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LP
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EMEGO 310LP
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Directions Out Of Town is the latest and teased as (possibly) the last LP by DIY electronic abstract pop wizard Finlay Shakespeare. Directions Out Of Town is a fierce mix of headstrong pop bangers. There is simply no one else traversing the field that Shakespeare is exploring. It can be lonely in the desert. Lyrically, Directions Out Of Town is dealing with loss; personally, geographically, politically, culturally -- a general decay of everything. This new record is heavily inspired by structural film where the results unravel a method where metaphor is removed from the act of sound synthesis, production and mix of the tracks. Fiercely independent and brimming with integrity this is a deeply effective journey through machines of the human experience. The track titles are telling: "Away," "Get," "Direction," "I go for a walk," etc. This is sentiment via complex synthesis wrung through patterns of pop. One also finds ways out that only turn out to be false/untrue. What is ostensibly an electro pop record reveals a multitude of layers and depth as one man and his machines wrestle with the reality of this tangled matrix. If the charts had brains this would be album of the year. Finlay Shakespeare is an electronic musician working in the UK. His fascination for synthesized sound was born out of his parents' record collection, leading him to explore the electronic music of decades past throughout his teenage years. While starting to write and record his own tracks, he also began learning analogue electronics, which led him to design and build his own equipment. To date, he has released work on Editions Mego, Superpang, and his own GOTO Records.
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LP
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EMEGO 275LP
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Finlay Shakespeare is a freak. With this, his second album for Editions Mego confirms this. As a one man band it often strikes the listener as bewildering that he can do all this; the programming sits firmly in the realms of genius, the constant punch of melody upon melody leaves a pleasant sting of surprise and as a lyric writer there's a part of his moniker that seems apt. Solemnities is more gritty than his previous outings as a more raucous industrial edge is grafted on to his epic electronic pop leanings. "Occupation" launches proceedings as a snarling electro pop monster. Finlay's vocals have never been delivered with such urgency. From here it's one melodic banger followed by another as Shakespeare truly hones his voice and craft into something utterly of his own devising, despite, or as a result of, the specific world of electronic music he is referencing. Covering a wide range of emotional states, from anger to euphoria this is a wild complex dip into one man's world perfectly crafted into an external release. "She Says / Nothing Ends" concludes proceedings with an anthem so bold it would be a worldwide hit if the world could be told. Find a comfortable position, turn Solemnities up loud and let Finlay take you on this startling spectacular trip. All material written, performed, produced and recorded by Finlay Shakespeare. Mastered by Cicely Balston. Artwork by Meggie Wood.
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2LP
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EMEGO 261LP
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The playful confidence that exudes Finlay Shakespeare's practice is flagrantly laid out on Domestic Economy, his extraordinary debut full-length. Domestic Economy displays two eventful sides evidencing the unique musical approach Shakespeare has developed in such a short period of time. Let's get some facts straight, Finlay is young. And talented. His programming skills belie his years and one can detect a sharp appreciation of historical electronic pop whilst simultaneously developing a canny understanding as to where such a form exists in the current age. Shakespeare's brazen lyrical content and significant melodic prowess highlight a brave new voice in what can often be a sterile aesthetic environment. Domestic Economy bursts with edgy ecstatic electronic pop. A form not only unusual for Editions Mego (actually known for idolizing such forms) but somewhat of a scarcity amongst the modern electronic landscape. Belying age, form, and movement, Domestic Economy is a damn near perfect amalgamation of historical respect and contemporary anxiety wrapped in an exquisite song-form package. Made in Bristol. Published in Wien. Delivered to all brains, like a wayward dream. Artwork by Nik Void. All original material improvised whilst recorded live; All revisions made to pre-existing material carried out at B17, July-August 2018; All material by Finlay Shakespeare, except saxophone and clarinet on "Amsterdam" by Zoë Hutton and bugle on "Heston" by Jamie Neale. Mastered by Russell Haswell.
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7"
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EMEGO 260EP
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Snapshot release by new Editions Mego signing, the Bristol-based Finlay Shakespeare. Routine is a twitchy electro monster confronting the listener with a worked up a blend of AFX, Cabaret Voltaire, and New Order. The B-Side "Perris" propels itself as a crazed analog drama that is as ambitious as it is unholy. Simultaneously a modern throwback to the brooding synth pop age and an absolute belter in the contemporary mainframe, Finlay Shakespeare has made it quite clear, that he is here.
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