Nightmares on Wax

Happy Birthday Adrian Borland

2011-12-06T15:52:00.007+01:00

In honor of Adrian's Birthday today I offer you all one of my favorites out of his solo releases, 5:00AM. You can also grab some of his other work that has been posted on the blog here in the past just click on the 'Adrian Borland' or 'The Sound' Tags to bring you to the posts. So start listening and make this day a remembrance of one of the most underated musicians of our time.

Adrian Borland - 5:00 AM (1997) Earth Records

Stray Bullets
Dangerous Stars
Vampiric
Baby Moon
City Speed
Kissing In The Dark
I'm Your Freedom
The Spinning Room
Redemption's Knees
Between Buildings
Over The Under
Before The Day Begins

Shiva Burlesque (1987-1990) USA

2011-12-02T07:40:00.005+01:00

Before there was Grant Lee Buffalo, there was Shiva Burlesque... the post-punk counterparts to the LA paisley underground. From the mastermind of Grant Lee Phillips, Shiva Burlesque is 'a psychedelically tinged, folky, punky, lyrical, spooky, melancholic musical brew' that managed to put out two of the most exquisite albums to come out of the late 80's Los Angeles indie music scene and have managed to be in my top 100 favorite albums of all time.

Shiva Burlesque were :

Grant Lee Phillips - electric acoustic guitars and vocals
Joey Peters - Drums Percussion
Dick Smack - Bass
Jeffrey Clark - Vocals
Greg Adamson - Cello

Shiva Burlesque (1987) Nate Starkman & Son

Indian Summer
Two Suns
The Lonesome Death Of Shadow Morton
The Black Ship
Morning
Work The Rat
Water Lilies
Train Mystery
Marysupermarket

Mercury Blues (1990) Fundamatal

Who Is The Mona Lisa?
Nez Perzé
Sick Friend
Cherry Orchard
Chester The Chimp
Mercury Blues
Do The Pony
Sparrow's Song
Peace
At Last Our Flag Has Fallen

VA -Viva Los Angeles II

Shiva burlesque - Arabesque

you can grab it here over at the wonderful Phoenix hairpins blog

Fuck Your Dreams, This Is Heaven soundtrack featuring: Niki Mono & members of Minimal Compact & Tuxedomoon

2011-08-10T21:02:00.014+02:00

This is the original soundtrack from a video-film by Wonder Product, and a film which I have yet to see but was a must when I saw the contents. The soundtrack is filled with covers of Syd Barrett, The Yardbirds, Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane and Patti Smith, all done by members of Minimal Compact, Tuxedomoon and the very underrated Niki Mono. They manage to dissect these classics, suck the life out of them and turned these songs into strange and beautiful corpses. It may not be the best material from Tuxedomoon or Minimal Compact, but it's certainly quite fascinating just the same and possibly one of the best soundtracks I have heard in years. It's a must for fans of Minimal Compact and Tuxedomoon.

Fuck Your Dreams This Is Heaven original Soundtrack (1986)

Minimal Compact - Still I'm Sad
Niki Mono & Nikolas Klau - Flaming
Peter Principle - No Man's Land
Niki Mono & Minimal Compact - Marathon
Minimal Compact - Late Night
Nikolas Klau, Steven Brown, Peter Principle - Venus in Furs
Niki Mono & Berry Sakharof - Dancing Barefoot
Steven Brown - Coming Back To Me
Bruce Geduldig & Peter Principle - Ocean

Navastrau - Vergess Mir Nit 7" (1980) US

2011-07-23T01:50:00.001+02:00

Navastrau were a duo from Chicago consisting of Rick Gallo(former member of The Cunts) and vocalist Gretchen Witte; who were also part of the Disturbing Records crew, one of the first punk labels in Chicago. The band was known for their post punk minimal sound and their reluctance to perform live. On August 4th, 1981 they finally decided to do a show at Exit, they billed it as "their first and only" before playing New York, the gig at the Exit sold out.
J. von Damen, one of the writers for The Coolest Retard liked their debut single so much he sent a copy of it to Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk. Who was impressed by the single, but when seeing them was 'underwhelmed' by their live performance. Navastrau also came out with 1 more single in 1981 where a relatively unknown at the time Al Jourgensen would play bass for a few of the tracks.
The thing I really like about this single is that each song slightly differs in style, varying from minimal synth wave to NDW to erratic post punk funk with a blaring sax. While all accompanied by male and female vocals both in German and in English, but what stood out the most was the track 'Looking from an Airplane'. Thanks again to Jason Hall for providing the rip and the artwork.

Navastrau - Vergess Mir Nit 7" (1980)

A1. Vergess Mir Nit
A2. Navastrau Theme
B1. Looking From An Airplane
B2. Continental Welcome

The Justice League of America - Cupid In Reverse (1990) UK

2011-07-13T20:21:00.003+02:00

Their 2nd release off Plastic Head Records (same label as Every New Dead Ghost ) this album is loaded with heavy guitar riffs thunderous bass, tribal drumming and less annoying samples then their 1st release Blackout. over all pretty kickass. Will appeal to those who like Killing Joke, Uk Decay and Theatre of Hate

JLA were:

Bass - James Connor
Guitar - David Bessel
Programmed By - David Bessel
Vocals - Phillip Yeadon

The Justice League of America - Cupid In Reverse (1990)

		Does Anybody Know Any Jokes?
		Curse
		Learn The Rules
		Too Many Movies
		Unleash The Censor
		Cut It Off
		Candidate
		Change Your Mind
		Gun
		Don't Bother Me Now *apologies the bit rate isn't the best

Marilyn's Army - Golden Paradise (1990 ) Germany

2011-06-06T09:00:00.001+02:00

This is the first full length from German band Marilyn's Army. I posted a few months back their first single ' Puppet's of a Broken Dream ', which had a bit more of a darker sound then this debut album. Some tracks on Golden Paradise tend to lean more on the indie pop side, which might turn a few people off but it is no reason to dismiss given it a listen, the self titled track alone is worth it ! Included in with the rip is scans of band info, history, and lyrics.

