Twice A Man have announced a lavish 3-CD and 72-page artbook compilation. The anthology is entitled “Songs of Future Memories (1982-2022)” and has been scheduled for release on January 27, 2023.
On further news, the Swedish dark electronics pioneers are now unveiling a new lyric video clip for their classic track ‘Decay’.
Twice A Man comment: “For the first time since 1987, a new collection of some of our finest works has been compiled”, singer, guitarist and synth player Dan Söderqvist writes on behalf of the band. “As the title suggests, once again we recall vivid memories of the past. As a band that has rarely looked back, we actually feel some satisfaction on seeing how it all comes together – although the compilation is covering such a long period of our musical career.
Almost from the beginning, melancholic soundscapes, surreal lyrics, a romantic approach, and the importance of environmental awareness have provided the guidelines for our musical journey. On the other hand, at the core of Twice a Man’s songwriting lies also the critique of society, the alienation from the consumerist way of life in our Western world, which is also lacking in spiritual values. The perhaps most joyous part of creating ‘Songs of Future Memories’ has been the composing if two new songs, ‘Lotus’ and ‘Dahlia’. These are two flower children that once more emphasise the reflective mood, which is certainly our own.
We have high expectations to present the world of Twice A Man to our long-time friends as well as new listeners. This release will hopefully provide many insights into our extended history.”
“Songs of Future Memories (1982-2022)” is the long overdue second anthology dedicated to the Swedish pioneers of electronic music, Twice A Man. On three CDs, the finest tracks from the 14 song albums have been collected and diligently remastered. The 7 instrumental works of the band’s catalogue have been deliberately left out of this project, which is intended to serve as a comprehensive musical guide through the band’s outstanding career spanning over 4 decades of groundbreaking works. In addition to the known material, the band has also added two new tracks.
Twice A Man never took the easy way. Long before it became fashionable, the Swedes positioned themselves as early environmentalists, which became a theme running through their lyrics but is also reflected in their music, which amalgamates futuristic electronics and organic elements from the start. In their holistic approach of creating a sonic cosmos of their own, the band resembles The Legendary Pink Dots. Musically, theirs is a different story that been lovingly described as “Ultravox on weed – also melancholic but without the saccharine pathos” or “like a sad Gary Numan, but with a warm, organic touch”. There are also gentle echoes of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and The Human League among many other possible references.
When singer, guitarist, and keyboarder Dan Söderqvist teamed up with synth player Karl Gasleben in 1977, the duo formed Cosmic Overdose as the first electronic band in Scandinavia. Although they sang in Swedish, their two albums created a buzz abroad, which led to Cosmic Overdose being invited to support New Order on their first Scandinavian tour in 1981.
Being impressed with the band’s performance, New Order‘s English promoter invited them over to the UK, but he found the name Cosmic Overdose to be too closely related to drugs. This led to a change of band name to Twice A Man and the first concert under the new moniker took place in London on the 14th of December 1981.
During their remarkable career, Twice A Man did not just release 21 full-length albums and a first compilation “Collection of Stones (Selected Works 82-87)” (1988), and played countless shows, but the Swedes also created the soundtrack for 7 full-evening theatre performances at The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. They also created music for movies, exhibitions, dance performances and computer games, which includes the Playstation cult game “Kula World”.
Twice A Man interest in nature, environmental issues, and natural protection was always present and manifested for example in music for an exhibition about whales at the Cultural House of Stockholm in 1984. The multimedia performance “Driftwood” (1988) described the nature of their childhood at the west coast of Sweden and they recently released the ambient forest album “Cocoon” (2019). Samples from the sound of the natural world and field recordings were incorporated into the music Twice A Man already in the early 80s
In hindsight, the artistic contributions and keen interest of Twice A Man in environmental issues turns out to be quite prophetic. With our planet moving towards a catastrophe that is driven by human greed and stupidity, it seems that now is the perfect time to rediscover the pioneering work of this Swedish band. The art of Twice A Man reconciles electronic technology with the organic and natural. “Songs of Future Memories (1982-2022)” sends a beautiful and strong message to be both heard and enjoyed.
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