Archive for the post-punk Category

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Stranger To Stranger- Casting Shadows LP

Posted in 1980s, 1984, goth-rock, post-punk, stranger to stranger on June 6, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Been a bit since my last post, at least by my standards.  I’ve spent the past few weeks revisiting a lot of my 7”s and making new rips of quite a few of them, as well as a few that haven’t been posted/have been posted elsewhere.  You’ll see some of those soon, but for now, you can check these posts for new rips:

Berlin- The Metro 7”
Jus D’orange/Red Rain Coat 7”s
Fatidic Seconde- Le Drakkar 7”
Message- Dernière Nuit 7”
Troops For Tomorrow- Songs of Joy & Faith 7”
I’m So Hollow- Emotion/Sound/Motion LP (LP only)
Minimal Synth mystery corner 7”
Excentrique Noiz- Dark Crystal Day 7”
Repetition- A Still Reflex 7”
Modern Eon- Fiction Tales Plus (VBR rip thanks to Jeff!)
Luxembourg- La Cible 7”
Sensation- Trafic 7”
Ahab- Party Girl 7”
Ultime Possibilité- Errance 7”

I’ve ripped a few new acquisitions too, so with that in mind, here’s an LP that’s appeared elsewhere on the net thanks to Fantod Under Glass, but I finally got my hands on a fresh copy for maximum listening pleasure.  Fantastic debut release from Stranger to Stranger, a Philadelphia, PA band from 1984.  As Fantod explains, there’s a heavy 4AD influence here, from the more esoteric post-punk era of the label (My Captains, Mass, etc.) as well as some similarities to Sad Lovers and Giants, European Toys, and the above mentioned I’m So Hollow.

Quite a UK-centric sound for this ambitious Philadelphia band, who have six more releases following this one.  I’ve only heard 1985’s The Child In Me 12” and the follow up LP, both of which move more towards an indie/jangle sound.  Great if you like that sort of thing as well (I certainly do), but this LP is the real deal, and both “Easter Night” and “Evening Opus” have quickly become favorites.   You can get the 12” on Vinyl Obscurity, and you can catch the Darkest Dreams LP on A Viable Commercial!

You can read a bit more about the band here.

Stranger to Stranger- Casting Shadows LP
1. Easter Night
2. Crowded Room
3. In Your Eyes
4. Voices Calling
5. Flux
6. Cry To Dream
7. Evening Opus (Pts. 1, 2 & 3)
8. Lonely Winter
9. Wind On Skin

*download it here*

13 Comments »

Dropopop- Knuste Drømmer 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, coldwave, dropopop, goth, goth-rock, norweigan, post-punk with tags on May 23, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

This 7” was a recent discovery (on Youtube of all places), and it’s as cold as the night is long.  This one-off single from Norway was released in 1982 and bears a strong resemblance to the usual suspects, including heavy influence by Joy Division and early Cure, as well as sharing similar sonic territory with bands like the Dutch Neon, The Opposition’s amazing first record, and the U 137 single I just posted a few days ago.

The A-side is a recent obsession of mine with heavy drums and haunting melodies, but the two tracks on the flip are equally commanding, dark and intense listens.  The band have three more other songs spread across two different cassette comps. but I haven’t heard them.

As always, little to be found about the band.  It appears they were from Skien, a large shipping town in the Southeast of Norway. A four piece by defintion, there were two additional musicians on this single, one playing string synths and the other credited with additional drum work.  Their label, Uncle Remus Records, also released a 7” and LP by fellow Norweigans band Øresus, which you can grab here if you want some excellent anthemic punk a la Generation X or the KBD comps.  But I know you guys, you like it cold and dark…

Dropopop- Knuste Drømmer 7”
1. Knuste Drømmer
2. Frykt
3. Giftige Lepper

*download it here*

7 Comments »

U 137- Härifrån Till Evigheten 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, coldwave, post-punk, Stulna Begär, swedish, Total Musak, U 137 on May 10, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

U 137 were a Swedish band, also featuring Mats Larsson (alias Tage Jesus) of Stulna Begär. They took their name from a Russian submarine that hit a rock in Swedish international waters in 1981, causing further speculation of Soviet influence on Sweden.  It’s a very interesting incident, which you can read more about here.

