With their 2018 debut THE DOG AND THE FUTURE, Clara Cappagli and Armand Bultheel have set the first stable stake in the field they want to till. As Agar Agar, the two explore possibilities on their new work to approach the styles and sounds of the last decades archaeologically.
? Buy PLAYER NON PLAYER at Amazon.de
Sensitively, almost hesitantly, layers are revealed, sound surfaces and text fragments are layered on top of each other, so that each of the 12 new pieces becomes a discovery. What comes to light when digging is often surprising. Influences seem to be the synth pop Yazoos or just generally the early work of Vince Clark after he left Depeche Mode.
Nice and annoying at the same time
The good, funny part of Eurotrash is also featured without restraint. In “Crave” you think you can hear the Residents, in the great pop piece “No Pressure” the influence of The Knife. There’s a lot going on at Agar Agar. Cappagli sings with an enchantingly beautiful voice, which seems to get out of step again and again due to background noise and effects. If a foot sinks into the morass of harmlessness, it is immediately pulled out again.
Monsters, dragons, horsemen or masks play a role in the lyrics, which, together with the electronic sounds of the record, evokes themes and the aesthetics of video games. So it’s no wonder that the release of a matching game has been announced along with the album. PLAYER NON PLAYER is the soundtrack to a car ride from Bielefeld to Berlin to the next convention, during which you fight off last night’s hangover with a cold mate shower. Nice and annoying at the same time.
SIMILAR REVIEWS
Ladytron :: Time’s Arrow
Between dystopia and utopia, the electro-pop band turns towards shoegaze.
Phoebe Green :: Lucky Me
The Manchester electro-pop artist celebrates radical self-acceptance.
Tempers :: New Meaning
The duo from New York deliver the dark wave soundtrack for the next night walk.
SIMILAR ARTICLES
Depeche Mode countdown – fans expect new single “Ghosts Again”
There is a countdown on the band’s website that ends on February 3rd. Then the new single “Ghosts Again” from the upcoming album MEMENTO MORI could be released.
Dave Gahan covers The Raveonettes’ “Chains” (with Kurt Uenala).
The cover to “Chains” is another song from the announced remake of The Raveonettes’ first record WHIP IT ON. Dave Gahan and Kurt Uenala are the biggest names involved in the project so far.
Depeche Mode: Hear first sounds from “Ghosts Again” remix here
A British DJ duo played a remix of a new, unreleased Depeche Mode track at a concert — giving a concrete lead to the first single from Dave Gahan and Martin Gore’s forthcoming album.
<!–
–>
<!–
–>