Seattle-based artist ELYXR and Kurt Harland Larson from legendary synth band Information Society have teamed up to present their collaborative single ‘Strange Stubborn Proud’.
Formed in 1982 while in college, Larson started Information Society, which would become a decades-long involvement with music, electronic audio, and recording/programming. As a synthpop band, Information Society achieved mainstream success in the late eighties and early nineties, most widely known for their 1988 hit single ‘What’s On Your Mind? (Pure Energy)’. Larson reunited with his former bandmates in 2007, giving the band new impetus, releasing new material and touring internationally.
ELYXR is a collaborative project with a penchant for concocting modern synthpop potions, headed by Seattle-based indie-electronic artist Kasson Crooker (Symbion Project, Freezepop), who not only produces his releases but also mixes and masters them at Speed of Dark Music studios in Seattle.
Strongly influenced by the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order, Moderat, and Information Society, ELYXR merges the best of old-school 80’s synthpop with modern electropop production, similar to artists like Röyksopp, Goldfrapp, and Marsheaux. The origins of this project trace back to many years of making electropop with Freezepop, during which time Kasson met many other talented artists. ELYXR was the perfect outlet to collaborate with them, creating a fresh synthpop sound.
“I first heard Freezepop in the early ‘00’s, and immediately told my wife, who worked at a record store, about them. Shortly thereafter she got them to come out to San Francisco for an in-store appearance, which was, I think, their first San Francisco trip. I loved Kasson’s work with Freezepop over those years, and when he started Elyxr, I jumped at the chance to make music together for the first time,” explains Kurt Harland Larson.
“The lyrics for SSP were inspired by the words of a friend. I read what she wrote and spun them up into lyrics. I hope that anyone who hears the song can hear the duality in the lyrics: While clearly striking a proud and defiant tone, there is also a note of tragedy in the voice; anyone who must walk this sort of path must endure rather a lot of social suffering.”
While some of ELXYR past work has been dreamy and introspective, ‘Strange Stubborn Proud’ is more an in-your-face mix of classic synthpop and electro. This track is upbeat and energetic, featuring modern synthesizer sounds intermingled with detuned vintage synths over complex and syncopated drum machines. The unique nature of each song’s vocalist takes each composition in a different aesthetic direction.
“Information Society is one of my most influential bands and helped inspire me to begin making synthpop in the 80’s. In fact, InSoc was the very first band I ever went to see as a teenager,” says Kasson Crooker.
“I’ve known Kurt from InSoc now for many years as he and I both do music/audio production for video games. We just needed to find the right song to work on together. I gave him some song options to choose from and was psyched that he found one that channeled a bit of the early InSoc “Running” sound. I love the fact that, through the lyrics, he unapologetically states his motives and how he operates outside of society’s norms and conventions!”
Forfeiting the standard route of releasing albums and EPs, ELXYR is shaking up that model by releasing each single as it is completed. ELYXR has issued a string of six electrifying singles in the past six months, featuring Color Theory, Elissa LeCoque from enigmatic Brooklyn act Kodachrome, Katrina Kope from Seattle-band Purr Gato, Naoko Takamoto of Princess Problems, and long-time collaborator Melissa R. Kaplan from Kasson’s previous band Splashdown.
‘Strange Stubborn Proud’ released on March 9 on all notable online stores and streaming platforms, as well as on ELYXR’s Bandcamp.
“The perfect synthpop storm… one of the catchiest tracks of the year, voiced by a man who set the standard for American synthpop in InSoc’s Kurt Harland Larson”
– Echosynthetic“ELYXR have released a whole selection of electronic gems… a fascinating musical endeavour by the ever-talented Kasson Crooker”
– The Electricity Club“Kasson Crooker is a tireless musical chameleon, exploring the limits of electronic instruments and composition”
– Modern Synthpop
LINKS:
http://elyxr.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/ELYXRband
http://twitter.com/symbionproject
http://www.youtube.com/user/symbionproject
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Shishi – Ok Thx Bye
This is what Surf Rock would sound like if it was made in the dark near the frozen shores of the Baltic sea. Because it was. Benadetta, Victoria, and Maria Rosa (these are definitely not their real names) are a trio of Lithuanian mermaids who create ‘zero-waste trash music’ under the name ‘Shishi’. They sing about how it feels to be living in times when nothing makes sense anymore. Their music is perfect for people who care about what’s going on but don’t really know what’s happening.
Genre-wise Shishi takes sugar, spice, and everything nice from Surf Rock and blends it with a chemical formula that has been distilled from the raw sounds of the best Riot-Girl and Punk bands. The result is a beautifully awkward eco-friendly vibe reminiscent of Indie Surf frontrunners like La Luz or Tennis smashing into the powerful femininity of bands like Hole, Kleenex, and Delta 5.