Mettle - Mettle (1982) Canada

2011-05-28T21:54:00.020+02:00

Mettle - Mettle EP 1982 (limited to 500)

Not to much info could really be found, but Mettle was considered by some to be one of the first bands in Ontario to front the electro/minimal scene in the city and also were a support act for OMD. I really wouldn't go as far as labeling Mettle as minimal wave to me their sound is much more in the new wave/post punk vein. Many thanks to Jason Hall for sharing this 12"

ticket from the gig @ Centennial Hall, London, Ontario,
Tuesday March 9, 1982
(scan courtesy My life in Concert Blog )

James - One Man Clapping (1989) UK

2011-03-24T22:33:00.000+01:00

One Man Clapping was the third album from UK band James, a live album released in 1989. The album was recorded at the Moles Club, Bath, UK on the 14 and 15 November 1988. The album was issued on their own One Man imprint of Rough Trade Records, after parting company with Blanco y Negro/Sire. To fund the album, the band had to borrow 12,000 from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Initially, the bank manager was not willing to lend the band the money, but after seeing them live in Manchester he agreed.

Because the album was self-funded, only 10,000 CD copies were produced

VA - Woke Up Smiling (1995) A Bedazzled Label Sampler

2011-03-17T13:19:00.004+01:00

Started by the members of the band Strange Boutique, Bedazzled Records was a Washington D.C Based record label that lasted 11 years between 1989 - 1999. They were primarily known for showcasing Dreampop, Shoegaze, Darkwave and Gothrock bands such as: Switchblade Symphony, Strange Boutique, The Curtain Society, Siddal and This Ascension(which ended up moving to Tess records )

VA - Woke Up Smiling (1995)
*Bedazzled Records*

Mistle Thrush - She is a Flower
The Curtain Society - Cradle
Strange Boutique - In the Lonely trees
Where I Wake Warm - Sense Of Skin
Viola Peacock - An Angel A Week
Feast of Saints - In Galleons Lap
Johanna's House Of Glamour - As Far As Forever
Chainsuck - Shindo
Ultracherry Violet - Wayve
Blueshift Signal - Halo *amazing track ! *
Siddal - A Glendale Melody
An April March - Delirium
Underflowers - Psalms to the Sun
Lanterna - Falling

The Sun and the Moon - The Great Escape 1999

2011-02-02T13:00:00.008+01:00

The almost complete anthology of The Sun and The Moon minus one track 'Elected'. The reason why this track was omitted from this compilation was explained by Mark Burgess:

"Due to complications arising around the Alice Cooper Track 'Elected' dispatch of the Sun And The Moon CD 'The Great Escape' will be delayed by around three weeks. This is the situation. When the ep 'alive; not dead' was issued the licensing of this track was in the name of Midnight Music, not Glass Pyramid, as we had always believed. Midnight Music no longer exist and therefore the license is void. We have been trying to sort out the paper work that would allow us to continue with the inclusion of this track but changes in copyright law along with lack of efficient responses on the part of the copyright owners and controllers have hindered these attempts. The pressing was halted at the 11th hour, artwork readjusted and re-filmed and the track 'Elected' has been pulled from the release. This is sad but frankly we were just not prepared to faff around any longer."

The Sun and the Moon was a post Chameleons project that spanned over two years from 1987 - 1989 releasing 1 full length and 3 singles.

The Sun and The Moon were:

Mark Burgess
John Lever
Andy Whit
Andy Clegg

Discography:

Peace In Our Time 1988 Geffen

The Sun and The Moon 1988 Geffen

Alive; Not Dead 1988 Glass Pyramid

The Speed Of Life 1988 Geffen

The Sun and The Moon - The Great Escape CD 1999 Glass Pyramid
* accompanying the Mp3's is full album art and scans of all the Lyrics*

The Speed of Life
The Death Of Imagination
A Matter of Conscience
Peace In our Time
Dolphin
House On Fire
The Price OF Grain
Limbo Land
A Picture of England
This Passionate Breed
The Boy Who Sees everything
I Love you, You Bastard
C'est La Vie
Arabs and Americans

Short Romans - Short Romans 1987 (Germany)

2011-01-23T21:00:00.007+01:00

To change it up a bit from The Sound and Adrian Borland bootlegs I've been posting lately. This is the second self-titled album from German band Short Romans. Their sound is guitar driven, dark and catchy as hell. At times yes, they sound a bit over-produced, perhaps even cliche!? Still... tracks like Linda and Jealous Way manage to lodge it's way deep into the inner recesses of the brain and you find yourself putting it on repeat... needless to say I absolutely Love these guys !

I'll be posting their 1st release 37 Guitars and more info about them shortly.

Will appeal to those who like Comsat Angels ,
early Marquee Moon, and Laughing House

www.short-romans.de/

Adrian Borland - Beautiful Ammunition (1994)

2011-01-23T20:00:00.001+01:00

REQUEST:

His first solo Album without The Citizens.

Adrian Borland - Beautiful Ammunition

Re-United States of Love
Open Door
Rocket
Stranger In The Soul
Break My Fall
Station Of The Cross
Simple Little Love
White Room
Past Full Of Shadows
Ordinary Angel
Lonely Late-Nighter
Someone Will Love You Today
Forgiveness
Rootless
In Passing
Shoreline

Adrian Borland & The Citizens - Brittle Heaven Demos and Rarities

2011-01-23T18:45:00.000+01:00

ADRIAN BORLAND & THE CITIZENS
Brittle Heaven Demos and Rarities

Faithful
Flight 23
Rising in Love
European Streets
Nowhere to Fall
All The Words
Oh Sister
Universe of You
New Century Smile
Healing Kiss
Rouge Beauty
No Ethereal
Chrystaline
Light The Sky
Found Lost Found

Adrian Borland - Harmony & Destruction 2002

2011-01-22T16:38:00.008+01:00

REQUEST:
Harmony & Destruction was the project he was working on before his untimely death,the recordings were completed by co-producer Wally Brill and the session musicians and released after.
It is still in print and available to buy at Sun Red Records , who also has reissued Sad Lovers & Giants, And Also The Trees, House Of Love, Lowlife, The Opposition, Comsat Angels and many others.

