The start of 2020 for me was electric. Well, actually, I should say electronic. I was listening to a couple artists who released things in 2019 and then, right as the new year reared its sparking head on January 1, there was a new release from an old favorite of mine. These three artists are working with the same types of tools but achieving different results.
Wolfgang Merx is that old favorite, so new music of his is always welcome. He often collaborates with others, but “X1819” is all W. The first track, “67/68,” is spacey and beautiful as fresh snow on a winter’s day. The remaining tracks are bit denser and feature different moods. The last two tracks, “Unknown Drones” and “D-Drone Echo” (uh, did I mention there’s some drone features?), are longer form pieces and have a feel of some 1970’s synth music. While I doubt the opening track is referencing the Chicago song “Questions 67 and 68,” there is a line in that song that nicely sums up this release: “Appears in my mind, as a beautifully mysterious thing.”
On hearing “Going To Red From Green Via Orange” by Naked Congress (a fun, dancey track) my first thought was that I heard a Vince Clarke influence. This was reinforced for when I heard the well done mix of pop and slight weirdness on “The Way You Weep.” I later looked at their bio which says: “Naked Congress has its roots in the 1980’s synth era – with bands like Yazoo, Eurythmics and Depeche Mode.” So there you go. Check out “Wunderbar” (sadly, not a Tenpole Tudor cover). It’s a modern dance track with a slight eastern influence and in both the vocals and music reminds me of some elements of Ultravox.
But don’t think that their songs are just some retro retread. Naked Congress released a number of singles during 2019 but, while I definitely hear some 1980’s influence, the sound is quite current and they’re doing lots of interesting music.
If I’m being honest, I was disappointed with one song. “Will There Be Any Cows in Space?” asks an intriguing question, but there’s no answer provided; I now need to know. Regardless, I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more from Naked Congress (even if they never clear up this whole cow thing).
Third up is Acid Casualty with “Full Album 2019,” which was his first full album and was released…oh, I’m sure you can figure it out. Compared to the other two mentioned above, this has darker themes and industrial rhythms. Even the song titles are more suggestively aggressive; see “Climb Out of the Hole and FIGHT!” for example. Opener “Dancing With Your Combat Boots On” which comes on with pounding bass drum and fuzzed keyboard; it has a nice edge and is danceable. I think my favorite is “Last Man Standing” which has a strong beat and some agitated banshee screams (ok, maybe it’s just more electronics, but who’s to say for sure?). Turn this one up to 11.