red Rose' up next and the music on this track is much superior to that of the album version. The drums alone make this version so much more enjoyable. There's a much more dramatic build throughout and the climax is more exciting. Probably, the biggest and most exciting track on this collection is up next and it's 'Big In Japan (Remix '88). The music stays fairly faithful, but it takes an amazing song and transforms it into an almost 8 minute musical workout with a variety effects and added percussion. At the end of the disc we get another album version. This time, it's 'Dance With Me' and I don't detect a difference here. I think it's the same.
I'm fairly certain all of the material on this release showed up on vinyl prior to this pressing with the exception of the 'Big In Japan' remix. For most of these tracks, this would be the one and only digital CD release. The only place you could find these versions. With the exception of the album versions of course.
I'm not entirely convinced this release is necessary to the average fan of Alphaville. It's more of a completest release. If you were collecting them, you'd want this one in your collection. Otherwise, I think you can stream or purchase this music online.
My final words on this disc: AN ENJOYABLE LISTEN, BUT NOT NECESSARY.
ALPHAVILLE - THE SINGLES COLLECTION
01. Forever Young (Special Extended Mix)
02. Red Rose (Single Version)
03. Big In Japan (Single Version '88)
04. Dance With Me (Long Version)
05. Forever Young (Album Version)
06. Red Rose (12" Mix)
07. Big In Japan (Remix '88)
08. Dance With Me (Album Version)
I've always had a great appreciation for Deep Forest. Mostly because of their efforts to bring attention to various folk music and world music styles. Also for their attempts to preserve the vanishing culture these musical traditions represent. But I've also loved the music they've released. I enjoy the combination of these diverse native sounds and electronica.
As much as I like the group and considering how often I buy their releases, you'd think I'd know quite a bit about them, but I don't. I know the two main forces behind the project initially were Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez. At some point, Sanchez left the project and Mouquet continued on his own. Of course the music is different without Sanchez, but it still has the ring of familiarity you would expect from a Deep Forest record. I think the biggest difference is in the performances of guest musicians on the actual albums. When Mouquet and Sanchez were working together, each song would feature different musicians and singers. Mouquet seems to pick a singer and maybe a few musicians for each album. Where Deep Forest records seemed to focus on different ethnic musical styles, the Mouquet albums seem to focus on a broader, yet more specific international brand. For example, the first three solo releases have been "Deep Brasil", "Deep Africa" and "Deep India". You can kinda get the idea reading the titles of the albums.
Of these three solo records, this is the only one I actually own. And the only one I've actually heard in full. I've streamed parts of "Deep Brasil" on Youtube, but I have yet to hear the entire album.
"Deep Africa" starts off with 'Amber Opening'. It slowly opens with some hypnotic beats and some lovely singing. It transitions to a strange louder, but slow, beat. The way the track opens up is interesting, but I don't really like it. I think it would've been more effective if it stayed subtle and trance-like. 'Dub Africa' is the 2nd song on the record. You hear a female vocalist calling out in an African language and the electronic synth answers with an intense and dense response. Once the beat kicks in, you get a mid-tempo developing built around the call you hear in the very beginning. On par with anything you've previously heard from Deep Forest, this is an amazing track and I love it!
'Mosika' leads off with a strange staggering beat and then punctuates with some horns sounds. Once the vocals kick in, the tone of the song moves into a more emotional direction. The vocalist has a moving voice and he leads the track through some dynamic changes. It builds and ebbs quite naturally. This is another satisfying tune. The next song is 'Yelele' and this one is instantly catchy. It's got a deeper, quicker rhythm and once it kicks in, you have a hard time keeping your feet still. Even though I have no idea what the vocalists are singing or even if I'm pronouncing the words right, I find myself singing along at the top of my voice. I just make the words up of course, but it's a lot of fun. You have a change up between the male and female vocalists throughout the track. This is a song I could hear playing in a club. It's got an amazing beat.
'Bedi' is a slower number. The opening percussion sound reminds me of an old Casio keyboard. One of those Samba sounds. Acoustic piano fills out the sound on this track and the vocalist delivers a touching ballad even if you have no idea what she's saying. In a similar fashion, 'Atali Wowo' comes across as a ballad even though it uses live drumming and a faster tempo. The vocal sampling on this track is reminiscent of earlier Deep Forest work. 'Wasis' is track number 7. At first, you think you're hearing an ambient sound track. This singer reminds me of a voice I've heard on previous songs from earlier albums. It picks up a bit during the chorus, but it reverts back to the slower pace during the verses. It's an enjoyable track and another one I like on this record.
'Zoulawa' is a different number. It has a weird start, but eventually evolves into something more familiar to a Deep Forest fan. The singer here reminds me of Wes Mouataba. 'Ho Mambo' starts off sounding like water and evolves into sounding like stars twinkling. Then it changes into a chanted vocals over a sparse beat. The transitions on this number are unique and quite at odds with traditional dance and electronic music. 'Alaake' has an almost Latin flavor to it. The horns are playful and fun throughout. The vocalist is a woman who chants a nursery rhyme of sorts during the chorus. An interesting tune.