It seems like this was a collaborative project of three like-minded Swedish musicians, who swapped instruments for each track. Vocalist Michael Andersson would go on to form Sacrilege, a death/black metal band in the 90s.  Andersson and Anders Nilsson (aka Nisse) also released a few singles as Andra Sidan in the late 1980s.  Most notably, all three members were involved in Total Musak, with a similar cold/post-punk style and a female singer.   Total Musak further explored the Cold War sentiment covered here, and are just as good.  BONUS: you can hear all their recordings (though sadly only at 128 kbps) here.  Awesome!

Not sure how many copies of this exist in total (rough guess is 500), but the first 300 copies were pressed on blue vinyl with no center label. This is the version I have.

Both sides here have something different to offer, likely a product of Larsson and Nilsson swapping string synth/drum duties for each track. Fans of bands like Peyr, Killing Joke, and the Red Rain Coat 7” will dig the energy of “En Som Faller,” (A Falling) while those who prefer the the cold Seventeen Seconds, Names/Factory sound should go nuts for “Baksidan Av Ditt Öga” (The Back of Your Eye).  There is rumored to be an English version of “En Som Faller” on a compilation, re-titled “Trip and Die” but not sure where you can hear that version.  For now, here’s a fresh rip of this excellent 7”!

U 137- Härifrån Till Evigheten 7”
1. Baksidan Av Ditt Öga
2. En Som Faller

*download it here*

Thanks to the excellent B-Sound website for filling in the gaps of this otherwise mysterious 7”!

2 Comments »

Language From Memory- Fortune 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, language from memory, minimal synth, nick head, post-punk, uk on May 3, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

England was ripe with excellent DIY post-punk and minimal synth gems, bands inspired by Factory Records, early Cure singles, etc.  Some of my favorite 7”s (Obscure By Degrees, Persons Unknown etc.) were birthed from this era with the same aesthetic.  So with that in mind, here’s another obscure gem from Towerbell Records, released in 1981.  This is the one and only single from Language From Memory, who disappeared into the ether soon after recording this 7”.  It’s a shame, as the a-side here truly kicks ass, one of the best undiscovered gems I’ve stumbled upon in recent times.  Incisive guitars, Sad Lovers and Giants-esque string synths, and catchy, fist-pumping hooks abound.  Power pop lovers will also enjoy the flip.

The band were from northern London, and played out quite often in the early 80s.  As for their disappearance, I believe they changed names and continued on together.  A fan who knew the band back then states that Nick Head played rhythm guitar on this single.  The name may be familiar to some, as he also acted as producer/engineer for KMFDM and Exit 13.

This single is also proof that not all obscurities are out of budget, as there are tons of copies out there to be had for relatively cheap, even by discogs standards.   Towerbell seemed to have some backing behind it, and a decently stacked roster, which was formed out of the disco era and included Shirley Bassey and Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) as well as a series of popular TV series compilations.  I haven’t heard of much else from the label, so perhaps this single is an anomaly, but either way, aspiring collectors should have no problem finding a copy for themselves…

Language From Memory- Fortune 7”
1. Fortune
2. The Coat

*download it here*

3 Comments »

Mickeranno- Mickeranno LP

Posted in 1980s, 1985, experimental, italian, mickeranno, post-punk on April 30, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another LP on donation from Ondanera, deep from the heart of Italy.  This LP is the lone release from Mickeranno, an artist from Catania, a town in Sicily (Sicilian pride!).  As I understand it, Jacopo Leone was the primary musician for this release, with a few collaborators providing drums, trumpet, and other touches. Recorded in Northern Italy in the Emilia Romagna region, the album didn’t break out past its native country when it was released in 1985, so hopefully it can find new life here.

Fans of bands like Felt, Dif Juz, or the Durutti Column will love this one, as it’s a quiet, understated affair, with subtle electronic/dark synth flourishes against a mostly acoustic backdrop. A really haunting record from a very humble and quiet area in Italy. The standout track is easily the gloomy “Da Un’altra Parte” (From Another Part) but this a really interesting listen, front to back. Hope you enjoy it!

Mickeranno- Mickeranno LP
1. Decisioni
2. Solo Voci
3. Boh
4. Dai Vetri
5. D.D.
6. E Per Un Paio Di Giorni
7. Uscirò Ogni Sera
8. Fotocopiandoti
9. Nel Buio
10. Da Un’Altra Parte
11. Che Si Tratti Di Me?
12. Boh (Versione 2)

*download it here*

PS- I removed the link for La Valse for now… I’m expecting a copy of the 7” in the mail.  Once it arrives, I’ll make a new rip and let you all know so you can update your digital files.  Hang tight, and thanks as always for the support.