* Track 2 has a nasty skip in it... Sorry !!!

Adrian Borland - The SHH! Recordings

2011-01-22T16:00:00.006+01:00

A million thanks to Malcolm for sharing this

There seems to be some inconsistencies with the album art, The cover say SSH Recordings, and the back artwork says SHH Recordings. I wanted to point this out to avoid any unnecessary comments. Yes.. whoever made this bootleg forgot to check their spelling errors..
but who gives a damn right!

The SHH! Recordings
Harmony & Destruction Demos

Solar
Destiny Stops Screaming
Scrapyard
Ghost of Your Heart
Get Me A Witness
In The Field
Angel Sulk
Land Meets Ocean
Are These The Days
Europe is a Darkroom
Forever From Here
When A Star Dies
Love Will Save The Day
Angel Sulk pt.2
Song Damn Song
Heart Goes Down Like The Sun
Summer Wheel

The Sound - Night Versus Day (81- 82 )

2011-01-14T19:42:00.013+01:00

A collection of excellent high quality Live recordings from 81-82, the last track is an interview with Adrian Borland.

Adrian Borland and The Sound 2 Meter Sessies

2011-01-04T17:04:00.006+01:00

Thanks to Gino for sharing this one
This is an 'unplugged' bootleg made by a fan, containing some of the best versions of 'Silent Air', 'The Other side Of The World ' and ' When Can I be Me ' I've ever heard.

Psychedelic Furs - Radio One Sessions 1997

2010-12-15T18:09:00.013+01:00

No Intro needed..
Talk, Talk, Talk and Forever Now were monumental albums for me in my youth and these
sessions are just Brilliant!

Adrian Borland - The Lovefield Demos

2010-12-14T20:02:00.018+01:00

Lots of requests for this one..

Here are the demos from the Lovefield sessions.
There is 1 additional track not available on this compilation, you an get that here .

Marilyn's Army - Puppet's Of a Broken Dream 7 " (Germany)

2010-11-17T00:25:00.005+01:00

Sorry for being MIA for the past few months folks, had an incrediably busy summer with a new move and all the other lovely things life throws at you. But that all said.. I have a few new things to put up, the first being from an obscure band from Essen, Germany.

More info about them will be spread out over a few of my next posts, since I will be putting also up from them the very limited 'Golden Paradise'. Put out in 1989, The Puppet's of A Broken Dream 7" was limited to 507 copies, printed in 4 different colours or (I guess what was available at the copyshop) and each handfolded.
With tribal drumming and violins, Marilyn's Army proves to be some interesting goth fare .

Marilyn's Army at this time were :

*click to enlarge*

*Update 11-18-10* REDONE AUDIO
Wasn't to happy about the quality of the audio in the old link.. sorry to who ever downloaded it.
I added a new link with a cleaned up version..*

Puppet's of A Broken Dream 7"

Side A . Puppet's of A Broken Dream
Side B . Welcome to the Bitter Times

VA - Beyond The Horizon ..... An Homage to And Also The Trees

2010-08-07T17:29:00.007+02:00

An ongoing project since 2002 showcasing vast genres, countries and wonderful interpretations of the works of these sublime post punk heroes. My favorite cover on this compilation and the reason why I seeked it out is for Arc Gotic's version of The Pear Tree. Having many similarities, they are able to capture the same decadence and atmosphere that AATT was known for. Many other excellent covers some by known bands and many unknown, below I have linked websites to the various band that are featured on this Compilation.

*Arc Gotic - The Pear Tree*

Beyond The Horizon - An hommage to And Also The Trees

Jerome Avril ( Mary Goes Round ) - Anchor Yard
Karsten Nielson - Another Bullet Head
Monica's Last Prayer - Brother Fear
The Bright Stairs - Brother Fear
Malcom Lowry - Dialogue
Prints - Gone..Like The Swallows
Le Chaos Entre 2 Chaises + Aube L - Jacobs Fleet
Frederic Troung - L'Unica Strada
Mindfields - Mermen of the Lea
De Volanges - Missing ( yeah this track is 10:49..listen to the whole thing it's brilliant )
Golden Apes - Red Valentino
Magnetfisch - Roulette
No It IS Opposition - Scarlet Arch
Vestfalia's Peace - Scythe & Spade
Cryptic Scenery - Sea Change
IMWI - Suffering The Stream
My Eternal Thief - Talk Without Words
Dark Orange - The House Of The Heart
Arc Gotic - The Pear Tree
The Rainfall Years - The Reply
The Pale Flowers- There was a Man Of Double Deed
Babel 17 - Twilight Pools

Sully - Bright Lights (Canada)

2010-07-15T13:04:00.005+02:00

Canadian indie rock with dreampop undertones....

would really appeal to those who like LUSH and THE CRANES.

*Running Before The Start*

Sully - Bright Lights (2001)
Self - released

Point Taken
Inside From The Outside
This Town Called Crash
Half of Once
Running Before the Start
Inuim
Poosh 'm Up
Interlude
Ten Thumbs
Weakness
Weighting
Fidget
Touchin'

We Miss The Earth - A New Silent Era EP (USA)

2010-07-12T14:23:00.006+02:00

A very impressive first EP.....

Heavily influenced by the Jesus and Mary Chain, The Sound and The Chameleons this new band out of Portland manages to fuse post punk and shoegaze together just wonderfully.

*Voices in the Dryer*

We Miss The Earth - A New Silent Era Ep (2007)
No- label

Life and Limb
Colossus
Kill Cupid
Voices In the Dryer
Reception
Cellmate in Heaven

***Buy the full length CD here that has 4 additional tracks on it. Available at This A Way Records, The Prids self-made label.

