Systems of Romance

Regular activity on this blog will resume shortly, but first, I’d like to spark a bit of a debate. Recently, I’ve gotten a few emails and comments from musicians involved with the projects I’ve been posting, some of which are amazed to see such interest in their art, while others who are somewhat peeved (though only one has threatened legal action, back in this blog’s salad days) to see their records offered up for free. As a musician myself, I definitely understand this concern.

Here at Systems of Romance, I make a point to push and encourage the lot of you to buy the records I zip up, and oftentimes include links to pick up the records if they’ve been re-released. I seldom post material that is still in print and easy to get ahold of, if I can at all help it (naturally, many of the coldwave discs I posted a few months ago would cost us $50 or more, with the depreciation of the dollar to keep in mind). Otherwise, most of what I post hasn’t even made the jump to compact disc, or if it has, it’s long since off the shelves and impossible to track down without paying heinous prices on ebay.

In the end, if any artist is upset about seeing their work offered up here, I entreat you to drop me an email and say so, but also if your record is still in print to please tell us where we can get a copy. The way I understand it, an ebay auction does no justice to the original artist, so if it means paying $100 to get a particular record, there’s no money involved that goes back to the creators, it’s pure profit for the lucky sod who managed to get a copy before it became scarce. At least more folks can enjoy it here. However, if anyone feels strongly against seeing their work posted here, a simple email saying so will suffice, and I’ll happily take it down and point people in the proper direction to purchase a copy instead.

These days, it’s hard to draw the line between blatant theivery and free promotion, when CD sales are dwindling and most classic obscure material remains so. However, a whole new resurgence of interest takes form in blogs like these and soulseek/limewire/etc. Personally, I find it to be great exposure for otherwise low-key artists during their tenure. As I mentioned above, I would prefer if folks paid for the Funeral Crashers album, but if the price tag stops folks dead in their tracks, I’d rather give our record away for free than let it remain unheard. It just doesn’t make sense to me to have a record collect dust, in print or even virtually, when it’s meant to be enjoyed…

Anyway, I’d hope some of you, musicians and fans of this blog alike, would chime in and express your opinions on these matters, for I’d like to hear what you all think. Regular activity will probably resume next week, but I’d like to hear something from you kids out there in the crowd.

*ps: if you’re reading this on livejournal or on your feed program, please visit the home page and leave your comments there, as your words will most likely go unseen.

post no. 2 for today, bear with me, ladies in gentlemen, but i have a new podcast to offer, in cahoots with liquid gothic radio. it’ll air there over the course of the next few weeks, but it can also be downloaded in a link below, for anyone interested! here’s the tracklist:

1. in a dream- chrome
2. otto’s song- cockatoo
3. for whom the bells toll- fad gadget
4. cytogenetic movement- linear movement
5. ami-amant- opera de nuit
6. visions- fall of saigon
7. misery- epee du bois
8. love is the slug- fuzzbox
9. madman- snowy red
10. beautiful losers- clock dva
11. pure joy in my heart- asylum party
12. blue flower- xeno & oaklander
13. garlands- cocteau twins
14. scripts- the hunt
15. never come back- kas product
16. the hole- weep
17. still- the mary onettes

download it here

and for those who missed the past few:
podcast 1
podcast 2

Systems of Romance- Podcast 02

1. Wild in Blue- Suicide
2. Confusing Outsides- Martial Canterel
3. Magazine- Bunnydrums
4. Fallout Fever- the Floor
5. A Day’s Wait- Altered Images
6. A Shoulder to the Wheel- Bel Canto
7. Rain in the Summertime- The Alarm
8. The Path of Least Resistance- The Human League
9. Ungawa pt. 2- Pulsallama
10. Seagull’s Eye- The Snake Corps
11. Be Brave- The Comsat Angels
12. Looking From a Hilltop (restructure)- Section 25
13. Violent Heartstrings- The Opposite Sex
14. Scream Like an Angel- Brilliant
15. Arena II- Colourbox

*download it here*

podcast 01 link

I’ve always wanted to try my hand at podcasting, even with no more than basic knowledge of the Audacity program, so I’ve spent this otherwise sickly day creating my very first, and I’ve decided to upload it here for any interested parties. Feedback welcome! More to come in the future!

