Madame Edwarda- Illuminé K7

Posted in 1980s, 1986, goth, goth-rock, japan, japanese, post-punk on June 2, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy Monday, folks!  Here’s a generous donation of a very special Japanese cassette, courtesy of Elias, who runs an excellent Facebook page on the Japanese goth movement.  Until now, I hadn’t heard much about Madame Edwarda, just some passing familiarity with the name, but I’m psyched to offer this release from 1986.  Fans of Japanese post-punk/goth bands such as G-Schmitt and D-Day should find lots to love here.

This is one of five releases from Madame Edwarda, a four piece band who, even at first glance, seemed very influenced by The Damned, Bauhaus, etc.  The band formed in 1980 and took their name from a Georges Bataille’s novel of the same name. Their earlier releases are more straightforward goth-rock affairs, while this cassette combines those influences with an experimental, almost neo-classical approach (see also In the Nursery for a suitable reference point).  There are several killer goth tunes here, including “Honey,” “La Nuit,” and “Marionette,” while other tracks are a bit more esoteric, mixing carnival-esque melodies, synth choir patches, and what sounds like cellos from time to time (though may very well be synth patches as well).  All in all, it’s an incredibly interesting listen from front to back.

The cassette box itself is a rather curious affair, with a larger box and book with rather intricate designs inspired by Aubrey Beardsley and Art Nouveau designs, which more or less sets the stage for the aural treats on this tape.

Ps- for anyone looking to hear their other releases, Elias has provided me a few links to share as well… They aren’t his own, nor mine, but if anyone would like to hear more and can’t find them elsewhere, please leave a note and I’ll upload them soon.  That said, you can still get a copy of the Lorelei 12” from the band’s official site.  With that in mind, here’s the information for this excellent cassette, with embedded English translations courtesy of Elias as well!

Madame Edwarda- Illuminé K7
1. 混声合唱 (Mixed Choir)
2. Carnival
3. 夜間飛行 (Night Flight)
4. 夜想曲～ノクターン～ (Nocturne)
5. 幻惑 (Enchanting)
6. 回転木馬～メリーゴーラウンド～ (Carousel～Merry-Go-Round～)
7. 青い悪魔 (Blue Devil)
8. 大観覧車 (Ferris Wheel)
9. サーカス (Circus)
10. 恋歌～ロマンス～ (Love Song～Romance～)
11. Le Château
12. Honey
13. コクトーの剣 (Sword of Cocteau)
14. Marionette
15. La Nuit
16. 夢想 (Reverie)
17. Emeralde

*download it here*

3 Comments »

Crux Ansata- I Feel the Atmosphere 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1990, crux ansata, darkwave, endraum, german, goth, goth-rock, neutral project, post-punk on May 22, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy world goth day, everyone!  Figured I’d chime in and celebrate with an updated version of one of my favorite darkwave/goth classics, the lone 12” from Germany’s Crux Ansata.  You may have seen this one on Dreams and Voices in the past, but here’s a fresh rip I made of the record early last year.  The opening epic, “Remembrances” is one of my favorite cold, gloomy tracks, perfect for this rainy, foggy day in NYC and beyond.

This record was released in 1989, and while it’s their only release, both members were active in other bands.  Both Hovi Miskovics and Roman Rütten continued in Endraum after this 12”, and also released one song as A Foamy Project In Neutral Days, a supergroup of sorts with Neutral Project.  You can find the one track they recorded together on the infamous Supercherie compilation from 1991.

Crux Ansata- I Feel the Atmosphere 12”
1. Remembrance
2. No Time For Lies
3. Imprinted In My Mind
4. This Night of Memories

*download it here*

Stay tuned over the next few weeks for some more dancefloor-ready 12”s, some unheard discoveries, even more new and improved rips of old classics, and one of these days, a new VA comp. coming down the pipeline!

5 Comments »

Asmodi Bizarr- Sunsierra LP+12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, asmodi bizarr, cathedral of tears, german, Glenn Matlock, goth-rock, post-punk on May 15, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Asmodi+Bizarr+ab1

A few notes of housekeeping before today’s post— I’ve re-ripped and reuploaded a few things, mainly upgrading bitrates of Epitaphe, De Press, Boytronic, and Bushido from a while back.  I’ve also re-ripped a few more things that I’m slowly working through, so there should be a few more of these upgrades to come, as well as a lot of new, unheard stuff that I can’t wait to share with you…

Here we have Asmodi Bizarr’s classic Sunsierra LP, a landmark in female fronted post-punk in the veins of Xmal Deutschland, Stimmen Der Stille, Cry of the Innocent, etc.   The band hailed from Düsseldorf, Germany and released three albums and one demo 7” (would love to hear this!) before calling it a day in the early 90s.   Members of the band also recorded a 7” compilation track under the name Aspirin.  Fortunately, the band can be found on Facebook, and has since reunited to play shows in 2011 and 2014, respectively.  They’re playing this year’s Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival, so I hope those headed out that way can check them out and report back!

