Haunting and entrancing dance music
With references taken from horror movie soundtracks, French Disco and psychedelic rock, Morgane Lhote, of Stereolab fame, crafts a diverse, trippy electronic album with fun sound design and crafty production techniques. The focus on telling musical narratives through playful and sometimes experimental electronica makes Between the Funk and the Fear worthy of attention.
The intro track “Post-Apolocalypteacakes” is a nice buildup to a groovy house beat layered with spooky charismatic synths. The track never stagnates and melodies feel emotionally complex and interesting with a cool use of creepy dissonance. “Bleaker Street! Chase Me!” is a wonky maximalist sequence of synthetic organs, dense atmosphere and swinging programmed drums. “Tracksuit Minotaur” goes full cheesy horror movie that feels “Thriller”-esque. The track features a long jazzy electric guitar solo which sounds great over the old drum machine.
“God(d) of Thunder Vs. Sukia” is a collaboration with the band Sukia, the production is excellent and the sound selection is a lush mix of psychedelic enveloping synths and a classical music influence. “Roller Lover Doppelgänger” switches things up with stringed together drum machine patterns and dramatic vocal and orchestral synths. The compositions are grandiose and washed out and the trippy samples are pleasantly creepy. “Hologram Teen & Brasil 666” is a moody electronic ballad with some excellent sound design and unique use of vocal samples. “Bartok in C” feels like a modernized Serge Gainsbourg track. French spoken word vocals are paired with a great driving beat, arpeggiated synths and emotional strings to create a surreal atmosphere.
“Lesbian Death Drums” features washed out and wild drums with the signature Hologram Teen weirdo vocal samples, creepy pulsating bass synths and some awesome drum programming. “Magique Afrique” is inviting and lush, with thickly layered world drums and dubby otherworldly instrumentation. The way the instruments are delayed and modulated adds a lot of character and turns the melodies into a trippy audio soup. The closer “Escape From Paris” remixed by Orange Crate Art, is a dramatic, emotional and atmospheric buildup and transformation the closes the album out very well.
Morgane Lhote sounds like she is experimenting and making music she wants to hear. And with her unique assortment of reference and musical ability, Lhote brings a calculated extravagance to her songs while keeping things lighthearted and fun. There is an admirable commitment to style and flow for such a stylistically diverse project and Between the Funk and the Fear is a memorable listen and a great debut for Hologram Teen.
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