Systems of Romance: Podcast 1

1. Lives of Angels- ‘Pavilion’
2. Adult.- ‘Hand to Phone (Cordless Mix)’
3. Cabaret Voltaire- ‘Why Kill Time When You Can Kill Yourself’
4. Jeff & Jane Hudson- ‘Pound Pound’
5. De Press- ‘The Fatal Day’
6. Silent Signals- ‘Banshee Girl’
7. Ciccone Youth- ‘Into the Groove(y)’
8. Colin Newman- ‘Order For Order’
9. Dandi Wind- ‘Monster Dinosaur’
10. The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa- ‘Fluidum’
11. Charles de Goal- ‘Synchro’
12. The Chameleons- ‘Dali’s Picture’
13. Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft- ‘Kebab Traume’
14. Pluramon- ‘Hello Shadow’
15. For Against- ‘Shine’
16. The Knife- ‘Girls Night Out’
17. Crass- ‘Our Wedding’

*download it here*

Today’s band, Sixteens, has managed to gain a fair amount of worldwide notoriety over the past few years of relentless touring and recording.

The outfit, consisting of duo Kristen Louise and Verve Pauli (with the occasional collaborator or guest) birthed from San Francisco and is now based in the heart of Berlin. Both Kristen and Verve share vocal duties and instrumentation both live and on record.

Their sound combines a variety of aesthetics, from the cold, pulsing art-madness of Suicide, the dark wave and deathrock of the Skeletal Family, and a slew of minimal wave acts, many of which have been featured on this page in the past.

The band has released a handful of previous albums and series of split 7” with acts such as Hungry Eye Records’ the Vanishing before signing to the label proper, releasing both the Fendi EP in 2006 and the full length Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off just this year. For your listening pleasure, I’ve uploaded a track from Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off as well as a track featured on the 2003 Witches of the West compilation.

download Sixteens- ‘Aphrodite’
download Sixteens- ‘This Knife’

For photos, purchasing information, and all other info on Sixteens, please visit these local haunts:

Official Sixteens homepage

Sixteens on Hungry Eye Records

Not only am I excited to write about today’s band, but I’m also rather excited to be sharing the stage with them in just a few short hours at the notorious Club Midway here in New York City.

San Francisco’s The Holy Kiss walks similar paths as Sixteen Horsepower, the Gun Club, and the Bad Seeds; a bluesy, raw, country-thick stomp with the fire and passion of a post-punk outfit in their prime. The vocals and lyrics act as shrieking gospel of heartbreak and ruminating ghosts while the bass and drums trash rhythmically- the slide guitar holding it all together with delicious ethereal tension. There’s just as much Son House and Bessie Smith as there is Rowland S. Howard in this band’s repertoire.

The band began with a spark in the new millennium, and though they’ve already been through several lineup changes since their conception, the band’s progress has yet to slow. After a slew of rare compilation appearances, Shot Love on the Back Line appeared in 2007 as their first record proper. The album was released under Swedish greats Release the Bats. Meanwhile, our friends at Hungry Eye Records compiled those rare offshoot appearances and singles on to one self-titled collection for those taken with the band and anxious to get ahold of these oddities.

I’ve taken two of my favorite Holy Kiss tracks and tossed them up for today’s consumption, and I pray you find them as captivating as I do… Both of these tracks are featured on their debut record, Shot Love on the Back Line:

download The Holy Kiss- ‘A Dancehall Goodbye’
download The Holy Kiss- ‘Black, Etc.’

and here’s an official video for ‘Black, Etc.,’ directed by Dion Olivier:

For more on the Holy Kiss, visit these sites:

the official Holy Kiss site

purchase albums from Hungry Eye Records

and be sure to come see them (and us) play this evening if you’re in the NYC area! 9pm, Club Midway- 25 ave. B, Manhattan.

No synthesizers this time ladies and gentlemen, for today’s band is all organic, and as intense as can be. Furthermore, unlike most of the bands featured on this page thus far, they’re alive and well.

Hailing from Bloomington, Indiana, Turn Pale is a powerful post-punk unit complete with razor-sharp rhythmic basslines, howling vocals, and shuddering guitar licks backed with thundering drums. The band’s fury and hypnotic rhythm draws comparisons to the likes of the Birthday Party and Public Image Ltd. while remaining fresh as ever.