Siddal - The Pedestal (USA)

2010-06-29T15:19:00.007+02:00

Mellow, Moody dream pop from Porthsmouth, Virgina off the wonderful Bedazzled label.

*The Pedestal*

Siddal - The Pedestal 1995 *CD rip*
Bedazzled Records

Circus Fire
The Pedestal
Hiding Home
When The wolf Comes
Frozen Garden
Treasures Of Sleep
Leaving
Lighthouse Wreckage
Italiano
Fairbanks

*Anyone have the German release ??? *

Qua Dance- A Heart 7" & Toilets - An Unspoiled land 7" (The Netherlands)

2010-06-25T20:22:00.011+02:00

Yet another helping of Dutch post punk from the Top Hole label

Qua Dance - A Heart 7" 1982
Top Hole Records

a1 A Heart
a2 Fallbreak

**May appeal to those who like Xmal Deutschland and Asmodi Bizarr

*A Heart*

A thumbs up for this great 7"

Toilets - An Unspoiled Land 7" 1981
Top Hole Records

a1 An Unspoiled Land
a2 Do The Gamelan

*An unspoiled Land*

...A Fuzzed Out Horror A Go-Go !

2010-05-29T16:24:00.021+02:00

The Famous Monsters

Were based in New Orleans an was an all girl surf-oriented garage rock outfit that played around with 50's-era horror movie themes. Consisted of Devil Doll, ex bassist of White Zombie Sean Yseult, Vampire Girl, Katielynn Campbell of Nashville Pussy and She-Zilla. Kitschy and overly campy, In The Night is filled with B horror maddening tunes to shake your booty to!

Famous Monsters - In The Night CD (1999)
+Estrus Records +

Murder Beach U.S.A.
In the Night!
Lone Wolf Massacree
Destroy Puny Earthlings!
Bloody Mary
Haunting of Planet Earth
Hairy Eyeball
Outerspace Deathrace #13
Satan Sends a Rat!
Vampire Cosmonaut
Oil Monstre, Oui
F Is for Fiend
Clock Strikes 10 *Cheap Trick Cover*
International Monster Presentation
When I Grow Up**The Groovie Goolies theme*

The Legendary Golden Vampires were based in Berlin, Germany and released at least two 12"s and a four song ep. A few of their songs appeared on compilations in the late 80s. A cross between X and The Cramps with a fuzzed-out 60s rave-up.

The Legendary Golden Vampires - Creeping Poison 7" (1985)
+Exile Records+

Creeping Poison
Rebel woman

The Waterboys - December 12 " (1983)

2010-05-19T10:29:00.006+02:00

Okay let me first start off by saying that The Waterboys really are a required taste and might not appeal to some of our readers, but for one thing I do know they were an amazing band and worth discovering. In only 5 years in the 80's they released four albums back-to-back that would put most mainstream bands to shame. The Waterboy's had this signature sound, a kind of 'New Wave wall of sound, where they believed MORE is definitely better` this style stretches the band's songs to great lengths with perfectly matched impassionate vocals and earnest lyrics, you can really see why they were Adrian Borlands favorite band.

The Waterboys - December 12"

+Ensign Records+

A1December
B1 The Three Day Man
B2 Red Army Blues

Will appeal to those who enjoy Felt and Into Paradise

Droserae (France)

2010-05-15T10:18:00.011+02:00

This interesting young Band from France was recommended to me by a friend, while my partners and me were looking for Bands to book for ‘Schaedelweiss‘. Back then Zorch Factory Records had the first EP up, and I already was highly impressed by their sound. A couple of weeks ago my wife told me that Droserae finally released a second EP, again a free release on ZFR. This EP carries on the well defined Sound that was present on the first, but is also showing an evolution in their style.

Describing their style comes pretty easy, since it straight forward Post Punk at it’s best. (Of course with the twist of having the classic ‘French attitude’)

Droserae was formed in 2007 in Paris, their first EP was released in 2009 and the second in 2010. Of course they also got the (by now to be expected) playtime on some samplers. (Zoundbies, Smoke and Spotlight 5, etc)

My advice is to give this Band a try, after all it’s for free…. ;-)

EP1 – 2009 – Zorch Factory Records

EP2 – 2010 - Zorch Factory Records

+favorite track 'Metropolis'

The Visitor (Netherlands)

2010-05-11T18:41:00.013+02:00

The Visitor were from the Frisian region of the Netherlands and existed from 1980-1988. They were apart of the Die Friese Bries scene (avantgarde wave bands) that was happening in that Region in the mid 80's as well as the emergence of Top Hole Records. Here are their first 2 releases which are a nice helping of dark, moody wave.

The Eye of Madness 7" (1981)
+Top Hole Records+

The Eye of Madness
Point Zero Nagasaki

+Favorite Track' Point Zero Nagasaki'+

Liquid and Crystalline EP (1983)
+Top Hole Records+

Liquid and Crystalline
The Happy Few
Spiral of Spiderlimbs
Tourist In the Third World
Silence is Soothing

+Favorite track 'Liquid and Crystalline' +

The Witch Trials (1981)

2010-05-01T20:25:00.016+02:00

In reference to my post I did about Adrian Borland I wanted to do this as a seperate post.
In 1980 Borland worked on two projects, Second layer which he did with future Sound bandmate Graham Bailey and then The Witch Trials. The Witch Trials was a one off thing he did with Jello Biafra ,East Bay Ray, Christian Lunch and Morgan Fisher which they managed to recorded in one 4 hour session at Morgan Fishers house in London.

Spoken word ..Improvisation ..Noise ..Chaos ..in other words very cool stuff!

+Favorite track 'Trapped In the Playground'+

The Witch Trials (1995 CD reissue)

+released on Alternative Tenticles+

Humanoids From the Deep
The Tazer
Trapped in The Playground
Meat Beat

In Memoriam - Adrian Borland

2010-05-01T17:09:00.022+02:00

In the recent anniversary (April 26th) of the passing of one of my favorite and most respected musicians, Adrian Borland I decided to pull together a short span of his 20+ year career and the different bands he formed and participated in. Besides being a musician he was also a noted producer, who aided the likes of Felt, Dole, and Into Paradise .

