dropstars
3 track demo. from the devious mid of jon armistead come these electropop future classics. the cover depicts a man in a mask in front of a metropolice sign, and on the back he is weilding a hammer violently.
hmm .. expecting the worst - i pressed play...
opening track 'stuck in plastic bottles' sets things off to a very different dr rhythm drum beat, synths go midi-tastic, sweet melodies like erasure never discovered camping sites clash with glorious acid house tainted (pop)love song.
the vocals are chanted in the same way that karl hyde rants over his underworld techno stylings, ie a mix of singing/spoken. in fact the whole atmosphere is like a dark take on underworld mixed with some old school analogue synths. this is highlighted on the excellent track 'who are you'. invoking the same paranoia that cabaret voltaire used to propogate but utilising far more in the way of a tune than the cabs ever managed in their many years. all in all - an excellent track.
final track 'nyc' has a more song aspect to it, more downtempo. with lyrics reflecting on world events make this a more serious affair, but still the flute sample and the disjointed bass synth interact really well with the doubled up vocals showing the range that jon has with his tech toys considering these are demos.
the ep came as a pleasant surprise after weeks of listening to guitars and hip-hop, and, given the current demand for elecropop, if dropstars can get the right access to the right parties then someone may just realise that this stuff could quite easily soundtrack many teenagers bedrooms along with the fashion whores, and fill that vacant electropop vaccuum that so many have tried to fill in recent times.