LIGANOVA » Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com Liganova Blog Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:59:22 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 Summer Camp “Welcome To Condale” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/11/11/summer-camp-welcome-to-condale-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/11/11/summer-camp-welcome-to-condale-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:36:29 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=8568

Since the Boy & Girl pairing is standard fare for Synthpop it is especially interesting to see (or better: hear) what a band makes with it. Summer Camp is a duo from London (not New York or Stockholm, for a change) that sounds like at least a four-piece: Organic drumming, big guitar or synthesizer melodies, funky bass lines and energetic vocals, often sung as a duet. With a song entitled 1988 they might provoke comparisons with 1980s revival bands like Washed Out, but there also is a load of 1970s soft rock in their sound – a great way to bring a touch of summer to your fall evenings.

CD Amazon
Welcome to Condale (Deluxe Edition) - Summer Camp

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/11/11/summer-camp-welcome-to-condale-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Robot Koch “The Other Side” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/10/21/robot-koch-the-other-side-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/10/21/robot-koch-the-other-side-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:37:20 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=8332

 

With his fourth album in 3 years Robot Koch once again proves he is one of the most skilled and daring German producers of electronic Pop-Music. Unlike in his band Jahcoozi here he is more personal, his productions closer to the emotionality of a Jamie Woon then to the excess of a M.I.A. But hear for yourselves, since we are able to stream the album in full – and the free download of “Heal” is the cherry on the cake.

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/10/21/robot-koch-the-other-side-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Joakim “Nothing Gold” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/30/joakim-nothing-gold-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/30/joakim-nothing-gold-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:36:37 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=8149

With his fourth album Joakim continues his journey through music-history. If Milky Ways was inspired by 1970s Kraut- and Psychedelic-Rock, then one can say that Nothing Gold is Joakims version of 1980s New-Romantics. Yes, that also means that it is a little bit more danceable and accessible again – but what else would you expect from such a skilled producer?

CD Amazon
Nothing Gold (Deluxe Edition) - Joakim

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/30/joakim-nothing-gold-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Tarwater “Inside The Ships” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/16/tarwater-inside-the-ships-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/16/tarwater-inside-the-ships-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:27:46 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=7917

Their eleventh album in 16 years shows this Berlin based duo on top of its Post-Rock game. Or is it a Post-Punk game? Or an Electro-Pop one? The two definitely don’t care about genre, more about mood – a sinister mood, that is. But as with a pond filled with tar and water there are a lot of bright reflections on the surface to lighten the situation up.

CD Amazon
Inside the Ships - Tarwater

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/09/16/tarwater-inside-the-ships-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 John Foxx And The Maths “Interplay” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/08/19/john-foxx-and-the-maths-interplay-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/08/19/john-foxx-and-the-maths-interplay-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:15:12 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=7706

John Foxx, founding member of Ultravox! and singer for their first three albums, and synthesizer-wizard Benge teamed up to release “Interplay” in the beginning of this year. It is a weird reprise of early Electro and Wave – quite fitting for a band consisting of the man who started Electro-Pop and a man who could easily be described as a historian of electronic music. But the album does not only sound like a re-discovered gem: it also is a lesson in the current state of electronic music.

CD Amazon
Interplay - John Foxx & The Maths

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/08/19/john-foxx-and-the-maths-interplay-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 The Voluntary Butler Scheme “The Grandad Galaxy” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/29/the-voluntary-butler-scheme-the-grandad-galaxy-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/29/the-voluntary-butler-scheme-the-grandad-galaxy-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:43:36 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=7326

Bedroom-Producers are always a force to be reckoned with. Isolated they sit in their cozy beds, laptop on their knees, and tinker the most marvelous sounds. 26 year old Rob Jones is no exception and his latest album The Grandad Galaxy is playful proof of his endeavors. The 15 tracks are brimful with creativity and joyfully mix Indie-Rock and Electro-Pop aesthetics into a weird experience.

Download Amazon
The Grandad Galaxy - The Voluntary Butler Scheme

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/29/the-voluntary-butler-scheme-the-grandad-galaxy-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Kid Loco “Confessions Of A Belladonna Eater” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/08/kid-loco-confessions-of-a-belladonna-eater-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/08/kid-loco-confessions-of-a-belladonna-eater-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:47:29 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=7061

After 15 years of electronic music Kid Loco can be described as one of the classics – especially with his sixth album “Confessions Of A Belladonna Eater” heavily reminiscing the Trip-Hop and Big-Bit aesthetics of the mid-1990s. The guy featured on the earlier albums sings on most of the tracks and is joined by a female singer, so the sound is very organic, light and uplifting. Overall the sleaziness of earlier days seems to be gone and replaced by sheer joy and optimism. He still might be Loco, but he definitely is no Kid anymore.

CD Amazon
Confessions of a Belladonna Eater - Kid Loco

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/07/08/kid-loco-confessions-of-a-belladonna-eater-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Patrick Wolf “Lupercalia” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/26/patrick-wolf-lupercalia-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/26/patrick-wolf-lupercalia-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 10:09:48 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=6966

With Lupercalia musical wunderkind Patrick Wolf not only releases his fifth studio album, but also once again a melodramatic operetta. Named after an ancient fertility-festival it is an uplifting album about love from the very first moments of opening track and second single “The City”. Although the album gets slower in the middle part and pianos and strings dominate the sound, the straight kicks return at the end and are joined by synthesizers to leave you with a big smile on your face. Well done, Mr. Wolf.

CD Amazon
Lupercalia (Deluxe Version) - Patrick Wolf

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/26/patrick-wolf-lupercalia-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Eilen Jewell “Queen Of The Minor Key” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/10/eilen-jewell-queen-of-the-minor-key-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/10/eilen-jewell-queen-of-the-minor-key-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:45:15 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=6874

Hearing the beginning of this album one might think it is the soundtrack for a Pulp Fiction sequel, or at least for a surfer drama. But with the next tracks the laid back Surf-Rock of the beginning is joined by Blues and even Country-Music elements, and ballads joined by Rockabilly dance tracks. That said Eilen Jewell’s fifth album is a varied mix of guitar based, American music – not my usual cup of tea, but its creativity just got me.

CD Amazon

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/06/10/eilen-jewell-queen-of-the-minor-key-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0 Bag Raiders “Bag Raiders” – my album of the week http://blog.liganova.com/2011/05/25/bag-raiders-bag-raiders-my-album-of-the-week/ http://blog.liganova.com/2011/05/25/bag-raiders-bag-raiders-my-album-of-the-week/#comments Wed, 25 May 2011 08:18:52 +0000 Robin Hofmann http://blog.liganova.com/?p=6768

I’m sure by now everyone of you has seen the new Vodafone-Spot and wondered what the great song is that plays in it. Now you get to know that it is “Way Back Home”, taken from the debut album by Australian DJ-producer duo Bag Raiders. The two are around since 2007, mainly remixing other Australian producers and bands, and are now, obviously, on their way to conquer the other six continents. My company HearDis! carried out the music consulting for this spot and we selected Bag Raiders for their driving Rave-Anthems, heavily reminiscing the glorious days of Acid-House with a light touch of Big-Beat to them. It is a fun dance album, brimfull with creativity and perfectly suited for long nights in the club.

CD Amazon (The Album will be releasedat the end of June)

]]> http://blog.liganova.com/2011/05/25/bag-raiders-bag-raiders-my-album-of-the-week/feed/ 0