* I highly recommend downloading these 3 bands *

Here are a few of my favorite albums throughout his career.

The Outsiders - Vital Years (1976-79)

This is where it all started.. a angry young Borland. Besides playing gigs at the infamous Roxy, they were the first noted UK punk band to release their own DIY album ' Calling All Youth' while everyone else was putting out 7".This is a collection of all of The Outsiders material, Vital years was released in 2000, but I'am uncertain of it's availability.

Second Layer - State of Emergency (1981)
Borland and other bandmate Graham Bailey's side projects while starting up The Sound. Dark, creepy and experimental and completely left field of what they went to do with The Sound but nevertheless very cool stuff. You can get the reissue of 'World Of Rubber' here.

The Sound - Korova Demos (80-81)
Since it is nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite Sound album I decided to put up the Korova tape demos from the earlier part of their career, If you haven't heard all of The Sound albums you are seriously missing out ! All the sound stuff at one time was all reissued on RENASCENT but because of liscensing issues they are no longer available to buy.

Honolulu Mountain Daffodils -
Guitars of the Oceanic Overgrowth(1987)

a lesser known project Borland worked on under the
alias of Joachim Pimento.

Adrian Borland & The Citizens - Alexandria (1989)
Not to long after the end of The Sound, Borland started a solo career with the Citizens as his back up band. A complete different direction musically, but throughout his solo career you can see how much he grew as a songwriter and musician, get all of the albums if you can.

Adrian Borland - Cinematic (1995)
Borland solo minus the Citizens, stylewise nothing like The Sound,but still a very strong and beautiful album.

White Rose Transmission (1995 - present)

Borland's collaboration with Carlos Van Putten (The Convent and Dead Guitars).

* I only decided to put up a few of my favorite albums,quite a few blogs have every album already on their blog but If anyone would like anything else from Second Layer, The Sound, and Adrian Borland's solo albums just comment below and leave a request. *

The Climb (Uk)

2010-04-25T13:18:00.007+02:00

Before their were the Trashing Doves, there was The Climb.

Below are the two singles and demos that were recorded before their transitioning, and what a crazy transition that was(if you listen to TD you'll see what I mean). 'I Can't Forget' is a sentimentally sweet wave song,that really calls to mind New Order. The 12" and 7" versions of this song are different, the 12 " is an extended version and sightly better. What really stands out the most is the B-sides 'Only a Human', 'Your Hell' and 'Lower Class Of Heaven' are in a completely different style, lyrically and musically much more profound. They claimed they were listening to a hell of alot of Echo and The Bunnymen at the time and you definitely can tell.

They have one more 7" 'Poacher is as Poacher Does', which no one can find, but their is a demo version of it along with the other demos, which a few of them turned into Thrashing Dove songs. Regardless... still worth a listen.

+Favorite track 'Only A Human' Full links below+

The Climb

I Can't Forget 7" version (1981)
+Pinnacle Records +

A I Can't Forget
B Only A Human

I Can't Forget 12 " version (1981)
+Pinnacle Records +

A I Can't Forget (A Mother's Crime)
B Your Hell

Touch Me (Heaven) 7" (1982)
+Pinnacle Records +

A Touch Me (Heaven)
B Lower Class of Heaven

Demos

Away With Words
Dragonflies
Moses Beat
Poacher is as Poacher Does
The Final Bath
The Hobbledehoy
Tinderbox

Darkroom (Canada)

2010-04-18T18:38:00.014+02:00

For this one we have to delve back, deep into my childhood and with that back to one of my big Idols and Heroes… Lumpi von Schlotterstein. Lumpi was one of the Characters in the TV show ‘The little Vampire’ (Or ‘Der kleine Vampier’ as we knew it in germany). Lumpi was played by the Canadian Actor/Musician Jim Gray, who probably single handedly influenced more children then any other tv personality in Germany… every boy wanted to be like him, and every girl had a crush on him… well, at least that’s how I remember it. ;-)

But to get back to the subject, besides singing the title-song (Which you will find a bit further down) for the series, Jim Gray already was an established musician in Canada. He released two Albums with his Band ‘Darkroom’, ‘San Paku’ in 1983 and ‘A test of time’ in 1985. Both Albums are a bitch to find in Germany, and I only got my Hands on the first one because my wife found it and recognized Jim on the cover. (That’s what you get for marrying a german guy, you will have to watch strange but really cool TV for children. )
When you are listening to ‘San Paku’ you can clearly hear that this is an '80s band, not that there is anything wrong with it. There are a lot of comparable bands out there, so I will not even try to drop a name here, I highly suggest everybody listens to it and picks one for them self. But all in all it’s a decent Album and fun to listen to. Having this strong childhood connection to this man may influence my point of view here, but there is nothing wrong with a little bit of Hero Worship.

Jim Gray - They can See in the Dark

As a conclusion I can only say that it is a relief to have an alternative to ‘They can see in the dark’ to spin at parties… ;-)

+favorite track'San Paku'full album link below+

San Paku 1983

In Dim Light 3:35
Leave It To Heaven 3:45
Tears Hold No Cure 3:45
Proven Guilty 3:32
It's Cold Out Here 3:44
San Paku 5:06
Don't Talk 3:30
Some Stories Never Change 5:23
Pressure 4:06

Bonus from EP:
Detective Man 3:22

And if you have never seen ‘The little Vampire’ you should really search for it, it’s an amazing show.
But be careful, it needs to be the Original German/Canadian co-production from 1985, there was another series and a movie later, and both are really bad… most likely because they don’t have Jim Gray playing Lumpi. ;-)

Voluptas Dolendi (Italy)

2010-04-17T16:42:00.017+02:00

Here's another Italian obscurity for you all

Voluptas Dolendi were from Ancona, Italy and existed for a short 2 year run between '86-'88 and managed to release 2 demo tapes.
These guys are really all over the place... neo psychedelic deathrock with synths thrown in and almost teetering on the edge of experimental, nevertheless really interesting stuff.

