Playing a shoegazer-influenced style they call "Nüdisco", Vltrarock and Echo Deco of the New York and Philadelphia based band Mahogany present a decade of recorded work as evidence. On "One Plus One Equals Three Or More" (one of our favorite songs) an angular bass line drives forward the momentum, as high-hat and snare-heavy percussions rattle along. Distant atmospherics soon work their way into the mix, as do handclaps and quickly strummed high-pitched guitars. The sum effect is one of a hyper funkiness. Vocals are delivered in a mostly male only or blended male-female tandem. "The View From The People Wall" continues the hyper-funk bass guitar with cymbal-emphasized percussion pattern, but features female vocals out front, while "Supervitesse" (embedded video) marshalls the formidable power of Cocteau Twins legend Robin Guthrie on the production chair for a predictably shimmering mix. - Mahogany will be performing at The Deli's Dream Pop CMJ stage at The Delancey on Tuesday 10.18 with Exitmusic, Ohnomoon and Spanish Prisoners. - Dave Cromwell
You know that eight members of the band that were on the recordings listed are not in the band anymore, right? It's now one person and whomever else he can get to play with him.
We've always been big fans of Luke Temple, and it's good to see that, together with the Here We Go Magic crew, the man is keeping at it with increasingly beautiful records and videos. The band's new album "A Different Ship" (stream it here) will be out on May 8, and betrays at least a partial return to Luke Temple's more intimate and melodic sound from his solo repertoire - in this regard, lend a ear to "Hard to Be Close," "Alone but Moving" and "Over the Ocean". This is welcome news for fans like us who always thought that in most HWGM material Luke's noteworthy songwriting skills seemed a little sacrificed on the altar of textural experimentation. This doesn't mean that the band's signature hypnotic, impressionistic sound is lost - it's just that these two elements work together better than they did in past records, and this is what makes this album one of the NYC highlights of the year so far. Indeed, this collection also features songs more in line with the band's past releases ("Make Up your Mind", "I Believe in Action"), which follow on the steps of brainy-pop icons like Brian Eno and The Feelies, but there's definitely a balance here, also betrayed by the almost perfect alternation of melodic songs and less traditional ones.The just released video of "How Do I Know," telling the story of a rejected dancing robot that ends up revitalizing an older man's appreciation for life, seems to reflect on this brain/heart, mechanic/organic dichotomies and somehow bring them to unity. - PDG
