Stating that my song will be inspired by synthpop means listening to synthpop to ensure some aspects make it into my final product. To make this happen I will be listening to a couple albums deemed essential listening in the genre, using rateyourmusic.com to look for critically acclaimed and well loved synthpop albums. I recognise that ratings aren’t the best metric to judge pieces of music but in this instance they are a helpful tool to ensure I find those standout albums that are emblematic of the style.
The duo Tears For Fears, consisting of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, were pioneers of the synthpop sound in the early 1980s. Whilst their biggest album Songs From The Big Chair isn’t explicitly synthpop, it still holds a lot of those influences and represents a key era in the genre. With the emphatic “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, this is an album of grandeur; thick texture and soaring instrumentation is everywhere. They make brilliant use of the array of instruments at their disposal, creating lush layers throughout – their ability to effectively combine instrumental tracks is what I will be looking at for inspiration. My project is based around loops, and stacking those loops well is the key to success in this instance, not to mention taking out certain loops to create a dynamically interesting mix.
The Human League are synthpop icons, to put it bluntly. Coming out of Sheffield in the late ‘70s, they began life as an experimental electronic group before making waves in 1981 with the release of their most critically and commercially successful work, Dare!. It was a shift in sound for the group and a shift in sound for pop music as a whole, as the shockwaves of this album can still be felt today. The synth-laden project was led by Philip Oakey, the frontman, alongside many collaborators in and out of the band.
One of the main takeaways from this album is how they use lyric. Fairly frequently we can see somewhat darker subject matter in songs such as “I Am The Law”, a song from the perspective of fictional supercop Judge Dredd, and the everlasting single that is “Don’t You Want Me”, a duet recounting the tale of a broken relationship with clashing versions of events. Despite the subject matter in some of their tracks being rather gritty affairs, they don’t get bogged down in this and the tracks remain enjoyable to listen to and sing along to. With my lyrics erring towards the gloomier side of things, I will attempt to ensure my instrumental is fun in the hopes of counteracting the weight of the lyric, creating an interesting mesh between the two.
Hailing from the Isle of Wight, Wet Leg are up and coming artists who only began releasing singles a year ago; despite this they have garnered a great following which has only grown with the release of their self-titled album. Their sound has been described as indie rock and post/punk, with a somewhat humorous twist coming through in their lyrics to keep things quite light. Nic recommended that I checked them out and I really enjoyed what I heard, it appeals to me greatly and it’s just a fun time listening to their tracks. He mentioned them due to the vocal delivery, lead vocalist Rhian Teasdale flirts with spoken word as she’s singing; this is something I am very fond of so I would love to introduce something like this into my own piece but I am not a strong enough vocalist, unfortunately. Points where Teasdale sings very on-beat are what I can take notes from however.
Yard Act are part of this new generation of British artists creating a buzz with their dry and relatable lyrics. Alongside acts such as Squid, Black Midi, and Black Country, New Road, they have been lumped into this “Post-Brexit New Wave” group of young artists whose experiences have been shaped by growing up in the divisive and highly-politicised Brexit era. The Leeds-based band have had a breakout year with their critically acclaimed debut album The Overload and became one of the most talked about bands in the UK, even climbing to the number 2 spot on the charts. They are a personal favourite of mine due to their interesting style, utilising a thick Northern accent to deliver lyrics with an almost spoken word kind of cadence, said lyrics covering topics from political cynicism to out-and-out storytelling about a man who lived in a village. Sonically, they have been described as post-punk and indie-rock; quite far from the synthpop I started out wanting to imitate but with Yard Act I am focusing on the lyrics and vocals in an attempt to incorporate that style into my own composition. I have listened to this album plenty of times over so I am very familiar with vocalist James Smith’s delivery and, whilst I don’t want to sound like a carbon copy, I will be doing my best to channel his energy into my work.