9 Comments »

Gulf Klub- What’s Cooking 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, australia, australian, gulf klub, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk on April 19, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Just realised it’s been a while since my last post.  Sorry, guys!  I have quite a few things on the plate, including a rare French coldwave 7” and a few more Italian goodies that I’ve been meaning to get to, but here’s something I’ve had uploaded for a while to whet your appetite until I can get that stuff all organized properly for you.

This is a one-off 7” from Australia, released in 1984 via Vi-Nil Records. Despite being distributed by EMI, this one didn’t get a lot of attention when it came out. Not much about them on the net, but Geoffrey Stapleton was also involved with The Aliens, GANGgajang, and more.

Personally I don’t care much for the a-side (but of course, that’s just my own taste), but the flip is a great piece of Middle Eastern inspired minimal synth. While the geography is all wrong here, the sound still feels right at home for fans of Minimal Compact, Beograd, Max & Intro, etc. A short little piece of synth perfection that I hope you all enjoy!

Gulf Klub- What’s Cooking 7”
1. What’s Cooking
2. India

*download it here*

More soon, stay tuned!

 

3 Comments »

Marte in Ariete- Demo K7 +bonus

Posted in 1985, coldwave, italian, marte in ariete, post-punk on March 10, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve always had a soft spot for rare Italian wave.  Most of my favorites in this genre hail from France, but Italy is a very close second in my heart as far as quality and quantity is concerned.  With that in mind, I have a bunch of rare Italian releases to post, a new undertaking that will take quite some time to properly document.  Of course, other posts will come in between as warranted (so many things in the queue!), but fans of Italian wave should definitely check back over the coming months for a lot of great unearthed material.

First up, we have a demo tape from 1985 ripped by Fabrizio.   The five piece band is named Marte in Ariete (click here for a list of members) and hailed from La Spezia, a town near the border of France.  With that in mind, the tracks here employ a very French coldwave sort of sound, but in the Italian tradition and language.  Cold synths, excellent guitar work, the kind of quality you can expect from the genre.  The band would contribute two further tracks (including a lyrically reworked version of “Confusione” that’s sung in English with nearly identical music) to the C.O.D.E. compilation from 1985, which features more of the bands that will be posted here in the future.   I believe Venus+On has posted the full compilation, but since I can’t seem to ping that blog at the moment, I’ve included the two Marte in Ariete songs from that compilation as well, which completes the band’s discography.  Check back here for a link for the full comp. once the blog resumes!

Just one catch with this demo–the final track has a series of errors where the tape was blank and cuts off abruptly, so I’ve cut those bits and faded the track out around the 5:00 mark to save you guys the frustration of having several blank spaces and an abrupt ending to an otherwise great song.  It seems like the song had another minute or two to go, so it’s an unfortunate loss.  If anyone happens to have a copy of this incredibly rare gem, please feel free to rectify this for us with a fresh rip!  No photo for this one either, so use your imagination and otherwise, hope you guys enjoy this incredibly rare Italian obscurity!

Marte in Ariete- Demo K7 (1985)
1. Confusione
2. Nostalgia
3. Ultimi Fuochi
4. Petali Neri

Bonus tracks from C.O.D.E. (1985)
5. Abuse
6. The Final Scene

*download it here*

6 Comments »

The Wild Flowers- The Joy of It All LP & Blue Hollow- Stealing a Whisper LP

Posted in 1980s, 1984, 1986, blue hollow, coldwave, dreampop, new wave, post-punk, the wild flowers, uk, US on January 28, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Hope you’ll all indulge me for a little two-for-one post here.  While these two records are generally unrelated, they sound incredibly complementary and it’s no stretch that if you love one, you’ll probably love the other.  Also, both LPs have been posted by other blogs in the past.  I only double dip today to offer fresh rips and hopefully to turn you guys on to two excellent, if but vastly under-appreciated post-punk masterpieces from the mid-80s.

First up is the debut LP from The Wild Flowers, which you may have heard via Curious Guy’s excellent post from 2006.  There, he mentions that the band was the original outlet of guitarist David Newton, who left soon after to form the also excellent Mighty Lemon Drops.   I’m on my second copy of this LP, between DJing and home listening, so that should speak highly of this particular record, which calls the lush majesty of bands like The Chameleons, Icicle Works, The Lucy Show, Breathless, The Sound, and of course, Echo & the Bunnymen’s Heaven Up Here to mind.  You can grab their first two 7”s here.  I do have the third LP, 1988’s Sometime Soon.  It’s been a while since I’ve heard it so I don’t remember how it stacks up, but I’m very interested in hearing 1987’s Dust.