Shishi was initially formed by three vocalists trying to play instruments they couldn’t play. Their 2018 debut album ‘NAx80’ was released after some intense and rapid learning sessions (it was around this time that they became mermaids, just in case you were wondering). Nominations, festivals, and tours followed. As the instrumental skills improved in 2020 Shishi was signed by ‘The state51 Conspiracy’ to release their follow up album ‘Mafitishei’ in which the band searches for new seas in which to splash around.
If this biography left you feeling more confused than informed and you suddenly want to dance upside-down, you are now in the perfect mood for some Shishi.
LINKS:
https://instagram.com/shishiband
https://facebook.com/shishiband
https://youtu.be/H9scVFqJhSA
https://soundcloud.com/user-617918304
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7nmCtibxtJAWRoecSc5EPS
https://apple.co/2y0USTp -
Eztain – Asymmetrical
Electronic music continues its inexorable rise to the front page of music media, with barriers continuing to be demolished, from set styles to language. Eztain hails from Joodalup in the Perth area of Australia, the country very quietly launching a sustained campaign on the global dance stage. Avoiding the trappings of convenient pigeonholes, Eztain follows the trailblazing lead of fellow Australian, Flume, by exploring Future Bass and Electronica, as opposed to a more generic ‘House’ sound. The result is a multi-layered, technicolor vision of the world Eztain sees around him, as much biological as it is robotic.
Eztain (aka Jake Colson) was inspired to create his own music from a very young age, the inspiration coming via the unlikely form of free software given away with his breakfast cereal! Learning the guitar whilst at school to ground him in the mechanics of melody and structure, he was influenced by the likes of Deadmau5, K.Flay and Amon Tobin, music that, while relying on modern technology, could be created as easily in a bedroom as in a state of the art studio.
The road to his first release has been far from easy. Suffering from mental illness, Jake has used music production as a release – a way for him to communicate with an outside world that has sometimes appeared very alien. By creating his alternative sonic landscapes, he has found a way both to inspire and be inspired, his music is an exploration of his mindset and as a way of conveying emotion. From the guttural, Justice-like permeating bass of Asymmetrical, to the otherworldly seas of Enhanced Vanilla and the throbbing labyrinths of Iconoclast, this could well be one of the stand-out electronica releases of the year.
LINKS:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2gXV3e7qRIhBYpTR6OGRv6
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5XehLQ0GCtYsy_bM3dMBA
https://www.facebook.com/eztain
https://twitter.com/Eztain
https://www.instagram.com/_eztain
http://www.eztain.net
https://www.twitch.tv/eztain -
Olivia May – Tonight
Olivia May has a story to tell. Years of starts, stops and self-doubt has shaped a voice now ready to empower and inspire those going through similar struggles.
Hailing from Fresno, California, Olivia began her career at the age of thirteen when she joined her first band and started playing local venues around her hometown. She quickly earned the attention of some industry executives with her raw vocal talent and upbeat stage performance, and by the time she was sixteen she was playing shows at The Roxy as well as showcasing for record labels.
In early 2007, Olivia moved to Los Angeles to pursue her creative career finding some early success in acting. After establishing herself on the LA music scene as a solo artist, Olivia joined ISLES which lead her to open for Crazytown, performing on the Vans Warped Tour in 2015 and receiving placements on Mashable.com and in Alternative Press.
Not only a powerhouse rock vocalist, but Olivia’s angelic country vocal style also caught the attention of David Rosales while she was performing her acoustic set in 2011. ‘David & Olivia’ performed nationwide, including stops at SXSW, wineries, and dive bars. ‘David & Olivia’ were nominated for a variety of categories in the famous OC Music Awards in 2014 and were asked to perform and open for Steel Magnolias in Temecula. 2016 brought Olivia an exciting opportunity to focus on her solo career.
Liberated from industry constraints, she has harnessed her original inspirations and is ready to unleash her wildly passionate Hard Pop, with a dash of performance art style and a voice that has been through struggles to emerge as a beacon of growth, awareness and wild, unapologetic self-expression.
‘Tonight’ is released on January 13th, 2017, along with an artistic music video shot and directed by the punk rock Greta Valenti of GROWVISION Creative Studios. (GrowVision.com)
Talking about the inspiration behind her new song, Olivia says “I wrote Tonight during a time of complete wonderful chaos. Finding my true love, living in my car, absolutely no stability in my life. But none of that mattered because I knew I found the one who would be there for me through it all.”
LINKS:
http://OliviaMay.com
http://instagram.com/OliviaMay
http://twitter.com/OliviaMay
http://soundcloud.com/OliviaMay
http://facebook.com/OliviaMayMusic