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ELYXR – Strange Stubborn Proud (featuring Information Society’s Kurt Harland Larson)
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 SynthpopLINKS:
http://elyxr.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/ELYXRband
http://twitter.com/symbionproject
http://www.youtube.com/user/symbionproject -
Joe Dolman – Something Beautiful
21-year-old singer-songwriter from Leamington Spa. With 2 independently released EP’s under his belt landing him top 10 in the UK and US iTunes charts, Dolman has been growing from strength to strength with each show he plays, picking up BBC Radio 1 plays from the likes of Huw Stephens as well as across the country on BBC introducing.
He recently appeared live on Gaby Roslin’s show on BBC Radio London.
His first appearance on the big stage was at Hyde Park back in 2014, since then he has taken his music around not only the UK but overseas also – including appearances at Reeperbahn in Hamburg, The Great Escape 2017, headlining the Acoustic Stage at Godiva Festival 2017 and house concert tours across America.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/joedolmanmusic
https://www.twitter.com/joedolman96
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4A5MQi1opEqAcE0yZCmrZw -
Beauty in Chaos Ft. Wayne Hussey – The Delicate Balance of All Things
The Mission frontman Wayne Hussey and LA-based Beauty in Chaos present ‘The Delicate Balance of All Things’. This is the first taste of Beauty in Chaos’ forthcoming full-length album ‘The Storm Before The Calm’. The accompanying video was filmed and directed by Vicente Cordero, edited by Leslie Gladney, and produced by Industrialism Films.
Slated for release in early 2020 via Los Angeles label 33.3 Music Collective, this album was recorded at Ciravolo’s own SAINTinLA Studio and produced by Grammy nominee Michael Rozon, best known for his work with Ministry.
Beauty in Chaos is the brainchild of guitarist Michael Ciravolo. Originally from New Orleans and now based in Los Angeles, he is perhaps best known as President of Schecter Guitar Research. Before launching Beauty in Chaos, Ciravolo had played guitar in Human Drama for the past 30 years, as well as playing live and recording with Michael Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel since 1998.
Wayne Hussey and Beauty in Chaos (Michael Ciravolo) have been enjoying a fruitful collaboration since the inception of BIC’s acclaimed debut album ‘Finding Beauty in Chaos’. This followed by the subsequent ‘Beauty Re-Envisioned’ album, which, in addition to various remixes of tracks involving Hussey, also featured the original track ‘The Long Goodbye (Au Revoir)’, as well as ’20th Century Boy’ ft. Rolan Bolan and Wayne Hussey.
“I was adamant about releasing something new… I wanted the new record to be a bit darker and brooding. I sat down with a drum machine and blasted out several ideas that seemed to convey the overall ‘tone’ I wanted for the record. I knew Wayne was busy preparing for his solo European tour, but he said to send the tracks over and he would see if anything struck him,” says Michael Ciravolo.
“In typical Hussey fashion … he said he was ’empty on words’, understandable since he did just finish his ‘Salad Daze’ book. To my surprise, he sent back all of the vocal tracks a few days later, saying he had the title of ‘the delicate balance of all things’ that he thought about using for a future Mission record… and the lyrics basically poured out. Sonically and lyrically, I think this song perfectly sets the ‘feel’ I want ‘The Storm Before The Calm’ to have.”
Beauty in Chaos’ also involves many music luminaries, including Simon Gallup (The Cure), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Pete Parada (The Offspring), dUg Pinnick (Kings X), ICE-T (Body Count), producer Tim Palmer, guitar icon Zakk Wylde, Ashton Nyte (The Awakening), Rolan Bolan, Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets), Michael Anthony (Van Halen), Michael Aston (Gene Loves Jezebel), Paul Wiley (Marilyn Manson), Michael Aston and Dirk Doucette (Gene Loves Jezebel), Pando (A Flock of Seagulls), Evi Vine, Johnny Indovina (Human Drama), Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson), Betsy Martin (Caterwaul / Purr Machine), Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine / Kommunity FK), Ummagma and Kitty Lectro, among others.
CREDITS
Wayne Hussey – vocals
Michael Ciravolo – guitars, bass, textures
Michael Rozon – bass, synth
Dirk Doucette – drums
Written by Wayne Hussey and Michael Ciravolo
Recorded, mixed and produced by Michael Rozon
Additional recording by Wayne Hussey
Video produced by Industrialism Films
Video filmed by Vicente Cordero
Video edited by Leslie GladneyVIDEO BAND
Wayne Hussey – vocals
Michael Ciravolo – guitar
Tish Ciravolo – bass, justice lady
Dirk Doucette – drums
horsehead guy – ???LINKS:
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/beautyinchaosmusic
https://www.instagram.com/beauty.inchaos
https://twitter.com/MichaelCiravolo
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/music-store
https://www.beautyinchaosmusic.com/bic-blog
https://soundcloud.com/33-3-music-collective
https://beautyinchaos.bandcamp.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/finding-beauty-in-chaos/1436694940
https://open.spotify.com/album/7cmbwIpDm9aAXS4vVjcq4U?si=LZ_9_Bi1SzaZyN7wOIRCvw