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2024 repress; double LP version. Kompakt welcomes back Copenhagen's WhoMadeWho. Tomas Barfod's penchant for electronic music poetically juxtaposed with Tomas Høffding and Jeppe Kjellberg's respective backgrounds in rock and jazz, gives their music an electrifying combination of sounds, merging a variety of influences to produce a unique sonic fingerprint that is emotive, irresistible and immensely satisfying. Though they have yet to strike a note together since the release of their 2012 full length Brighter (KOM 254LP/KOMP 097CD, 2012), WhoMadeWho have been remarkably productive. With two full-lengths, a DJ mix for Watergate's series (WG 026CD), the trio have found themselves diving more and more into the world of electronic music, tapping into their goldmine of connections within the scene to spearhead an array of collaborations. Synchronicity is all about "meaningful coincidences" -- bringing interpretation to bear on connections that have no actual causal relationship. It's a canny concept to pin onto Copenhagen trio WhoMadeWho's latest album, which sees them return to Kompakt for the first time since 2012's Brighter. On Synchronicity, WhoMadeWho call on friends old and new: Michael Mayer, Echonomist, Adana Twins, Alex Boman, Robag Wruhme, Frank Wiedemann, Sainte Vie, Mano Le Tough, Marc Piñol, Rebolledo, and Perel is the cast list; WhoMadeWho direct the material, shaping it into one lovingly flowing gem of dance-pop glory. There's something particularly generous about hearing an album as all-inclusive and open-hearted as Synchronicity in the midst of the profound social and cultural shifts everyone is currently experiencing. While some songs on Synchronicity were recorded together, in real time, such as the collaborations with Adana Twins and Rebolledo, most of them have taken place via long distance, thanks to the pandemic lockdown. But you don't need to know who was where to understand either the magnesium-flare melancholy of "Sooner", recorded with Piñol, which has you holding your breath with the gentle thrill of the song's lush melody, or the stomping strut of the following Adana Twins collaboration, "Shadow Of Doubt". Elsewhere, there's the stentorian robot voice at the heart of "Hamstring", where they're joined by Michael Mayer; the lustrous headsoak of "Twenty Tears", a tender intervention by Rebolledo; the strip-light, slow-motion disco strut of "Cecil", produced alongside Echonomist; or the glittering, arpeggio dreamwork that Perel helps sculpt into shape on "Der Abend Birgt Keine Ruh". From pop revelations to dancefloor delirium to slow-burning brooders, Synchronicity is a space for the joys of the unexpected to collide.
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