Post Punk in Italy

My offering for you today is a series of fantastic comps compiled by a very good friend of mine for us here at Nightmares on Wax, where their prime focus is mostly on many key elemental bands of the Italian punk, post punk, dark wave and goth scenes. The first part of this series showcase some of the more cult bands of the Italian Post punk scene and of coarse some delightful obscurities thrown in for good measure

Without getting too much into various historical facts and other tediums, the Italian post punk scene mostly started making a bigger headway around 1979, with many of the first eminent bands appearing in Bologna and Pordenone. When finally the musical scene came into full force, Florence then became  the capital of the Italian post punk and wave movement and produced cult bands such as Diaframma and Litfiba in which I'll explain a little bit more about these two bands below.

                                                                   
Diaframma

Is probably one of the most notable and famous Italian bands of this era. With an initial start in '79 under the strong and constant direction of Federico Fiumani, the one constant member of Diaframma. They had various vocalist changes over their career as a band but first started out with Nicola Vannini as frontman. Which during this time drew in a bit of a cult following becoming known as something of an 'Italian Joy Division'. Then switched over to Nick Vannini as the new frontman, giving Diaframma even more of a darker sound and presence. In 1984 for the album Siberia yet another new front man (Miro Sassolini) would take over changing yet again the entire presence of the band, but this time around changing from being a bi-lingual lyrical band to just their pure Italian roots...thus beginning the real era of Diaframma. Siberia is probably considered one of the best Italian post punk albums and a fundamental for the whole Italian rock movement because from this particular album  numerous Italian bands would state as a key inspiration.

                                                                          
 Litfiba

Starting out in the earlier part of the 80's, Litfiba was equally important and responsible for bringing the Italian language to post punk music just as Diaframma was. They also are considered one of the most famous Italian bands in Europe and toured quite frequently throughout various parts of the continent. Their style is a very traditional type of post-punk with synthpop elements which is probably presented best in their 'Luna La Preda' 7''. They also would occasionally explore more experimental realms with such songs as 'Eneide di Krypton'. Nearing the end of the 80's though they still were together producing music but changed to more of an alternative rock and pop rock band.

                                                               
  Underground Life

During the latter part of the 70's various other cult bands were beginning to form in Italy, especially one worth mentioning from Monza, a city which was not too far from Milan called Underground Life. In '79 they released their first 7"  'Noncurance / Black Out' which managed to make it's way into the Rough Trade store front, being displayed and sold as 'Italian punk rock '. 

Their style and sound changed quite often during their time together as a band,  in which they experimented quite often with different elements of post punk, synthpop, minimal wave and new wave and incorporated each bit together into very stark and bleak ballads
....' punk rock ' indeed.

                                                                     
 Dirty Actions  

One of the first post punk bands from Genova that like so many other great bands, only lasted a very short period.Their sound is utterly infectious and does get you moving, especially on such tracks as 'Bandana Boys'... filled with moveable dub beats, twangy guitars and chaotic synth melodies.

                                                                       
 Gaznevada

Originally from Bologna, they formed sometime in '77making them probably one of the first real post punk bands in Italy. Don't quote me on that one though. Their sound was a mix of elementary post punk and no wave weirdness, which resulted in a frenetic and dirty sounding post punk. 

Later on they would become more of an Italo Disco group and just broke the initial band name to Gaz Nevada.

So enjoy the comp below and let us know what you think ..

Italian Post Punk Compilation vol 1.

Dark Tales - 1984
Dirty Actions - Bandana Boys
Gaznevada - Blue Tv Set
Dissolutio Humani Generis - Psico
Definitive Gaze - The Wire Blaze
Diskanto - Trafficanti
Vox Rei - Fear
Litfiba - La preda
Neurox - Raving Night
Pale Tv - Night Toys
Polaroid - Vita Immaginaria
After Budapest - In The Firedance
Marte in Ariete - Ultimi fuochi
Underground Life -Glass House
Spleen - Searchin' For Love
Diaframma - Siberia
Viridanse - Justine
Mickeranno - Da un'altra parte
Panjandrum - A Grey Landing On a Country

Tuxedomoon needs your help !