The second LP is the one and only release by Blue Hollow, who rose from the ashes of Gluons, a darker and more dissonant band from Massachusetts.  Stealing a Whisper, which was released three years later, would shed much of the cacophony and offer up a record that sits comfortably alongside The Wild Flowers on sheer strength of songwriting.  Equally lush and romantic songs and catchy hooks, clearly pulling from the same set of influences and delivering a similarly striking album…

It’s a shame that neither of these records are more well known, even in these circles, so hopefully this post brings them to a wider audience.  Enjoy!

The Wild Flowers- The Joy of it All (1984)
1. Melt Like Ice
2. Beggar Man
3. The Promised Land
4. After All These Years
5. Dark Times
6. The Joy of it All
7. Bamboo
8. Hold the Torch
9. Things Have Changed
10. From the Sky

*download it here*

 

Blue Hollow- Stealing a Whisper (1986)
1. Color of Night
2. Inhale
3. Running Down
4. Blue Hollow
5. We Fall
6. Hearts Hang Souls
7. Wildskin
8. Stranger

*download it here*

Thanks for indulging me here today… For those who are looking for something new and unheard, hang tight- as the next few posts will feature very rare cassettes, demos, and more!  Thanks to all who have sent things over in the past few weeks- it’s always appreciated!

11 Comments »

L.A.S.’s Crime- Five Lies & Electa K7s

Posted in 1980s, 1986, 1988, darkwave, electronic, italian, l.a.s.'s crime, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk on January 15, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

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Two excellent tapes here from Italian project L.A.S.’s Crime, short for Lord Arthur Seville’s Crime, named after a classic Oscar Wilde novel. L.A.S.’s. Crime consisted of the duo of Sandro Marchetti and Maria Elena Brogi, who were very diverse and prolific over the course of five years.  The great Bx59cppw has shared several of their cassettes in the past, and Italian label Mannequin has reissued a compilation of material in 2012, featuring thirteen tracks from the band’s tenure, including a handful from these two tapes.   More people seem to know this band than ever before, so why not share a few more pieces of the band’s discography!

fivelies

L.A.S.’s Crime- Five Lies K7(1986)
1. Five Lies
2. Taedium Vitae
3. And Now
4. Statuary Emotion
5. Last Metro
6. Arabian Silence
7. Macabra Danza
8. The Lost Men
9. Devil In The Mirror
10. The Garden
11. Without Nothing
12. Inner World
13. The Important Day
14. My People Gone Away
15. Mary’s Room
16. The Snake
17. Small Man
18. The Final Scream

electa

L.A.S.’s Crime- Electa K7 (1988)
1. Atmosphere n.1
2. Animals Die
3. Atmosphere n.2
4. Party’s Over
5. Atmosphere n.3
6. Morpheus
7. Atmosphere n.4
8. Matrix
9. Atmosphere n.5
10. Dark Xmas
11. Atmosphere n.6
12. The Ultimate Sacrifice

*download both here*

The band recently joined Facebook as well and have uploaded a bunch of pictures, interviews, and miscellaneous images.  Feel free to drop them a line!

4 Comments »

City- City LP

Posted in 1980s, 1982, city, italian, post-punk, synth on November 20, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a rare LP from the outskirts of the Italian wave scene.  Though this album was released on Mercury (Abc, Tears For Fears, Bon Jovi) in 1982, it is virtually unheard outside of its native country.  Can’t tell you a thing about this band, though they certainly wear their Bowie influence on their sleeve.  I get a bit of a Lodger/Scary Monsters vibe from this LP (especially in the guitar work), as well as a bit of Magazine circa Secondhand Daylight, Marquis De Sade’s Rue De Siam, and some Simple Minds-esque hooks here and there.  While nothing on this LP touches the sheer highs of any of those artists, there are still some excellent tracks here, and the LP is very enjoyable from start to finish.  A friend who recommended this record tells me the lyrics are much more bleak and clever than the music might suggest, though my Italian isn’t up to snuff.  There is a lyric sheet included though.  Maybe someday I’ll type ’em up.

If anyone can tell me more about this album, I’m all eyes.  Without any further ado:

City- City LP
1. Citycidio
2. Antagonista
3 Isolamento
4. Autobahn
5. Giungla Metropolitana
6. Telefoni
7. Cliche
8. Notte
9. Guerra Psicologica
10. Macchina

*download it here*

13 Comments »

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