Rodney Cromwell and Solemn Arcade - Memory Box

Modern London synthpop icon Rodney Cromwell (a.k.a. Adam Cresswell of 90s indie folk band Saloon and 2000s electronic duo Arthur & Martha) and Solemn Arcade have teamed up to present ‘Memory Box’ Solemn Arcade Revision.

This is the debut release by Solemn Arcade, the musical guise of graphic designer and Happy Robots associate MJ Langthorne. Hauntology, post-rock and electronica collide in a mesmerizing reimagining of the title track from Rodney Cromwell's 'Memory Box' album.

'Memory Box' delves into the complexities of perception and the unreliability of our memories. How can we trust anything in a world where truth and honesty hold such little value? This hauntingly psychedelic song draws inspiration not only from the lucid dreamlike qualities of Marcel Proust’s writing and Enid Blyton's 'Faraway Tree' stories, but also from sonic pioneers like Broadcast, Movietone and Silver Apples.

Solemn Arcade embarks on a complete deconstruction of the original version of 'Memory Box', presenting a recontextualized version that strips away the vocals and immerses the song within a lo-fi, discordant sonic landscape. The listener is enveloped in a tapestry of atmospheric textures and electronic tones, as haunting synthesizers intertwine with reverberating guitars and feedback, creating an otherworldly soundscape that shimmers and evolves with each play.

This single follows Rodney Cromwell's recently-released 'The Winter Palace Remixes' EP, also released via London label Happy Robots Records.

Since debuting with the 'Age of Anxiety' album, Cromwell has been featured in NME, Electronic Sound, Huffington Post, Paste, Shindig!, Louder Than War, The Big Takeover, Magic RPM, Post-Punk.com and Bandcamp Daily. National radio play includes BBC 6 Music in the UK, RTE in Ireland, airplay in Tokyo, and RNE3 in Spain, for whom he also recorded a live session.

Rodney Cromwell live is a joyful mixed-media extravaganza, incorporating analogue synths, video visuals and live instrumentation, interjected by Rodney’s 'offbeat wit'' (NME). He has shared the stage with icons such as A Flock of Seagulls, Damo Suzuki, Pram, Death & Vanilla, Rowetta, M!R!M and Steve Davis. In 2022, he recorded a live session for Electronic Sound and supported Blancmange on a number of dates, further cementing his reputation as one of the most exciting live acts on the electronic music scene.