SALLY SHAPIRO Vinyl & CDs

Review: Mordisco back the multi-format reissue of Disco Romance by Sally Shapiro, a sensitive and luxuriant debut record from a contemporary Italo disco and synthpop act whose identity is not at all as it seems. First cropping up on the Austrian label Diskokaine before migrating to their longtime Canadian hosts Paper Bag Records, the artist(s) operating under the name lasted an admirable while in the guise of a Swedish solo indie pop regina. In actual fact, and in a move that invited more questions than settled answers, "Sally Shapiro" was later revealed to be a duo, with instrumentals produced by ambient mastermind Johan Agebjorn in cahoots with an anonymous singer. The music is as inscrutable as the story behind it, day-dreaming up bleary terrains of synthetic, snow-sheeted sonic pine forest, with Sally's ponderous bel canto vocals serving to melt and part the icy seas around it. Mordisco here release the fittingly hued white marbled vinyl version.

Review: Mordisco reissue an incredibly compelling exercise in contemporary Italo-not-Italo which cropped up in 2006, going under the name Sally Shapiro. Manifestly the work of a snow-dappled Swedish blonde - with vocal velours rivalling the plushness of the finest satin, and backed by ten exquisite bedroom Italo uplifters - "Sally Shapiro" was eventually revealed to be a duo's work, that of producer Johan Agebjorn and an anonymous singer (Shapiro was later revealed as her pseudonym). As mysteriously arresting as it gets - with the identity of the record's star voice remaining unknown to this day - this is a record that proves the artfulness of the recorded music form: one that allows for humbling experiments in ostension, which in turn invite much speculation and intrigue. A grand total of eight albums ensued through the artists' Paper Bag Records home turf, but it's the debut, Disco Romance, that set the Nordic snowy ball rolling.

Review: After breaking a decade-long hiatus by releasing the Sad Cities album last year, Swedish disco mavericks Sally Shapiro have been on a roll through their association with Italians Do It Better. Jonny Jewel's label is the perfect home for their Italo-informed, pop-baiting sound, and now they're back with a new single called 'Rent'. It's another seductive excursion into the future-past of electronic disco, with the extended mix on the A-side complemented by the instrumental on the B-side and a team-up between NICOLAAS and Steve Moore for a remix. Meanwhile, Italoconnection step up for a version of Sad Cities track 'Believe In Me', rounding out another strong EP from Shapiro and Italians Do It Better alike.

Review: Sally Shapiro are actually a duo, and the name is actually a pseudonym. Besides, they are essentially in the business of blowing every other synthpop act out of the park by this point. Packed with emotion and swelling refrains, 'Sad Cities' is a universal lamentation for failed metropoli the world over. Opener 'Forget About You' sets the tone for the pair's home-recorded masterpiece, on which the lead singer's voice takes raspy centre stage. Regret seems to be the central theme, peronalising our collective suffering: