The Sire years - complete albums box
Lou Reed
Keywords
Reviews (2)
The 405
d. 29. Aug. 2016
By
By
Rob Hakimian
d. 29. Aug. 2016
"When Exploded View explore their most poppy sides they mine similar depths of emotion to beloved bands like Lower Dens or Beach House. Between rigid, kraut-esque songs 'Orlando' stands out as it shimmies through on playful drums and synths, Anika's voice captivating as it glides moonlight. 'Stand Your Ground' exalts the lead vocals and the message of perseverance, while the intertwining vintage synth melodies build a majestic foundation and the guitar tones reach out like tendrils of affection. These elements come together best on the Can-influenced 'Gimme Something', where both the band and singer seem to be at their most expressive; plateaus of synth and echoing guitar give way to broad vocal melodies repeating the plea of the title".
The quietus
d. 23. Aug. 2016
By
By
Joe Banks
d. 23. Aug. 2016
"Initially assembled as a backing band for singer/musician Annika Henderson aka Anika, Exploded View quickly evolved into a creative entity in their own right - the line-up is completed by Martin Thulin, Hugo Quezada and Hector Melgarejo. After a series of rehearsals and live performances in Mexico City, they recorded this album in first takes straight to tape. And it's a remarkably visceral document, a stark, flesh-and-blood rendering of a band in the grip of a sonic compulsion.Let's address a couple of things upfront. Firstly, Anika sings in an accented, dispassionate monotone with a hint of mania around its edges, which means that, as a female vocalist, comparisons with Nico are inevitable - but there's no reason why we shouldn't also be talking about Ian Curtis, for instance. However, she sounds less doomed than either of them, more a lone voice of sanity amid the carnage. Secondly, her previous self-titled album was made with Geoff Barrow's BEAK> - yet while that was abarebones, no wave dub affair, Exploded View might actually have made an album that matches the spiky intensity of Portishead's Third".