This is their first LP, released in 1986 as an LP+12” package, featuring two of the band’s best songs as the bonus LP cuts.  Some of you may have seen this posted elsewhere, but this particular copy is freshly ripped and cleaned up for maximum listening enjoyment.  To those who haven’t heard it yet, it’s one of my all time favorites.  Either way, hope you enjoy it!

Asmodi Bizarr- Sunsierra LP+12”
1. Spin the Wheel
2. Liebeslied
3. The Bride
4. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte
5. Memories
6. The Dreamvision Song
–
7. Traumland
8. Grüne Augen
9. Dorian

*download it here*

9 Comments »

Azile- La Sainte 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1988, azile, coldwave, france, french, lyon, post-punk on April 29, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

It’s been a dog’s age, ladies and gents- or at least it feels like it’s been some time since my last post.  Life’s been a bit crazy here, but all is well, and I’m hoping to resume regular activity here soon.  With that in mind, here’s a new acquisition originally introduced to me by the always astute Stéphane B. of coldwave.fr.  Olivier, the singer and guitarist of the band was kind enough to send me a copy and to lend his permission to share the single here with you all.

This is the lone release by Azile, a French coldwave band from Lyon, home of some of the best bands of the era, including Gestalt, L’Enfance Éternelle, Opéra De Nuit, etc.  The latter is actually an excellent touchstone, as I find some sonic similarities between the A-side of this single and ODN tracks such as “Inviation” and “Karen Lloyd.”   It’s a short blast of excellent coldwave that I’m glad exists in this world, no matter how obscure.  The flip is no slouch either, combining acoustic guitar and churning synth stabs.

This 7” was self-funded and self-released by the band in 1988, though Olivier mentioned that the band recorded a few more tracks around the same time.  I hope to be able to share those with you soon, but in the meantime, here’s the details for this excellent single.

Azile- La Sainte 7”
1. La Sainte
2. L’Homme Qui Tombe

*download it here*

4 Comments »

Hymn- Coming Home & Too Many Lies K7s

Posted in 1980s, 1983, 1984, coldwave, hymn, minimal, minimal synth, post-punk on April 2, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a generous donation of two rare cassette releases from Hymn, a French coldwave band who released a more well known 12” on Nova Express in 1984.  These two cassettes were recorded shortly before that record, the first of which was self-released in 1983, while the other appeared on Autoproduit a few months before the 12”.  While the band’s trademark Joy Division influence can still be heard here, the instrumentation is more on the minimal synth side of the spectrum, with the classic TR606 providing the backbone to the gloomy, Ian Curtis-esque vocals.  I believe the band was originally a trio, and added a drummer just before recording the 12”.

That said, don’t let the sparse instrumentation and the shorter track length fool you, these tracks are still as cold as ever, and there are just enough guitars in the mix to make things interesting.  Without any further adieu, here’s the info for these two gems:

hymn--coming-home

Hymn- Coming Home K7 (1983)
1. Danger
2. Die For You
3. I Guess
4. I Am The Absolute
5. Shock Of The Dates
6. Comin’ Home
7. Nos Pieds et Nos Têtes

hymn--too-many-lies

Hymn- Too Many Lies K7 (1984)
1. Never Show Me
2. Too Many Lies
3. I Can
4. Give Me
5. Like In My Dreams
6. Surch Me
7. Hymn
8. Hope I Dream
9. Lost World

*download both tapes here*

10 Comments »

Move- Move K7

Posted in 1980s, 1985, demo, goth, goth-rock, italian, move, post-punk on March 28, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Sorry for the huge delay in posting, ladies and gents.  That said, good things come to those who wait, and I have quite a few obscurities to share to make up for my disappearance.  First up we have a previously unheard Move demo tape from 1985, ripped by a good friend in Italy.  This tape precedes the Move out Sight cassette and the self-titled LP by a year and change and features a handful of otherwise unreleased songs from the Move catalog, as well as a few that appear elsewhere over the years.

