SONG OF THE DAY: Neneh Cherry ft Robyn – Out of the Black

Robyn is a huge fan of fellow Swedish singer Neneh Cherry and has mentioned her as an inspiration in interviews (and if you look closely in her video for “U Should Know Better”) you will see an NC poster in the bedroom scene.? That the two would end up collaborating is inevitable.? “Out of the Black” is a downtempo, funky track with a bit of glitch and improv-styled electro serving as the backdrop for the ladies exchanging verses and harmonizing in the chorus.? It’s a bit of a personal story and sounds like it would have fit on Robyn’s ‘Body Talk Part 2 EP.’? The remixes feel a bit random, which fits the song kinda perfectly. Joe Godard of Hot Chip transforms the track into what you would expect a Hot Chip song to sound like – downtempo DFA with a dark-yet-pop vibe.? Bouvet’s pretty retro synth-pop mix feels like what “Dancing On My Own” would have sounded like had it been on the ‘Pretty in Pink’ soundtrack.? “Out of the the Black” is from Neneh’s forthcoming ‘Blank Project,’ which achieves a unique experimental vibe by mixing genres like a multimedia tapestry.?? “Weightless” and “Dossier” are two other standouts from the album.

Image Courtesy of Courtesy of Smalltown Supersound.

Neneh Cherry ft Robyn – Out of the Black

SONG OF THE DAY: Salt Ashes – “Somebody”

Imagine Kate Bush doing a dark synth-pop cover of Depeche Mode’s “Black Celebration,” and you have the initial buzz single of Veiga Sanchez (a/k/a Salt Ashes). For the “official” debut comes “Somebody,” a slick-yet-moody downtempo electronic record with the feel of a New Order side project – maybe Revenge or Electronic. The comparisons to Kate Bush are obvious, but there’s a hint of a Natalia Kills noir in there that gives it an even darker, angelic vibe. While not exactly club-ready, the Cruelty remix adds a new beat with a kind of RAC-meets-DFA vibe. With her unique and ethereal (yet powerful) voice, I imagine that there will be some strong DJ/Producer collabs coming soon.

Image courtesy of Radikal records.

Salt Ashes – “Somebody”