Virginia Wing — Forward Constant Motion (Nov. 11, 2016) 
♠ Základem většiny nahrávky je pocit vysněného nebo jiného světa. Album se rozpadlo na krátké, unášené pasáže, kde se struktury rozplývají. Je to klíčový tematický bod, který částečně vznikl, když Pillay vyvinula labyrintitidu (porucha vnitřního ucha, která má za následek závratě a dezorientaci).
♠ Virginia Wing is the musical collaboration of Alice Merida Richards and Sam Pillay, formed in 2012 and currently based in Manchester. Acutely aware of the misguided perceptions when operating within the paradigm of a male~female electronic duo, their music is a sprawling amalgamation of experimental pop songs with texture, depth and nuance; that’s daring, progressive and forever bold.
♠ In 2017 Virginia Wing released collaborative album ‘Tomorrow’s Gift’ with Xam Duo with saxophonist Christopher Duffin that regularly plays live with the duo and can be heard on the new album. They also covered lost Suzanne Menzel track “I Feel It Starts Again” with Jane Weaver on Fire Records’ curated EP ‘Lost Library’ and their Record Store Day EP ‘Rhonda’ (2016) saw them collaborate with Koichi Yamanoha (Grimm Grimm).
♠ In 2018 they released the politically charged album ‘Ecstatic Arrow’ that reminds us “of the astonishing things you can do with pop music” (The Quietus). ‘Ecstatic Arrow’ borrows from the heterogeneous terrain of The Flying Lizard’s ‘Fourth Wall’, the exuberant technology assisted pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra and the playful sophistication of Lizzy Mercier Descloux, arriving at the evergreen intersection of pop
music and conceptual art. The voice of Alice Merida Richards is more compelling and expressive than ever. The glacial deadpan of previous records has given way to a more candid, self~possessed delivery, showing an appreciation for the humour and tragedy innate in the downtown Arcadia of Laurie Anderson, Robert Ashley or even Lynn Goldsmith’s Will Powers.
♠ Virginia Wing returned in 2019 with new limited~edition cassette; ‘Pale Burnt Lake’ released 19th June ahead of their upcoming US summer tour. ‘Pale Burnt Lake’ is a collection of live interludes, abstract sketches, free form spoken word and improvised soundtrack. Using themes and motifs formed around making ‘Ecstatic Arrow’, the EP is in equal parts soothing and disorientating, intimate and abstract, combining somnambulant synths with Chris Duffin’s harmonised saxophone to create a fully immersive sound bed on which Alice Merida Richards’ vocals recline.
♠ Headlining tours across the UK and Europe, the group have supported artists as disparate as Metronomy or Jenny Hval and recently toured for the second time with Hookworms (Alice also duets with MJ on ‘Each Time We Pass’ on LP ‘Microshift’). With festival appearances including Glastonbury, Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia and Rewire, they were recently selected for the 6Music Recommends stage at The Great Escape.
♠ “Virginia Wing make music that triangulates leftfield jazz, ashram~dwelling new age, and warm synth~pop into something that feels calm and centred.” — PITCHFORK
Formed: March 28, 2012 in South London, London, England
Location: Manchester, UK
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Album release: November 11, 2016
Record Label: Fire Records
Duration: 42:57
Tracks:
01 Lily of Youth 4:52
02 ESP Offline 4:18
03 Mecca Cola 0:47
04 Grapefruit 3:52
05 Miserable World 2:36
06 Andalucia 0:59
07 Sonia & Claudette 2:52
08 Local Loop 4:34
09 Be Contained 2:44
10 Permaboss 2:12
11 Hammer a Nail 3:17
12 Move On 3:16
13 Baton 2:49
14 Future Body 3:49
Credits:
■ Matthew Benn Engineer, Mixing
■ Dave Cooley Mastering
■ Maisie Cousins Photography
■ Misha Hering Engineer, Mixing, Producer
■ Alex Hornsby Layout
■ Penny Mills Design
■ Sam Pillay Engineer, Mixing
■ Virginia Wing Producer
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ♠♠♠♠
♠ Virginia Wing started life off as a trio, making experimental modern pop with shoegaze and Krautrock influences bubbling to the top. After releasing a promising LP and single, the trio became a duo when their drummer left. The change means something of a drastic change of direction on Forward Constant Motion. Gone are the shoegaze guitars and straightforward rhythms; in their place are inventively programmed drum machines and banks of chilly synthesizers. The album has a markedly more experimental and arty sound that is angular and cold, with Alice Merida Richards’ vocals sounding like they were delivered in a container of dry ice and the duo forsaking any moments of layered, warm, Broadcast~inspired pop for something more difficult to embrace instantly. Despite the change in sound, which almost seems designed to keep the listener off guard and at arm’s length, there is still a pop heart beating strongly below the sheets of chilled steel, industrial~strength drums, and jagged synths. The duo make sure to slip the occasional catchy melody into the mix; “Grapefruit” has a naggingly catchy vocal hook and the synths are a little more expansive and rich~sounding here than usual, and “Local Loop” is the most danceable song on the record, with rock~solid electro~funk beats, a gunky bassline, and almost sunny vocal harmonies. The less pop~leaning tracks still have enough insistent power, quirky design, and musical craft to make them compelling and unique. Lots of bands attempt to do what Virginia Wing are doing here, replacing the guts of their avant pop with wires and circuits, but not many have the skills and songs to make it work. On Forward Constant Motion, the duo make a leap forward and a little to the left, making for a rewarding, always interesting, and oddly emotionally satisfying album.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginiawingforever/
Label: http://www.firerecords.com/virginia-wing/
______________________________________________
♠ Virginia Wing is the musical collaboration of Alice Merida Richards and Sam Pillay, formed in 2012 and currently based in Manchester. Acutely aware of the misguided perceptions when operating within the paradigm of a male~female electronic duo, their music is a sprawling amalgamation of experimental pop songs with texture, depth and nuance; that’s daring, progressive and forever bold.