Favorite Track'Inferno della Carne' full demo link below+

Voluptas Dolendi/Il Gioco Degli Dei demos (1986-87)
+self released+

Intro
Innocente
Ecco Perche
Sensazione
Voluptas Dolendi
Ghiaccio
In Isolamento
Inferno Della Carne
Innocente (acustica)
Metamorfosi
Urla
Uomini
Il Gioco Degli Dei
Shazzan

Kitchens Of Distinction - Strange Free World (uk)

2010-04-16T20:07:00.009+02:00

BRILLIANT album from a brilliant Band.
Strange Free World is filled with impassioned vocals and lushy effects laden guitar that seems to sound like a mass of swirling guitars that reach for the heavens and crash like waves. Kitchens of Distinction always leaves me entranced, from the amazing opener 'Railwayed' to 'Quick as Rainbows, the bittersweet 'He Holds Her He Needs Her' and 'Drive that Fast' which I posted a video. Will appeal to those of you who enjoy The Cocteau Twins, Johnny Marr and The Chameleons more or less for the lushy guitar and wall of sound.
Kitchens Of Distinctions never got picked up by any major labels due to the fact of their openly gay lyrics and attacks on the then prime minister Thatcher. Really...stupid reasons if you ask me !

+Favorite track'he holds her he needs her' full album link below+

Strange Free World LP (1990)
+One Little Indian Records+

A1 Railwayed
A2 Quick as Rainbows
A3 Hypnogogie
A4 He Holds Her He Needs Her
A5 Polaroids

B2 Gorgeous Love
B2 Aspray
B3 Drive That Fast
B4Within The Daze Of Passion
B5 Under The Sky, Inside The Sea

*produced by Hugh Jones (Echo and The Bunnymen,Simple Minds, REM ) *

UPDATE : unfortunately this link has been requested to be deleted..sorry folks

Death In Venice (Italy)

2010-04-15T19:11:00.026+02:00

Death in Venice was a goth, coldwave act from Venice, Italy. Its hard for me to do a write up about this band since what info I do find is in Italian. I've included some magazine scans for anyone who can translate them. Below is their entire discography I have made available, except the 7" version of Presence in Absence, I just think the 12" is better..it has the outstanding track 'Sex of the Angels' which I could listen to over and over again.

+favorite track'sex of the angels' full albums downloads below+

Death in Venice Discography

Deca Dance demo (1983)
+self released no label+

Lunar Shell
Black Flowers of Dance
Happy Birthday
Pre Existence
Insanus Driver

Presence in Absence 12" (1985)
+released on Contempo Records +

Pale Flesh
China Guru
Justine

Paroxismos 12 " (1986)
+released on Contempo Records+

The Sex of The Angels
Orgasm Guaranteed
Victims

Clan of Xymox Peel Sessions

2010-04-14T13:27:00.009+02:00

Having mixed feelings as I do about this band and only being a fan of the earlier Clan stuff, I rarely revisit their material. But I will have to say these peel sessions have to be the best thing they ever recorded.

+Favorite track'STRANGER' full album link below+

Peel sessions CD (aired on) June 04 & November 3 1985
+ released on Strange Fruits (2003) + *OOP*

Stranger
Muscoviet Mosquito
Seventh Time
After The Call
Agonised By Love
Mesmerised

The Reegs - Chorus of The Lost 12" 1989

2010-04-12T18:36:00.010+02:00

Just came back from holiday in London and stumbled across some interesting pieces of vinyl, which I'll post over the next few weeks. 1st one is this gorgeous 12" from ex Chameleons Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies' project, The Reegs.

The Reegs - Chorus Of The Lost 12 " 1989 + Released on Imaginary Records +

a1- Chorus Of the lost
b1- Pond Life
b2- Start To See

All their reissues can be found here
+ The Definitive Collection all their works on one CD, definitely worth purchasing+

Brotherhood Of Pagans- Tales Of Vampires FRANCE (1995)

2010-04-06T16:21:00.010+02:00

Remember This One ?

If you do.. give it another listen, if not..... Du musst !
Brotherhood of Pagans were a gothrock act from France who rose out of the then fading Coldwave scene. Some catchy tracks on this lovely little album, and still enjoying them after these 13 years.

+ I'm still searching for their 2 demo tapes Flower of Oblivion and Inquisition Day..if anyone has these I'd love a copy +

**you can get the demos over at Fritz die Spinne blog ..Thanks for posting those Fritz

+favorite track'WARSHOW' full album link below+

Brotherhood of Pagans- Tales of Vampires (1995)

The Gathering
Don't Fall
Warshow
Resurrection
Black Art
Sinner comes to Bits
Halloween
Rooms
Guilty
God Damn My Soul

Ministry - Same Old Madness (198?)

2010-04-06T02:10:00.005+02:00

... Al Jourgensen you sexy beast ! What the hell happened ? You use to be so cool ! Okay here's a little gem from back when Ministry was actually ..ummm interesting!? Nevertheless I enjoy the heck out of this track.

Here's the download for 'Same Old Madness' +unreleased track+

Crimson Muddle (France)

2010-04-05T23:41:00.006+02:00

Again I have to start a blog with stating the fact that it is pretty hard to describe the Music from a band I’m writing about. (Looks like this will become a habbit) But in this case it’s actually hard to pinpoint anything to compare Crimson Muddle with. Of course there are rather obvious inspirations from the whole of the French Cold-Wave, I especially can understand a comparison to Martin Dupont. Beside that their influences seem to be all over the place (and I mean that in the most positive way possible), all in all they just put together their own very unique Sound. They are one of this Bands were every song can sound completely different then the next, but still uniquely Crimson Muddle.