I believe this tape completes the Move discography, though I also have been sent a live performance from S.P.S.P., which featured some members from Move.  The tracklisting is unknown, but the band also performed a few Move songs in the set.  I don’t generally go for live tapes, but I hope to post that sometime down the line for anyone who’s interested.  In the meantime, here’s the info for this cassette:

move

Move- Move K7
1. Speeding Speed/Sweet Move
2. Kronstadt
3. Ragazzo Di Strada
4. Re Sole
5. Salto Nel Vuoto
6. When I’m With Myself
7. Lacrime & Sangue
8. Romano
9. F.L.C.T.
10. Lo Scoglio

*download it here*

6 Comments »

The Sensational Creed- Nocturnal Operations 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1985, 39 lyon street, 7'', billy mackenzie, christine beveridge, jih, minimal, minimal synth, orbidöig, steve reid, synth, synthpop, the associates, the sensational creed on February 26, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

I spent the majority of last year re-ripping a lot of my 7” collection and delicately cleaning up the sound (you can find more evidence of this here), so to tide you over until I finish putting the finishing touches on a new VA compilation, I figured I’d post a few of these here and there.  I’ll have that VA comp up in the next week or two, so stay tuned!

This has always been one of my favorite semi-obscure 7”s, clocking tons of plays and spins over the years.  This single was originally released on Situation Two in 1981 under the name Orbidöig, and this particular version was released in 1985 on Beggars Banquet with an identical track listing (though Down Periscopes has become Down Pericomoscopes for whatever reason. though likely a misprint).  I’m not sure why the band changed their name in general, but Sensational Creed is certainly a little easier to type…  There’s a third Orbidöig/Sensational Creed song on the 12” version of this reissue, a killer instrumental track that clocks in at 10 minutes, but I don’t own a physical copy of the 12”, so I won’t include it here for the time being.

Otherwise, this single has strong Associates connections, with Billy Mackenzie often calling Orbidöig his favorite band, despite their relative obscurity at the time.  The a-side features heavenly vocals from Christine Beveridge, who sang backup on several tracks (and Big Country’s breakthrough!) and also wiggled another “side project” out of the affair under the name 39 Lyon Street, created by Mackensie and Alan Rankine to release a single outside of their contract, with Ms. Beveridge on lead vocals and a properly credited Associates cut on the flip.  Steve Reid was also the second guitarist of the Associates, playing on 1985’s Perhaps after Rankine and Michael Dempsey’s departure three years prior.  It was likely this lineup change that dug this single out of obscurity and prompted a re-release.  Reid also played synths in Nu Shooz and bass on two tracks for Jih.  As if that wasn’t enough, Mackenzie also played tubular bells on the a-side here (though he is incorrectly credited as doing so on the b-side on the sleeve), while he and Mike Hedges (The Cure/Fiction Records) manned the mixing board with Reid.   The result is a killer single that while very Associates-esque in execution, stands on its own as a classic.

There’s another Orbidöig single, released in 1982 under the name Mackenzie sings Orbidöig, which features Billy on vocals and Reid on instruments.   I believe this one is considered an Associates release, taking the lineup changes and timing into consideration, and the track appears on a recent Associates singles collection.

Sensational Creed- Nocturnal Operations 7”
1. Nocturnal Operations
2. Down Pericomoscopes

*download it here*

7 Comments »

Karen Marks- Cold Café 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, ash wednesday, australia, australian, karen marks, karen marx, minimal, minimal synth, modern jazz, new wave, the metronomes, thealonian music on February 10, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Winter is continuing to beat me down here in New York, so here’s something as frigid as the weather has been lately. We’ll just ignore the fact that this cold, minimal gem comes from down under, where the temperatures are as warm as the reefs are deadly. I’m also drinking a cup of cold coffee as I drink this, so seems like an apt time to post. Thanks especially to Bruce for ripping his copy of this incredibly scarce single, which I’m told recently sold for over 500 Australian dollars! That’s one expensive cup of coffee…

This particular Australian gem was released in 1981.  The central character here, with a beautifully sad voice is Karen Marks, with The Metronomes/Modern Jazz/Thealonian Music’s Ash Wednesday appearing as a musical partner. He is credited as producer, but also co-wrote the b-side. As for Karen, there’s no information to be found about her, though she did sing backup on Ash’s equally scarce and equally cold but slightly more aggressive Love By Numbers 7” (occasionally credited as Karen Marx). Despite keeping a low profile, she still appears to be in league with Ash, appearing live in 2012 to perform “Love By Numbers” at the Crystal Bowlroom in St. Kilda. Check that out after the download link.

