Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Viola: Melancholydisco 2 (If Society)




Artist: Viola / various artists
Title: Melancholydisco 2
Cat.no.: IF-45
EAN: 6417698069143
Label: If Society (Finland)
Distributor: Töölön Musiikkitukku
Release date: 29 December 2008

Tracklist:

01 The Hardest Hit
02 Imaginary Times > Hannulelauri remix
03 Invisible Revolution > Videovalvontaa remix
04 We Owe Love
05 Outsider Code > Regina Remix
06 Unreal Life > I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper remix
07 Fleeting World
08 The Deadweights > Black Audio remix
09 Planet Struck > Kiva Tekkno Supplies Arena remix
10 Ada Bell (In A Montage)

Length: 47:47

Mastered by: Minerva Pappi/Finnvox

Album info @ If Society

If Society announces the release of Melancholydisco 2 by Viola, a Finnish duo of Riku Kärkkäinen and Tommi Forsström celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2009. The first Melancholydisco in 2005 featured versions of tracks from Viola's debut album Tearcandy (2004) by such artists as Boys of Scandinavia, Iconcrash and Verneri Lumi of Rinneradio. This second installment includes re-shaped songs from Viola's subsequent albums Anything Can Stop Us (2005) and Wonderabilia (2007). Melancholydisco 2 has four brand new electronic Viola songs and six remixes from various artists.

I decided I'm really bad (meaning too lazy and undisciplined) in writing record reviews, especially in English, but I might give a few words about this album after receiving the promo in mail yesterday and having time to give it a couple of listens already. The opener, 'The Hardest Hit', is potentially the biggest, erm, hit on this compilation; a track in the best 80s Pet Shop Boys/Bobby O./hi-energy/Italo/gaydisco vein featuring "orchestra hit synthesizer sound". Of the rest of three new Viola songs, 'We Owe Love' also holds dancefloor potential; the mentioned Pet Shop Boys (with a touch of 'Blue Monday'-era New Order) probably providing one major pointer to those uninitiated with Viola's bittersweet indie-disco sound.

Also remixers here seem to represent the current Who's Who of Finnish indie and underground dance scene: Hannulelauri, Turku's "chiptune ninjas" Videovalvontaa, Regina, I Was A Teenage Satan Worshipper (with a dub-wise sound here), 22-Pistepirkko's sons Black Audio and Kiva a.k.a. Teemu Korpipää (who has also mixed Viola's own tracks on this album) with a trancey "stadium house" sound.

  • Album info @ Discogs
  • Viola @ Last.FM
  • If Society @ MySpace
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