Tuxedomoon is currently having plans for a new project, live dates, new recordings and Film, but need financial support to help back these various endeavors. They've started a pledge drive over at Pledge Music to help get some financial backing and with just a few days left they are almost at goal. So I encourage you to go check it out here and pledge something if you can to enable the continuation of this band's genius being brought to daylight.

Disco Inferno - In Debt

'In Debt' is an absolutely stunning compilation made up of their earlier works. When listening to this be prepared to dissolve and disintegrate into the room around you.
With such lush dreamy soundscapes and beautiful rolling, angular guitars Disco Inferno would of made it quite at home with some of the earlier 4AD bands, it just goes without saying that this album most definitely does not sound like it's from the early 90's. One thing I guarantee though, this will get repeated listens and a deeper love for them will begin to grow just as it has for me.

Indebt (1992)

Entertainment

Arc In Round

Broken

Emigré 

Interference

Leisuretime

Set Sail

Hope To God

Free Thought

Bleed Clean

Next in Line

Incentives

Waking Up

Glancing Away

Fallen Down The Wire

No Edge, No End

The Rosemarys - The Rosemarys 1994 (USA)

 Fiending for a nice dose of shoegaze this week ?..The Rosemarys are sure to make you melt. 

Their sophomore release is filled with back to back tracks of swirly-soothing-spacey-dreamy-neopsych loveliness that floats somewhere in between The House Of Love and Breathless.

Video for 'Catherine' ...gotta love that haircut

The Rosemarys -self titled (1994)

Dizzy Girl

Catherine

Dear Margaret

Sparkle

Sediment

Katherine

Dissolve

Spaceman

Higher

Colourwheel

Saccharin

Frozen

  

VA - Kindred Spirits a Bedazzled Label Sampler (1994)

Now that I finally found a halfway decent file-sharing site, I've slowly began to get links back up and get everything organized and 'somewhat' sorted. Which happily brings me to my latest offering that is inspired by me listening far too much to the newest Dead Can Dance album and getting locked back in to this 4AD atmospheric mood again. What I have here is one of the first samplers Bedazzled every released and is filled back to back with dreamy swirly goth and shoegaze tracks this label was known for producing. Bedazzled were very much or I should say trying to be the US equivalent to 4AD, very much like Los Angeles label, Independent Project. I posted their Second Sampler Woke Up Smiling on here the middle of last year if you missed that. Now on to a few key highlights on bands and tracks off of the comp.

Big Hat  - Pocketful

were a goth band out of Chicago from the very early 90's and in all aspects very much a 4AD band but not on the label. Their sound is best described as what happens when you mix Dead Can Dance and The Cocteau Twins together in one lush and teeming musical cocktail.

The Garden - Blythe Spirit

one of the best tracks off the whole comp comes from a virtually unknown band out of Pittsburgh, PA. Their history goes back as far as 1985 and are know as 'Pittsburgh's first goth band'. More info about them will be coming up in my next blog post where I'll be sharing some of their demos and a Compilation Cd with remastered tracks that came out in 1997..so check back for that soon.









VA - Kindred Spirits (1994)

Strange Boutique -  The Charm

Switchblade Symphony - Clown

The Curtain Society - Adrenaline

Siddal - Pontus

Ultracherry Violet - Falling In Love

Mistle Thrush-Whispers

Big Hat -Pocketful ( remix )

Twelve Tone Failure - As I Hit The Floor

Viola Peacock - Shave Your Head

Opium Den - Blackwell Road

This Ascension - Admire

The Garden - Blithe Spirit

Purple Ivy Shadows - Carry Nation For The First Time

If you liked some of the bands on here you can find full albums from The Curtain Society and Siddal  on some past posts.

'Dialogue' The new And Also The Trees documentary

View the new unofficial 50 min documentary..very good and tastefully done

The Soft Moon - Die Life **new song**

just freshly released today a new track from the dark and dirgy mind of Luis Vasquez. A little teaser of what is to come on the forthcoming album Zeros due out Oct. 30 / Nov 5 (EU) via Captured Tracks label.