'Lomo' can be described as vocalizing over some mood synth playing. It's a very loose and free form piece of music. 'How Long It Takes?' hearkens back to the first days of Deep Forest. You have some lovely ambient electronic music playing over an fantastic vocalization. The forest sounds are filtering down through the music and when the rhythm develops, it does so organically. The build is extremely well written and executed on this one. I absolutely love this tune. Easily my favorite on the entire disc.
'Tiko' is a slower number with some flute/sax keyboard sounds. It's a nice relaxing bit of music. 'Mosika Ending' is the final track on the album. At least it's listed as such with three additional tracks listed as bonus tracks. As such, it's predominantly built around a vocalization with some aesthetic synth chords played underneath as atmosphere.
'Mawa' is the first of the bonus tracks. It uses a simple beat and piano playing as the background for the vocalist. There are some horn sounds in there as well. This is a dramatic piece in that it creates a very specific vibe and feeling. 'Soweto' is the second bonus cut and this one starts off with some insect-like sounds playing. You also hear what sounds like bird calls. The lilting piano motif is haunting. The vocalist emerges and delivers a gospel fueled plea for tolerance and acceptance. It's a beautiful song! The final bonus track is a mix of 'Dub Africa'. The 'Dub Africa (Gaudi Remix)' starts off rather quiet and trance-like but it builds into a heavier beat. It maintains the trance quality and the groove is nice all the way through.
I hear a huge difference in this music and the old Deep Forest. On this record, Mouquet focuses more on the performances of his guests than on the electronica. There's not as much vocal manipulation. On previous Deep Forest records, the vocals are sampled, manipulated and played almost like the keyboard motifs or drum patches. But here, the performances are more organic. More natural. The rhythms are built around the song structures created by the musicians and singers who contribute to the songs. It sounds more collaborative.
I like this new direction and I think as much as I love older Deep Forest music, I love the evolution. It embraces the music they sought to protect and nurture in a new way. A way that might help it transition to modern times and find a global audience. This is worth finding and buying. I'm definitely going to get the other Deep Forest releases now. If I can find them for sale. My final words: A NEW DIRECTION, A NEW STYLE, A SIMILAR SOUND, A SATISFYING AND PLEASING DISCOVERY.
DEEP FOREST - DEEP AFRICA
01. Amber Opening
02. Dub Africa
03. Mosika
04. Yelele
05. Bedi
06. Atali Wowo
07. Wasis
08. Zoulawa
09. Ho Mambo
10. Alaake
11. Lomo
12. How Long It Takes?
13. Tiko
14. Mosika Ending
15. Mawa
16. Soweto
17. Dub Africa (Gaudi Remix)
Usually, I try not to review a CD I've just bought because I like to give each disc a chance to grow on me. Or maybe I hope for a better understanding of what I'm hearing. But that's not the case with this one. I originally streamed the album and when it was released in stores, I bought it. I guess that's one thing Best Buy is still good for. The occasional CD purchase. Basically, this disc has been in my CD player for a month now and I've listened to it pretty much nonstop. There are two other discs I'm playing fairly regularly too and I'll do both of them in the near future, but this one is the one I want to talk about today.
I haven't reviewed Prince's last disc, "Art Official Age", yet; and the reason for that is I haven't found the way to express some of my feelings about it. There are songs on that disc I think are highly personal to Prince and they resonate very strongly with me. Especially 'Way Back Home'. But that's another review. So let's talk about this disc and how I've responded to it.
First off, although I wasn't looking for it, I found a lot of information on the disc prior to its release. I have enough Prince friends on Facebook that it was impossible to avoid posts people were making about it. I learned one song in particular, '1000 X's & O's' was going to be on it and I was a bit skeptical about it. I originally heard this song years ago as a demo for another artist. Prince had written it for someone else and I can't remember where I heard it online, but I've run across it a few times. At one point, I had a CD a friend had burned with the track on it and I have to say, it was far and away one of my favorite songs Prince has ever written. I was a little nervous to hear it updated as I loved the demo. Many artists update older songs with new arrangements and sounds. Especially for live performances. Sometimes they're exciting and other times, they're a let down. It's a dicey business. Before I tell you what I thought about this song, let's go over the rest of the disc...
The album starts off with samples from a bunch of older Prince songs like 'For You', '1999' and 'Let's Go Crazy' before morphing into 'Million $ Show'. Singer Judith Hill duets with Prince on this number. Prince has this ability to write the most energetic and amazing opening tracks and this one falls right into that category. It's a party track aimed to get your spirits lifted and your body bouncing. It succeeds on all accounts! It's followed by 'Shut This Down'. This is a rather frantic number. The music tempo slows a bit, but there's an intensity in the vocal delivery that hypes the pace and makes it seem almost manic. Prince has done music like this before and I usually like it when he does. This one is no exception.
