Systems of Romance

Blue in Heaven, a highly wave influenced post-punk unit, formed in Dublin in 1982 in the wake of explosions from bands such as the Chameleons and Echo & the Bunnymen, and though they never quite rose to the same level of fame and fortune that another particular Irish quartet achieved, they were a minor college radio splash before their swift demise and reform as the Blue Angels in 1990.

After a handful of singles and EP releases, the band’s first record, All the Gods Men earned the band a fair amount of buzz in 1985, having been produced by Joy Division/New Order mainstay Martin Hannett and following a paint-by-numbers post-punk aesthetic, with heavy draw from Stooges frontman/solo wonder Iggy Pop. Released just a year later, Explicit Material honed in on their sound, allowing for the previous culmination of influences and styles to shine more than their debut. For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded a duo of tracks from Explicit Material. If you listen closely, you can still hear the pops and cracks of the vinyl, as the copy I’ve acquired seems stripped straight from the source. I don’t think any of their catalog has gotten a proper dusting off and cd pressing, come to think of it, so I’m uncertain as to how to purchase their material properly unless you stumble across an old LP…

download Blue in Heaven- ‘I Just Wanna’
download Blue in Heaven- ‘Change Your Mind’

and for your viewing enjoyment, the extremely dated and grit-tastic video for ‘I Just Wanna.’

Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen!

Unlike the majority of the bands featured in Systems of Romance thus far, today’s band is very much alive and well, keeping mutant synthpunk alive in a new era. Hailing from Canada, this band seems to make little sense at first glance…piercing high pitched synth notes at obscene levels, harsh yet thin electro-beats pulsing like broken machinery, and a female vocalist laced with in-the-red distortion shrieks and screams a strange combination of what sounds like nursery rhymes certain times, biblical passages at others. This band is frantic, but beneath all the chaos lies an incredibly catchy simplicity, a controlled medium in which this band thrives perfectly.

I had the pleasure of catching this band in the flesh just about a week ago, and in person they are easily just as frantic and chaotic- perhaps even more so. A tarted up duo (there was once a live drummer in the band, but no more); one sat behind a rack of keyboards and drum machines controlling the sounds, while the singer provided a spastic full-cardio workout in a blue sequined dance suit, complete with twirling faux-fur props. She swung the microphone to dizzying heights, twirled and broke lit candles from the wall, and thrashed around in the audience, not missing a single beat. I haven’t felt so threatened, yet so compelled to dance at a show in a very long time…

Dandi Wind has one album and one EP under their belt, with plans to release their sophomore effort later in the year. For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded a track from their first record, entitled Concrete Igloo, as well as the first single from its soon-to-be-released follow up, Yolk of the Golden Egg. Enjoy!

download Dandi Wind- ‘Utopia Now’
download Dandi Wind- ‘Adolescent’

For some visual accompaniment, here’s the video for “Decontaminate:”

For more information, tour dates, purchasing information, and general nonsense, Dandi Wind’s homepage can be found here.

I might have another post up my sleeve for later today, but first things first, this entry will feature Danish post-punk greats Sort Sol. Considered to be the first punk band out of Denmark, Sort Sol released a series of seminal singles and albums throughout a rather long tenure, only calling it quits in 2003 after a marginal breakthrough in their home country.

The band was rhythmic and jagged, often to unsettling ends. Under their original name, the Sods, the band released two records- 1979’s Minutes to Go and 1980’s Under en Sort Sol, soon after switching their name to Sort Sol proper for the remainder of their career. British underground greats 4AD quickly re-released their first record, and put out a single featuring two songs from Under en Sort Sol, which helped to kick the band off to greater heights. Recording with no-wave legend Lydia Lunch soon after also worked wonders for their exposure…and the band continued on to record seven more records before their hiatus.

Since these popped on random during this morning’s routine, I’ve uploaded two of my favorite tracks from Under en Sort Sol for your listening pleasure…without any further ado:

download Sort Sol- ‘Misguided’
download Sort Sol- ‘Roller Ball’

Most of the band’s material is currently out of print, but should you find a Import CD or a LP record, snap it right up!

The band’s tenure lasted a mere five years, but during that time, Asylum Party released two full length records, a handful of singles and eps, and scattered compilation material. Though there are plenty of songs worth their weight, this is easily my favorite, featured on their final record, Mère.

download Asylum Party- ‘Pure Joy In My Heart’

and for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of their song ‘Misfortunes,’ taken from the What Will You Learn 12”.