Visage - Music....not Nivea
A few weeks ago an email drops into my inbox asking me if I want to review the new Visage CD Hearts and Knives. As a child of the 80's I am au fait with snap bracelets, Mr Motivator, shell suits and walkmans but music has never been a strong point of mine. My musical tastes are pretty limited: dance music makes my heart soar (check out my Soundcloud profile here) and I have spent many a mis-spent summer in the clubs of Ibiza - but when it comes to discussing and dissecting music - I basically don't.
But! In for a penny (read: CD) in for a pound (read: blog post) so I asked the PR peeps to sling it over. Visage are a true 80's New Wave band whose iconic hair and make-up marked them out as pioneers of the New Romantic movement and their back catalogue includes 'Fade to Grey' - described by my mate Wayne who does know a thing or seven about music as an 'epic' song. Hearts and Knives is their first album in a long time - 29 years to be exact (they released Beat Boy in 1984) - and this will be my first album review so here goes...
With disco beats and a huge synth sound, Visage have modernised their 80's sound but left none of their era defining traits behind. In the track "Hidden Sign" there is a strangely hypnotic melody overshot with the haunting female vocal from Lauren Duvall. For all those going through a break-up and looking for music to wallow in give "Dreamer I Know" a whirl. With such lyrics as "can't fly on a broken wing" and "it's over, it's over" what more can you ask for? This song should see you right. My favourite track called Shameless Fashion has a riff that won't quit.
Some big dance remixes of some of the tracks wouldn't hurt to bring them to a younger audience but that said I was really surprised to find how easy to listen to the tracks were and have had in on repeat in my office for the best part of 3 weeks now. I can imagine listening to it in cool hipster bars in Williamsburg but the peeps who manage/do PR for Visage have followed this train of thought already with a showcase night at The Hoxton Bar & Grill, London. The album has been released (it was released in May) so get your mitts on it while you can. For more info check out Visage's Facebook page here or tweet them up on Twitter . Hear little snippets of their wonderful new CD in your ear canal here.
With disco beats and a huge synth sound, Visage have modernised their 80's sound but left none of their era defining traits behind. In the track "Hidden Sign" there is a strangely hypnotic melody overshot with the haunting female vocal from Lauren Duvall. For all those going through a break-up and looking for music to wallow in give "Dreamer I Know" a whirl. With such lyrics as "can't fly on a broken wing" and "it's over, it's over" what more can you ask for? This song should see you right. My favourite track called Shameless Fashion has a riff that won't quit.
Some big dance remixes of some of the tracks wouldn't hurt to bring them to a younger audience but that said I was really surprised to find how easy to listen to the tracks were and have had in on repeat in my office for the best part of 3 weeks now. I can imagine listening to it in cool hipster bars in Williamsburg but the peeps who manage/do PR for Visage have followed this train of thought already with a showcase night at The Hoxton Bar & Grill, London. The album has been released (it was released in May) so get your mitts on it while you can. For more info check out Visage's Facebook page here or tweet them up on Twitter . Hear little snippets of their wonderful new CD in your ear canal here.
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