Mediafire account suspended

You know folks sometimes we speak too soon, but as always I will never let them win !  you know you spend 3 years on a blog so I refuse to give up just yet..so fuck 'em ! All posts and links will be back up as soon as I find a good alternative. Any recommendations for good file-sharing sites are welcome and well needed at this point.

Mediafire/dead links/ New posts

Luckily Nightmares on Wax hasn't been hit to hard with the tight grip mediafire has began to take hold of on various uploaded files, especially if they have similar names to well known artists / album titles etc. A few things though have been dropped and have been brought to my attention, thank to everyone who left comments and or emailed me to inform me about this, I'll get the links back up as soon as possible.
Also expect some fresh posts soon..some experimental goth and darkwave stuff from the States and a few more out-of-print swirly shoegaze samplers from Bedazzled records.  I promise I'm not kicking this blog to the curb just yet, so thanks again to all of you who still check back from time to time and follow this shitty music blog ;)

Matador (Germany) 1982-1991

Matador was a female fronted German band founded in 1982 by Gudrun Gut, Manon P. Duursma of the cult band Malaria! and Beate Bartel of Liaisons Dangereuses. They spent the early years mostly focused on live performances and contributing to avante-garde films since all were still involved with their respective bands. In '87 they finally managed to put down some tracks and release A Touch Beyond Canned Love which is an intensive debut with just the right amount of experimentation and by far the darkest of their three albums. Songs like 'Komm' and 'Abortion' are ladened with sexy and icy vocals, booming thundering drums, bleak sampling and sequences and a haunted blaring Trumpet looped in the mix. You hear more of an influence from their previous bands in this first album which I think is far from a bad thing. Their second release Sun is steeped more so in a goth rock atmosphere with the use of more guitar and bass but still managing to use dark pop elements especially in their dooming but catchy version of 'Stop! in The Name of Love'. Then you have songs like 'Sun' that is just pure sexual black magic. Over all you can tell in this album the three stepped more out of their familiar elements they were use to in their previous bands and started to create more of a cohesive and specialized sound that is Matador. Their last and final release Écoute even though it was released in the 90's still managed to have that 80's feel with back to back tracks of gloomy and chilly synth pop which is most deliciously presented in the songs 'Memory' and 'Mother'. Matador was something that stood apart from the rest of the Trash Pop that was coming out in droves during this time in Europe. Their dark and unorthodox approach to pop and wave music kept them just under the radar, and sometimes that is not always a bad thing, music like this just doesn't burn and sizzle out it stays branded on the hearer and is easily not forgotten.

A Touch Beyond Canned Love (1987)

Komm

On The Boat

Abortion

Low

Release

Angel

Nite Time

You Made Me

Searose

 

Sun (1989)

Dancetrance

3 Coins

Hold Me

Smoke & Fire

Sun

Stop! In The Name Of Love

Red Light

The Man

Missing

Paradise

Écoute (1991) 

Pushing

Gumbo

Words

Frucht

Nobody Knows

Going Home

Tore Stadt

Schreiender Tag

Memory

Promise

Mother

Nan

Hello England !

So yet I have moved house once again and now to England, thus the reason for no new blog post the past few months. I promise I do have some delightful treats for you that are currently packed away..once I get myself settled and dig some things out I will get back to ripping again. I have some plans to re-rip a few lower quality albums that I have already shared up to 320 and reup new links. I also plan in between my new posts to share with you all 50 of my most favorite albums of all time. I have had a few people ask me this over the last few years I have been writing for this blog and I found it a rather good idea.

In fact, I'm rather interested in hearing what are your 50 top albums of all time.

Until then I just wanted to Thank each and everyone of our followers and for being patient in between my infrequent posts, and promises once I get my ass in gear Nightmares on Wax will be filled with more musical delights for your listening pleasure.

cheers ! and A Happy New Year to you all