Blone Noble
Dominator
Mystic Transfers
We had very little idea what to expect when Blone Noble took the stage at Verboden Festival here in Vancouver last weekend, but were won over almost instantly by the Los Angeles art pop act’s combination of theatrical whimsy, and easy to groove to songs. Recent EP Dominator cinches the one-man show’s charms via a fairly omnivorous combination of electronic pop sounds and pure, undiluted personality. Opener “High Society” gets to the point quickly in both the original and Kontravoid remixes, layering samples, octave bass, and crooned vocals, along with a kitchen sink’s worth of vocal and guitar samples, house pianos and acid lines that are somehow corralled together into a funky whole. “Body Fascination” goes more minimal, with a simple combination of synths and drums, the song’s appeal coming from the vocal switch ups, half falsetto, half processed into weird mutant shapes. The title track is presented in both its normal version and a remix from “Tony Price” and differs considerably in each form; the former is a dance punky joint with a laidback vibe, Lou Reed by way of the discotheque, where the remix transforms the song into a hot slice of balaeric techno, all sunny vibes and drum machine shake. It’s a fun, mildly puzzling, but undeniably enjoyable suite of songs that captures Blone Noble’s charms ably.
Child Of Night
Conspiracy
Phage Tapes
If you happened to have checked out Ohio duo Child Of Night’s 2021 debut The Walls At Dawn, a number of surprises await on new LP Conspiracy, none of which are unpleasant. One is the presence of a record this melodic on a label as traditionally harsh as Phage Tapes, but most important is a decided shift away from a holistic approach to moody darkwave and towards a classic, chilly vein of synthpop. The icy chirp of opener “Old Moons”‘ perky but minimal synth leads is backed by a restrained bed of supporting programming recalling either the halcyon days of Mute releases or millennial bedroom synthpop, take your pick. While one or two cuts on Child Of Night’s debut played about with these sounds, they’re the sustained focus of Conspiracy, with everything from “Complacent”‘s impatient angst to the pensive pulse of closer “The Very Last Time” holding just a patina of analog haze and echo across all their elements. There’s something of a paucity of fully-developed and memorable songs in and of themselves on the record, with individual grooves, moments, and licks standing out more than full tracks after a few listens, but the catchy vocal refrain on “It’s Cold In Here”, or the psychedelic synth squalls on “Controlled Burn” which bring The Glove to mind, all have a charm suited to Child Of Night’s new direction.