On the band’s homepage, they describe themselves as 3 parts Factory, 1 part 4ad, and 1 part Mute, a fitting concoction that defines their cold, yet atmospheric blend of dance punk, which claims to be even more captivating live. As far as recorded output is concerned, Turn Pale has a duo of 7” releases and two full-length records in the can; 2003’s Kill the Lights and 2007’s Mock Trial/Hung Jury. Today’s audio treats are a pair of tracks, one from each of these records. In chronological order, no less!

download Turn Pale- ‘Peaceable Kingdom
download Turn Pale- ‘Fuseable Link’

and to catch a glimpse of the band’s intense live show, here’s a youtube video for ‘Lights Melt Away,’ recorded on tour for Kill the Lights.

For all comprehensive official site information, including a few more free mp3s, purchasing information, photos, and all that jazz, click this link:

Official Turn Pale homepage

Formed in San Francisco in 1978, today’s band Units are among the very first of the synthpunk era, releasing a self-titled single in 1978. Pioneers through and through, the band abandoned the ferocity of the guitar and carried the harsh rhythms and fury of punk with a slew of synthesizers.

The band, featuring a revolving door lineup of musicians over the course of six years, managed to release a handful of singles and EPs, and one critically acclaimed album entitled Digital Stimulation. The band’s momentum and passion secured opening slots for the likes of Sparks, Ultravox, Gary Numan, Dead Kennedys, Psychedelic Furs, and Soft Cell over their tenure, and their live performances often contained a variety of backdrops and film projections, adding a touch of performance art to their craft.

The band peaked with Billboard Dance Chart success with ‘The Right Man,’ an early MTv video for ‘A Girl Like You,’ and the band signed to Epic/CBS records, but were unable to keep it together, splitting after two failed attempts to record new material under the label. The two shelved recordings have yet to surface, though a compilation of Units material is slated to be released later this year.

Here’s a trifecta of tracks from Units. The first, ‘Digital Stimulation,’ is featured on their 1980 record of the same name. The following two tracks hail from an early 7” recording.

download Units- ‘Digital Stimulation’
download Units- ‘Warm Moving Bodies’
download Units- ‘iNight’

I’m unable to embed the video for ‘A Girl Like You’ due to restraints on the only uploaded YouTube file, but if you’re interested watching this silly, silly video, click here:

watch ‘A Girl Like You’ on YouTube.

Units material is rather hard to track down, aside form the occasional LP or single spotting. If you see any, snap it up! Otherwise, for a more full discography and other information on the band, here’s a link for their site on synthpunk.org.

Units page

Happy Monday, ladies and gentlemen… To kick off this week, here’s a long-forgotten band with a recent bit of buzz surrounding their work.

Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons claimed to have formed by accident in 1980. Originally called Gdansk, the Swedish art-punk band employed quirky rhythms and fizzing synthesizers at dizzying speeds, and only managed to release a handful of singles and live compilation tracks before disbanding in 1981, soon after an aborted attempt to carry on with a new lead singer.

Though there’s been rumours of shows buzzing about in the underground, Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons still remain an ephemeral splash. Realising that a new generation of music fans were craving more than the few previously offered scraps, the band released a compilation entitled Best Off just this year, featuring their recorded studio output and a series of live songs never before bootlegged.

For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded two of the band’s best known tunes, ‘Happy Funeral’ and ‘Ice Cream to God,’ both of which were early 7” releases.

download Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons – ‘Happy Funeral’
download Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons- ‘Ice Cream to God’

Best Off, the Kitchen & the Plastic Spoons compilation can be found and ordered through CD Baby by clicking this link:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/kitchenatps

Though I’ve scoured the usual channels for information, I found next to nothing on today’s artist, UK wave outfit Lelu/Lu’s, aside from a handful of compilation releases. I’ve only managed to come across two of these elusive tracks in their discography, but what a duo they are. Lo-fi, catchy, quirky, female fronted wave. The first, ‘Down My Spine’ is a stand alone track, looped with a bit of flute throughout while the second track, the more bombastic ‘Africa’ is featured on a split 7” with fellow Belgian new wave act Bene Gesserit.

If anyone has any additional information on this band, including sources for other tracks and information, by all means, drop a comment and pass them along! Otherwise, here’s today’s downloads:

download Lelu Lus- ‘Down My Spine’
download Lelu Lus- ‘Africa’

Thanks to Irk the Purists for a few additional bits and bobs!