Tevalik - 2024 - Schattenläufer

(53:50; Echozone)




















Track list:
1. Arsinath 2:49
2. Freakstreet 4:27
3. Netzhass 4:17
4. Schattenläufer 4:01
5. Codes & Crashes 4:03
6. Pure Soul 3:25
7. The Ways 3:57
8. Nur Ihre Tränen 4:52
9. Dance of Gods 4:29
10. Tanzarroganz 4:00
11. Fremde Neue Welt 4:18
12. Schlussschatten 4:38
13. Du Hast Kein Herz (Tevalik Remix) 4:34

Line-up:
Michele Pesch
Thosrsten Schumacher


German band Tevalik started out back in 2020 or thereabouts, and since their formation they have two EPs and two full albums to their name. Their most recent album "Schattenläufer" was released in February 2024 through German label Echozone Records.

It is a cold and dark universe we are transported into with the sound and soundscapes crafted by this band, with electronic pop arguably being the best general description of the music explored here. Of the three types of variations within this overarching framework, the one in the clear minority are more atmospheric laden instrumental creations that draw in impulses from ambient music into a cold, dark and danceable electronic setting, and the instances where the band explores this approach and execution are also the ones I personally found to be the least interesting.

A bit more prevalent are songs that revolve around a more minimalist arrangement. Some of these come with a closer tie to 80s synth pop, and occasionally with possible references to the landscapes explored by an artist such as Gary Numan in the second half of the 1980s. Others are closer in style, form and execution to the compositions that dominate this production.

More driving and energetic creations are the dominant type of song we get to enjoy on this album. The moods and atmospheres are generally kept dark and dystopian here, with cold sounds and often hard sounds used to emphasize a more desolate and dystopian feel to the landscapes explored. Slight references to pioneers like Kraftwerk can be noted on occasion, and some vintage sounding synthesizer textures owe a lot to the classic albums by aforementioned Gary Numan. This is very much the case for the overall mood and atmosphere too. But here we also have a band that makes good use of select details from industrial music and arguably techno too, and spice matters up a bit with noise effects and other features that expands the dark and dystopian associations with a little bit of an alien feel to boot. While also ensuring that just about all the songs will function very well indeed on the dance floor too.

For my sake I found the cut 'Fremde Neue Welt' to be the most captivating entry here, with the ebb and flow between minimalist and more expressive sequences, the generally more expansive and adventurous nature of the song and the emphasis in driving and engaging rhythms that for my taste in music combined into a greater whole on this occasion.

If you tend to enjoy dark electronic music that makes use of elements from electronic music pioneers, synth pop and new wave and blends these with industrial and techno flavoring as well as a little bit of an experimental attitude, then this is an album that you probably will find appealing. Especially if you enjoy music of this type made in a manner well suited to the dance floor.

Olav M. Björnsen, April 2024

Links:
https://www.tevalik.com/
http://www.echozone.de/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kenneth Roy - 2020 - Chairman

Image
(39:34; Physico Records) Track list: 1. Chairman 3:32 2. Two of a Kind 3:33 3. Let Your Love Come Down 3:19 4. In the Night 5:10 5. Think I'll Stay in the City Tonight 5:06 6. After Dawn 3:46 7. Empty Heart 3:41 8. I Still Love You So 3:21 9. Our Love Will Last 3:54 10. Close Enough to Know 4:12 Line-up: Kenneth Roy - vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, melodica, effects Doctor Ryman - guitars, drums, bass, arrangements, effects with: Baron Chase - bass Richard Howell - saxophones, arrangements Geechi Taylor - trumpet Danny Armstrong - trombone Veteran US artist Kenneth Roy has been around for the last three decades or thereabouts, but as I haven't been able to trace just how many albums he has released over the years I don't know how productive he has been over the years. The album "Chairman" dates back to 2020, and appears to be the most recent of his excursions as a solo artist. I was fairly impressed with this album when I gave it a more superf
Read more

Dusk Of Delusion - 2022 - COrollarian RObotic SYStem [CO​.​RO​.​SYS]

Image
(46:57; Fantai'Zic / Metal East) Track list: 1. 09-04-2022 0:50 2. Shadow Workers 6:03 3. The Snap 3:23 4. £1ONH€4RT_B4$T4RD 3:55 5. Tinplate Soldiers 4:19 6. Legal Slaves 4:51 7. Taking the Hit 3:51 8. Market Street 4:34 9. The Hatred Confession 5:26 10. For the Flesh, Press Repeat 4:44 11. Erotic Infusion 5:01 Line-up: Benoit Guillot - vocals Matthieu Morand - guitars, synths, keys Claude Colmars - guitars Julien Skorka - bass, vocals Natan Gengenbacher - drums with: Bettina Pidolle - voice Lucas Michel - saxophone French band Dusk of Delusion is a self-described modern metal band from France that have been active since 2016, with one EP and three studio albums to their name at this stage. "COrollarian RObotic SYStem [CO.RO.SYS]" is the name of their most recent production, which was released through the French labels Fantai'zic and Metal East Productions in the fall of 2022. While I don't really know what modern metal means, the closest I get in my own percepti
Read more

The Radio Makers - 2023 - Lucky Stars [Got My Radio]

Image
(40:21; The Radio Makers) Track list: 1. Edible Hearts 3:42 2. Echoes 3:44 3. Jo-Jo 4:56 4. Song for Rainy Afternoons 3:54 5. Girl Who Looks Like You 4:37 6. I'm a Poseur 3:23 7. Lucky Stars 4:37 8. Where Have All the Flowers Gone? 4:05 9. I'm a Tribute (To Me) 2:53 10. Talk About You 4:30 Line-up: Andy Maddison - vocals, guitars Ian McKenna - guitars, vocals BG Mulcahy-Bowman - bass, keyboards, vocals Keith McKenna - drums, percussion with: Mike Pick - drums, percussion Steve Evansson - keyboards, vocals UK band The Radio Makers have been a feature in the UK music scene for a good handful of years, with Bristol as their base of operations. Following a number of years honing their craft on stage and presumably in the rehearsal studio, the band are now out with their debut album. This creation is called "Lucky Stars [Got My Radio]", and was self-released by the band. The self-description of The Radio Makers place them inside of a power pop context with a little bit of
Read more