Reviews 248: Private Agenda
I think Private Agenda are among the most talented pop producers of the last decade (at least) and I have been all in for their romantic sonic euphoria since they burst onto the scene in 2015 with the Déjà Vu and Paralysed 12’’s on International Feel. Experiencing their artistic development since then has been a joy, especially with 2017’s Primary Colours EP on Needwant Recordings and the Dusk & Dawn EP on NuNorthern Soul, which has become a sincere favorite of mine. The former release saw Martin Rowe and Sean Phillips opening up their sound considerably by folding in gorgeous ambient textures and horizontal balearica (there was even a magical Seahawks remix). And though much is been said about the stellar remixes on Dusk & Dawn, I find myself returning most to the spine-tingling originals, which struck a perfect balance between starry eyed new age, sensual pop, and epic cosmica. Last year was also great for Private Agenda, seeing them appear on Lo Recordings’ Spaciousness compilation as well as releasing Affection digitally on their own Nightshift Records, which saw the duo wrapping beautiful and lo-fi pop songcraft with airs of 70s prog balladry, slow seaside funk, and psychedelic soul. Now in 2019, Martin and Sean have pressed up Affection on cassette and it’s really wonderful to get to own these songs physically, as they represent some of Private Agenda’s strongest, dreamiest, and most heart-throbbing creations yet.
Private Agenda - Affection (Nightshift Records, 2018)
“Instinct” starts on a flashy drum roll before dropping into some wiggling and steamy synthfunk, wherein filtered brass chords sit beside glistening e-pianos while Phillips’ hushed vocals repeat under morphing delays. Double-time cymbal patterns intertwine with the lush verse, whose final notes are caught under delirious delay oscillations, and the mix is suffused by occasional harmonizations that see layered voices moving in round. The chorus is as anthemic and beautiful as can be…the kind of thing that would sit perfectly on Tame Impala’s Currents, with dazzling lyrical interplay sitting above irrestible synth bass descents that hit at just the right moment while soft funk guitars riff through the night. And it’s hard to overstate how intoxicating the whole thing is, with smokey and cooing vocals singing “But I better try again / ‘cause I think you get me (it’s instinct) / and I think you’re worth it (it’s instinct)” over a sexually sliding and night-soaked funk groove. Elsewhere, self-oscillating synth solos sparkle in the starlight while thrilling snare rolls are smothered under dub-echo currents and as cosmic vapors and weirdo squelches lead back the chorus, the sultry singing repeats endlessly for a hypnotic coda of pop perfection.
Pinging lasers introduce a majestic prog march while the human voice is looped into a dreamwave tapestry…all while electronics mimic the sounds of alien birds communicating across galaxies. This is “Ballad of a Bad Boy,” with lust-soaked lyrics filtered through pastoral British psychedelia. Bubbling flows of percussion move us into a mesmerizing chorus where rainbow harmonizations are backed by fried cymbals, reversing noise fx, and a funked out downtempo strut replete with sexual bass guitar motions. The mix is overstuffed with romantic pop magic and bright colors swirling into sonic kaleidoscopes as layer after layer of effervescent vocal lushness wraps around heart. And during an ambient passage, hazy leads and swirling noise clouds lead to a freaky synth/organ solo awash in midnight majesty and backgrounded by reversing ghost voices. Later, we drop into a tighter-than-tight drum jam joined by liquid funk basslines, sampled voice cut-ups, and smooth as silk harmonies until backwards snare fx and further vocal layers wash it all away, leaving just a skeletal beat and the line “oh show me what it means to love you right…sentimental time.”
In “Change,” waves crash beneath seabird synth flutes and tropical e-piano romances before dropping into a supremely loved up and luscious funk paradise. Everything is smothered sexual wah-wah ecstasy as snaking aqua-funk basslines play off porn flick guitar licks. Occasionally, Rowe and Phillips sweep us into breathtaking ambient prog interludes wherein psych folk guitar ascend towards realms of solar light while elsewhere, everything melts into hushed rhythmic pulse as immersive guitar waves glisten beneath sky-soaring synthesis. Later, the duo treat us to further mesmeric voice layering, with rushing cascades of pop enchantment flowing out in saucer-eyed wonderment and helping to create a wistful 70s art rock ballad backgrounded by ultra tight and super sensual funk drumming. Then, as the track fades out, flutey synth tones and a peak time balearic body groove carry the spirit towards an exploding sunset horizon.
A hushed voice whispers “oh but it’s not your fault” in “Bedsheets” before we drop into another squiggling pop-funk swooner that’s not unlike something you might hear on a Holy Sons album. A playful brass melody moves over the mix and certain parts of its sunshine hook are smothered in LFO weirdness. Subdued waves of guitar and synth ambiance crash against the body while Phillips purrs “put the bedding and the bedsheets on” and as tambourines jangle beneath alien synth wobbles, six-strings move through palm-muted funk narcotics and watery riff outs. Unexpectedly, the song erupts into a triumphant yet melancholic chorus with earworm lyrics that tend to get stuck in my head for days on end…a golden-hued call and response between the dreamy phrases “oh what’s gonna happen? / gotta turn those sheets / what’s gonna happen? / gonna freshen up and wash them out.” The lines work right into the heart as the singing floats untethered above beatless clouds of new age ambiance and once the rhythms crash back in, harsh and noise shrouded synth sequences are allowed to fly out of control…their chaotic sonic detritus overwhelming the mix with strange oscillations and black hole psychedelics as the vocals are reduced to pure breath.
(images from my personal copy and from Private Agenda’s Bandcamp)
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