Crimson Muddle was long in the making, Hellebore first started to work on the Idea of this Band back in 2003, after a little detour with Deadchovsky she gave Crimson Muddle more of a shape in 2008. It took a bit longer and playing around with the Band Members till the Band settled and then consisted of Hellebore, Annie Dog and Abesada. These three Girls and their various instruments (keyboard, violin, xylophone and bass, to just mention a few) soon got a cult following in and outside of Paris and all over Europe soon after. Some of their early tracks were released on samplers and they put out one EP on Zorch Factory Records. And with this we finally come to the point of this post…

I highly recommend everybody to give this EP a listen, even if it’s only for their amazing cover of Joy Division’s Closer. This EP gives a general overview about the Band and how they worked many different styles into their Music. But you will not be able to fully experience Crimson Muddle as long as you haven’t seen them live. This is where their Music really goes to another level.
Their first Album is due to come out this Month (Manic Depression Records), so if you like the EP go and get the Album as soon as it is out.

+Favorite track'A MEANS TO AN END'+

Get the EP here!

A Certain Ratio - Peel Sessions

2010-04-04T10:53:00.001+02:00

To change it up a bit..Here's a nice little bunch of Peel Sessions from A Certain Ratio spanning from '79-'82.. Enjoy!

+favorite track'Choir' full albums link below+

First Session- (air date) 17/10/1979

Do The Do
All Night Party
Flight
The Choir

Second Session (air date) 02/07/1981

Day One
Skipscada
Knife Slits Water

Third Session (air date) 01/12/1982

Who's To Say
Piu Lento
Touch

Invincible - Venus (1999) UK

2010-04-02T07:04:00.008+02:00

So YES the Chameleons are over and done..even though one doesn't want to except it. Bringing forth to life three of the most life changing albums to grace ones ears, thus something very hard to live up to. But talent always transends time and that is apparent with Mark Burgess' work with Invincible. Along with Yves Altana a strong partnership is built and is clearly reflected in the work that went into this lushly arranged album. Venus is an album that really grows on you with each listen, especially such tracks as ' Only You Could Save Me', 'Venus on the Rise' and 'Verboten'

Asides Burgess' other collaborations with The Sons Of God and Bird, Invincible is one of my favorite projects since The Sun and The Moon. Maybe because its the direction I really wanted the Chameleon's to go with their reunion album Why Call It Anything, which was released the following year. What really is the difference between Burgess' work with the Chameleons and Invincible ? The anwser.....Yves Altana, with his stellar skills on guitar and production. The work Burgess did with him on Venus is FAR more impressive.

+Favorite track'Only You could save me' full album link below+

Invincible -Venus (1999)

1. Venus On The Rise

2. Spooks

3. Think (It's Going To Happen)

4. Do It Tomorrow

5. Dangerous

6. Shiver

7. Burning Bibles

8. Verboten

9. Gethsemene

10. Seventeen

11. Only You Could Save Me

12. Kinks

13. Think (Again)

White Rose Transmission 1995(Germany, UK)

2010-03-29T19:22:00.004+02:00

White Rose Transmission started in 1995 as a collaboration between Carlo van putten (vocalist of The Convent and Dead Guitars) and Adrian Borland (of The Sound). The name is inspired from two different things, the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, two members of the german anti-nazi organisation "Die Weiße Rose" (The White Rose). They dropped anti-nazi propaganda flyers at several universities in Germany during the second world war. Both were executed by the nazi's. That's how the first part of the name came about. Secondly It was Borland's idea to add the word 'Transmission'.

"We keep transmitting; hope you are receiving".

Many other artist participated in the following albums including Mark Burgess (ex Chameleons UK, Bird) Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) Marty Wilson Piper ( The Church , All About Eve) Yves Altana (guitarist for Bird) The first self titled release is filled with back to back tracks each one stronger then the one before it. The one that stands out the Most is 'Silver Age', vocals and orchestration omitting yearning and a suffering beauty, incredible lyrics .

+Favorite Track'SILVER AGE' full album link below+

White Rose Transmission (1995) +Indigo+

Unkissable
Die Dunkle
In Your Hands
Sister Sweetness
Vapour
Street of Flowers
Allein
Thorn of a Rose
The Silver age
Indian Summer
The Hell Of it
Kugel der einsamkeit

Slowdive- I'm the Elephant U are the Mouse unreleased film score

2010-03-28T18:29:00.009+02:00

This post is for Aaron, who requested a copy of this awhile ago. A breathtaking compilation from Slowdive that unfortunately never saw the light of day.
The only litle bit of info that I do have is that it was the unreleased film score for the Film 'Pure' (Im the Elephant U are the Mouse original title) +check the link for more info+
For the longest time I had murkey uncut demos and finally was able to get ahold of crystal copies from the mastertapes.

+Favorite track'Ambient'full album link below+

Slowdive-Im the Elephant U are the Mouse Soundtrack(1999) +unreleased+

1. intro
2. ambient
3. amb - alt version
4. beginning (4 parts)
5. beginning, pt. 2
6. cranium (film mix)
7. i believe
8.cranium film mix
9.watch me (film mix)
10. Like up
11. Like up (demo rough mix)
12. Money
13. opening
14. Painting lost
15. riverman (final version)
16. riverman 2 #2
17. riverman 3 #1
18. riverman 3 #2
19. riverman 2 #1

THE CURTAIN SOCIETY - LIFE IS LONG, STILL 1996 (USA)

2010-03-28T15:44:00.005+02:00

Circa 1988 Shoegaze, dreampop act from Southbridge, MA . The Curtain Society like some of their earlier music contemporaries The House of Love, The Stone Roses and The Ocean Blue, their sound manages to blend the blurry atmospheres of the popular 4AD scene.
Life is Long Still is their second full length album, superbly composed moody, atmospheric noise.

Back in July 2009, The Curtain Society played with Mark Burgess of The Chameleons UK, here's a video from that show.

