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MCB will be covering the upcoming show LA November 11th Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo w/ Austra and Grimes
Newly signed to Manimal Vinyl (Warpaint, Bat For Lashes, Sister Crayon), the Los Angeles based electro-disco producer Baron Von Luxxury is releasing the full-length "The Last Seduction" this winter. Dubbed the "post-post synth pop king" by LA Weekly, BvL is interested in the divide between the underground and the pop mainstream. In his day job as a published songwriter/producer under contract with Razor and Tie, BvL writes with chart toppers from Little Boots to Dr. Luke protege (and "California Gurls" co-writer) Bonnie McKee. At night he runs the beloved blog DiscoWorkout.com and has done remixes for Austra, HEALTH, Glass Candy, Marianne Faithfull, and many more. Referencing New Order and Steely Dan with equal respect on his upcoming album, BvL seeks that fine line dividing what is cool from what is deeply embarrassing.
"The Last Seduction" taps into a classic Moroder-esque disco vibe but with more modern electronic influenced bedroom pop feel, evoking equal parts Twin Shadow and Pet Shop Boys, with nods to Sparks, Empire of the Sun, and YMO as well as ELO. As BvL spends as much time crooning a la Bowie as he does falsetto-ing up a storm, there is a darkness and an edgy wit rarely heard in electronic music outside of LCD Soundsystem. But while the music is bathed in dark beats with shimmering synths and his beloved 16th notes, at the end of the day these are 10 pop songs with clever lyrics, a catchy chorus and sexy, hooky melodies for days.
The album openers "The Lovely Theresa" and "Alice Underground" are about his friends Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake, who committed suicide in the summer of 2007. "Half the album is me trying to sort out losing two people who had been like a sister and brother to me.
The other half is me trying to balance those darker songs with some light.
" For example, "Terry Richardson" is a smooth, untrustworthy narrator-style "yacht disco" song co-written with LA producer Keenhouse. The single comes with remixes from up-and coming SF disco producer Loose Shus and DFA artist Altair Nouveau as well as a 3D video (with a mystery cameo). Title track "The Last Seduction" and "Women of a Certain Age" dip into "Time"-era ELO territory with a contemporary Empire of the Sun-esque electro sheen, while "Rosebud Was The Name of His Sled" has just spoiled Citizen Kane for anyone who has yet to see the classic Orson Welles tour-de-force.
A slow burning disco funeral pyre evoking Washed Out as much as Sisters of Mercy, it's another tribute to Theresa and Jeremy, complete with a melancholy sax solo that would make Sergio proud.