While “Won’t Wear It Too Long” features a more full arrangement and feels like more of an a-side, I go especially nuts for the title track, a melancholy love letter ripe with restrained desperation. That said, both song seem to tell a similar tale of lost love by the television, with a cup of coffee being the central metaphor. No matter which side you prefer, both tracks have that certain je ne sais quoi that makes these kind of singles so cherished, despite how off-the-grid they are.

As far as I understand, this single was issued without a picture sleeve, so all we have is a nondescript center label…

Karen Marks- Cold Café 7”
1. Cold Café
2. Won’t Wear It For Long

*download it here*

As promised, here’s a live performance of Ash Wednesday’s “Love By Numbers” from 2012, with Karen performing her trademark backing vocals:

11 Comments »

Inbase- Christine 12”/7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, die toten hosen, german, inbase, minimal, minimal synth, new wave, synthpop on January 28, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another minimal synth classic that I believe has disappeared from the blogosphere, but also wasn’t ever shared in its complete form, as far as I can recall.  You can still hear this track at various clubs across the globe, and it was certainly in regular rotation in my own sets over the years. It also begs the question- who the hell is Christine and why does she have so many songs written about her?

Inbase was a studio project between three German musicians, Andreas Von Holst, Stefan Telegdy, and Herbert Böhme. They recorded this classic single in 1984, chock full of stabby guitar liness, driving electronic drums, and synth hooks at every turn (fans of Xoris Perideraio’s “48 Siopes” or Cinema 90’s “In Ultra Violet” should love this one, too). The single did fairly well at the time, garnering a pantomimed appearance on a German television show (linked below), but I don’t believe the trio ever performed live or recorded any further material together. Böhme would go on to record under several different monikers into the 90s, while I believe Von Holst is still active in Die Toten Hosen (under the name Kuddel), a punk band he joined in 1983.

There are three versions of “Christine” spread across various formats. I’ve included both 12” versions as well as the 7” single mix. I don’t happen to have the 7” instrumental edit, but if I come across it, I’ll be sure to include it in an update. That begs the question however- does anyone truly crave instrumental b-sides? It’s generally an italo phenomenon but I’ve seen it a few other times. I generally don’t listen to them myself, but I’ve always been tempted to make minimal synth/italo karaoke files with the handful of straightforward instrumental mixes I’ve acquired over the years… Any New Yorkers up for this? Anyway, I digress. Here come the downloads:

Inbase- Christine 12”
1. Christine
2. Christine (Instrumental)

bonus- Christine (7” Mix)

*download it here*

As promised, here’s an edited TV appearance of the track:

5 Comments »

Sally Patience- The Triangle Man 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, electro, electronic, minimal, minimal synth, new wave, sally patience, synth, synthpop, uk on January 15, 2014 by Frankie Teardrop

Before we get started on new posts for 2014, may I please direct your attention to the following re-rips and reuploads:

B-Movie- Singles (new rips of Nowhere Girl, Remembrance Day, Marilyn Dreams, & the addition of A Letter From Afar 12”)
Signal Aout 42- Pleasure and Crime (new rip)
U-Bahn X- Young Hearts of Europe (new rip, new 7”’ rip, + digitally inserting Jabba the Hutt on side B)

Otherwise, sorry for slacking!  I have a bunch of new, unheard posts in the works, a new various artists compilation, as well as a few re-rips of classics from my own personal collection to keep us busy for the first part of the year.  So with that in mind, let’s kick the year off with a minimal synth classic that I believe was posted before by the great BX, but has disappeared since.  I came across a cheap, sleeveless copy of this one in a dollar bin here in NYC, played it once or twice at WIERD, and promptly forgot that I had it until recently, when reorganizing and digitizing my 7”’ collection.  This one is a tried and true killer, a bizarre electronic romp from 1984 with thick synth bass, disco strings, and eerie female vocals.  The best analogy I can think of is dystopian disco- the kind of dance music that you’d dance to in Blade Runner or Logan’s Run, for example…  The chorus is especially killer, and pays off in spades (human is so humorless- love that line).  Fans of JYL/Angela Werner should also love this one.  The b-side is equally stunning, a more unsettling synth track with a flamenco flair and backwards masked vocal samples.

This is the only single Sally Patience released, and no one knows what happened to her afterwards…  Just a brief moment, as some of the best gems tend to be.

Sally Patience- The Triangle Man 7”
1. The Triangle Man
2. Buried In My Boots

*download it here*

7 Comments »

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