'Ain't About 2 Stop' is up next and when this one starts, watch out. Rita Ora is the guest vocalist on this track and I have to be honest, the first time I heard it, I didn't like it. Not until the the first time Prince comes in and sings, "I come from North Minny and I never run from any and I ain't about to start right now". That line, just by itself changes the direction of the song. Using that line as a jumping off point, most of the strong musical direction in the song occurs. It's the launching point for changes. It's because of that line I gave the song a chance to grow on me and grow it did. Now, it's one of my favorite numbers on the entire disc.
'Like A Mack'... Well, when I read the word "mack" I was a little concerned. Wasn't mack a slang term from back in the 90's? I always think of that Mark Morrison song, 'Return Of The Mack' or 'Mack The Knife'. Prince is the undisputed king of making some funky workout numbers and this track ends up being one of them. This is the one song on the disc I could actually hear going on for at least two more minutes. The funk is just all over the place! 'Like A Mack' is like "The Walking Dead" except instead of finding yourself surrounded by zombies, you find yourself surrounded by a groove you can't escape. It's absolutely rockin'!!!!
The next number is the one track I think fails on this album and is also the one I just don't understand. 'This Could B Us' originally appears on "Art Official Age". The version on this disc is a remix or a newer version. Compared to the original one from last year, it sounds cluttered. Forced. It feels like someone kept working to make it better and eventually quit. It was perfect as it was and it didn't need to be updated. Plus, I don't understand why it would show up here a year later when so many other tracks we've heard in recent days didn't. Like 'Stare' or 'Free Urself'. Both of those tracks were bonus tracks you could listen to on Tidal if you streamed the album there. 'Baltimore' was another recent song Prince released as a digital single and would've been nice to have on a disc. As would other tracks like 'Groovy Potential'. I honestly feel like this track on this disc is a waste. And I hate to say that because I love this disc. But it's a waste of my money. I already own a superior version. If I wanted a mix, I would buy a single with mixes on it. I sincerely think inclusion of this number was a bad call. The wrong choice.
That being said... 'Fallinlove2nite' is the next number and it made its debut on the Zoey Deschanel television program, "New Girl' during the Prince episode. On that version, Zoey actually appears as a guest vocalist. Her vocals don't appear on this version, but that's almost beside the point. From the moment I heard this track, I loved it and I've wanted to own it in my collection. The fact he released it on this disc is so wonderful I can't even describe my happiness. 'X's Face' is another great number and sounds like a song he's done with 3rdEyeGirl, but I could be mistaken. It's not the best song on the disc, but it's a good one and I love singing along with it. 'Hardrocklover' follows and these two songs kinda appeared online around the same time as digital singles of sorts. 'Hardrocklover' is the superior of the two songs. I guess that's not entirely fair because I like them both.
'Mr. Nelson' is a musical collage including elements of songs from "Art Official Age". You can hear 'Clouds' and 'Way Back Home' in this song. It's mostly an instrumental with an interesting progression. It kinda builds like a train gathering speed. It reaches a climax and explodes into the beat for the next track, '1000 X's & O's'. Remember my little rant about this number at the start? Well, the first time I heard this version I was horrified. I absolutely hated it. And yet, after subsequent listens, I've grown to love it more than the original! This is my favorite cut from the entire album! I absolutely love this song!!!! I love the sentiment, the lyrics, the music, the vocal delivery... Everything conspires to bring your heart to a very specific place; a place where love of your partner is the most beautiful thing in the world. It's like glimpsing paradise and knowing you want to live there. Knowing this is the place where happiness... True happiness is found. I cannot praise this song enough. It's one of the best sentiments expressed in music ever.
'June' is the final number. It's like an abstract musical painting. It captures a single moment in time in one song. Listening to it is like solving a logic problem. You follow the clues, the pieces until you construct a bigger picture and see how it makes a whole. I know that's a vague way of describing this song, but follow the lyrics when you hear it. Follow the journey of the pasta and see if it doesn't make more sense. Personally, I think Prince was born right on time.
With a single exception, ('This Could B Us'), I love this record from start to finish. Some bands/artists lose their edge when they get older. There have been times during Prince's career when I've thought he was headed in that direction. But every time I think he's starting to get washed up, he releases something like this and the brilliance of his mind, his talent puts him right back up at the top of my musical list. This is a great record! Unfortunately, I think Prince has reached a time in his life where young people aren't discovering him. His core audience is where his sales will continue. I may be wrong, but I don't see the youth of today latching on to someone of his musical talent and intelligence. He's beyond the modern sound. Even with an updated techno feel provided by Joshua Welton, Prince is ahead of his peers.
My final words on this album are: A GLOWING, BRILLIANT RELEASE REAFFIRMING PRINCE'S TALENT, ABILITY AND MUSICIANSHIP.
PRINCE - HITNRUN PHASE ONE
01. Million $ Show
02. Shut This Down
03. Ain't About 2 Stop
04. Like A Mack
05. This Could B Us
06. Fallinlove2nite
07. X's Face
08. Hardrocklover
09. Mr. Nelson
10. 1000 X's & O's
11. June