♠ In 2017 Virginia Wing released collaborative album ‘Tomorrow’s Gift’ with Xam Duo with saxophonist Christopher Duffin that regularly plays live with the duo and can be heard on the new album. They also covered lost Suzanne Menzel track “I Feel It Starts Again” with Jane Weaver on Fire Records’ curated EP ‘Lost Library’ and their Record Store Day EP ‘Rhonda’ (2016) saw them collaborate with Koichi Yamanoha (Grimm Grimm).
♠ In 2018 they released the politically charged album ‘Ecstatic Arrow’ that reminds us “of the astonishing things you can do with pop music” (The Quietus). ‘Ecstatic Arrow’ borrows from the heterogeneous terrain of The Flying Lizard’s ‘Fourth Wall’, the exuberant technology assisted pop of Yellow Magic Orchestra and the playful sophistication of Lizzy Mercier Descloux, arriving at the evergreen intersection of pop
music and conceptual art. The voice of Alice Merida Richards is more compelling and expressive than ever. The glacial deadpan of previous records has given way to a more candid, self~possessed delivery, showing an appreciation for the humour and tragedy innate in the downtown Arcadia of Laurie Anderson, Robert Ashley or even Lynn Goldsmith’s Will Powers.
♠ Virginia Wing returned in 2019 with new limited~edition cassette; ‘Pale Burnt Lake’ released 19th June ahead of their upcoming US summer tour. ‘Pale Burnt Lake’ is a collection of live interludes, abstract sketches, free form spoken word and improvised soundtrack. Using themes and motifs formed around making ‘Ecstatic Arrow’, the EP is in equal parts soothing and disorientating, intimate and abstract, combining somnambulant synths with Chris Duffin’s harmonised saxophone to create a fully immersive sound bed on which Alice Merida Richards’ vocals recline.
♠ Headlining tours across the UK and Europe, the group have supported artists as disparate as Metronomy or Jenny Hval and recently toured for the second time with Hookworms (Alice also duets with MJ on ‘Each Time We Pass’ on LP ‘Microshift’). With festival appearances including Glastonbury, Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia and Rewire, they were recently selected for the 6Music Recommends stage at The Great Escape.
♠ “Virginia Wing make music that triangulates leftfield jazz, ashram~dwelling new age, and warm synth~pop into something that feels calm and centred.” — PITCHFORK
Formed: March 28, 2012 in South London, London, England
Location: Manchester, UK
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Album release: November 11, 2016
Record Label: Fire Records
Duration: 42:57
Tracks:
01 Lily of Youth 4:52
02 ESP Offline 4:18
03 Mecca Cola 0:47
04 Grapefruit 3:52
05 Miserable World 2:36
06 Andalucia 0:59
07 Sonia & Claudette 2:52
08 Local Loop 4:34
09 Be Contained 2:44
10 Permaboss 2:12
11 Hammer a Nail 3:17
12 Move On 3:16
13 Baton 2:49
14 Future Body 3:49
Credits:
■ Matthew Benn Engineer, Mixing
■ Dave Cooley Mastering
■ Maisie Cousins Photography
■ Misha Hering Engineer, Mixing, Producer
■ Alex Hornsby Layout
■ Penny Mills Design
■ Sam Pillay Engineer, Mixing
■ Virginia Wing Producer
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ♠♠♠♠
♠ Virginia Wing started life off as a trio, making experimental modern pop with shoegaze and Krautrock influences bubbling to the top. After releasing a promising LP and single, the trio became a duo when their drummer left. The change means something of a drastic change of direction on Forward Constant Motion. Gone are the shoegaze guitars and straightforward rhythms; in their place are inventively programmed drum machines and banks of chilly synthesizers. The album has a markedly more experimental and arty sound that is angular and cold, with Alice Merida Richards’ vocals sounding like they were delivered in a container of dry ice and the duo forsaking any moments of layered, warm, Broadcast~inspired pop for something more difficult to embrace instantly. Despite the change in sound, which almost seems designed to keep the listener off guard and at arm’s length, there is still a pop heart beating strongly below the sheets of chilled steel, industrial~strength drums, and jagged synths. The duo make sure to slip the occasional catchy melody into the mix; “Grapefruit” has a naggingly catchy vocal hook and the synths are a little more expansive and rich~sounding here than usual, and “Local Loop” is the most danceable song on the record, with rock~solid electro~funk beats, a gunky bassline, and almost sunny vocal harmonies. The less pop~leaning tracks still have enough insistent power, quirky design, and musical craft to make them compelling and unique. Lots of bands attempt to do what Virginia Wing are doing here, replacing the guts of their avant pop with wires and circuits, but not many have the skills and songs to make it work. On Forward Constant Motion, the duo make a leap forward and a little to the left, making for a rewarding, always interesting, and oddly emotionally satisfying album.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginiawingforever/
Label: http://www.firerecords.com/virginia-wing/
______________________________________________