+Favorite Track'HIGHERSTAR' Full album link below+

The Curtain Society-Life Is Long Still (1996) +Bedazzled records+

Mouthwithout
Life is long still
Amber
Je Regrette Rein
Spacer
I Refuse
Apnea
Riverful
Idiotgrin
Stealing Shakespeare
Lemonsong
Higher Star
Chevelle

The Past Seven Days - Raindance 7" (1981)

2010-01-14T06:37:00.001+01:00

The Past Seven Days were a sheffield band on the 4AD label, but unfortunately left 4AD and signed to DinDisc. Dispite switching labels this 4AD release was sadly the only thing that was ever put out by them.

'Raindance' is simply 6 mins of tranquil, melodic beauty.

+Favorite track 'RAINDANCE' full 7" link below+

The Past Seven Days-Raindance 7" (1981 ) 4AD

side A
Raindance
side B
So Many Others

* This track can also be found on The Natures Mortes compilation put out by 4AD
the whole comp. can be found here

Laughing House - Democracy EP (UK) 1987

2010-01-12T08:10:00.015+01:00

I decided to dig this next posting out for Antonio and of coarse do a well over due write up and give this band some well deserved exposure. For the longest time this band always remained a bit of a mystery to me, no info could be found, or even any of their material could be located. The only thing I had was one track thrown on a mixed tape for me ( remember the days when we use to all exchange the 'mixed tape' ) And to my misfortune..a few years went past before I even gave the tape a listen..there was a few interesting tracks on there but one stood out and impressed me greatly 'walking on my own' from Laughing House. By this time of coarse I lost contact with this friend and couldn't find out more about Laughing House. Well years later thanks to the Information superhighway I sent the singer a message..and got more then I would ever expect. Freddie and Rob the two brothers in Laughing House ending up being such lovely gentlemen and mailed me a copy of the 12" Democracy ep .

Laughing House are from Coventry and formed sometime in '84 by the two brothers Freddie (vocals/guitar) and Rob (bass) and shortly gained a really great drummer, Steve. And for 5 years played a slew of gigs around the midlands, recorded an ep and a 9 track cassette put out by a local label, Sonar in '87. They ended up grabbing the attention of a few major labels but unfortunately nothing came out of it and Freddie left in '89, shortly after Laughing House decided to call it quits. Recently after 20 years, the guys got back together and played a gig on November 4th, 2009 at the Spencer Club in Coventry.

So now I provide for you all with their only offical release Democracy that was 'Created solely for the cure of all weaknesses of men. They positively guarantee it to cure all forms of nervous debility, impotency spermatorrhea, night emissions, shrunken parts, nervousness, forgetfulness, confusion of ideas, lame back, languor dyspepsia, rhuematism, kidney and bladder complaint, and the many evils resulting from secret habits in youth or passionate excesses in maturer years. They guarantee this stereophonic recording to enlarge shrunken or undeveloped organs, or no pay !

Will appeal to those who like Comsat Angels, early U2, The Scars, and Killing Joke

Democracy Ep (1987)

On Sonar Records

+Tracks listing+

side A
Wasted
Take The Mask Away
Side B
Decline and Fall
Walking On My Own

There are still copies of this EP floating around .. Sonar Records has a few left in Stock.

Afterimage - Fade In 12" ep (USA)

2010-01-08T10:18:00.012+01:00

AfterImage came out during the blooming LA underground music scene sometime in 1980. They haunted local clubs such as the Whisky, The Hong Kong Café, Club 88 and the Brave Dog, playing with the likes of Suburban Lawns, Savage Republic, and Middle Class. In 1981 they released one 7" single and a 12" ep Fade In, a very powerful debut EP containing the usual moody post punk formula of 'thunderous rhythum, threatening bass, and haunting vocals'.

AfterImage were :
vocals and sax: Daniel Voznick (aka Alec Tension)
guitar and keyboards: A Produce
bass: Rich Evac
drums: Holland DeNuzzio

+Favorite track'SATELLITE OF LOVE' full album link below+

AfterImage- Fade In 12" ep 1981 released on * Contagion Records*

Tracklisting*
Side A
Surf Generator/Part Of The Threat
Relapse
Soundtrack
Side B
Afterimage
Satellite of Love
No Dreams

Zorch Factory Records – Label - France

2009-11-18T07:00:00.006+01:00

To shake up the usual content I decided to write something about a concept that is very dear to my heart, Net Labels. And the most interesting one, in my opinion, is Zorch Factory Records.

It was founded by Manu/Zorch how was involved in Projects and Bands like Camp Z, Sleeping Children, Zorch Factor and The Vertigo Smile. But besides being a platform to promote his own stuff, he opened it up for other Projects and bands to. The Label features bands from a lot of different genres, some more and some less prominent.

The Thing that I appreciate and respect the most about this Label is the fact that they publicize the music under the creative commons license. This 'basically' means that it’s free to download the music from the homepage.
(See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for more information)

The reason for my love for little projects like this is based on my whole (maybe naive) concept that music is art, and that art should be accessible for everyone. This (mostly) young and struggling Bands can use a platform like Zorch Factory Records to get their work out in the open, to make a name for them self. Being an idealist, when it comes to that, I just have to respect any band that provides their music for free.

But to get back to the actual Label, you will find work from artists like:

Joy/Disaster
Camp Z
The Red Crayon Aristocrat Club
Acid Bats
The Cementary Girlz
Crimson Muddle
General Decay
Los Carniceros Del Norte
Monozid
Droserae
T.S.O.L.
and many more…

I highly recommend this Site for anybody that is interested in given new Bands a chance. There is a whole bunch of great stuff to discover there.

And if for nothing else, you should at least go there to check out the Crimson Muddle EP. (Expect a whole article about this wonderful Band very soon.)

http://www.zorchfactoryrecords.com/

Nichts 81-83 Germany (Reunited 2009)

2009-09-24T08:01:00.019+02:00

Nichts

Nichts was one of this German Bands that came up just when this awful NDW (Neue deutsche Welle) was picking up momentum. Thanks to the fact that it was created by two Members of the legendary Punk Band KFC it was far from this Euro-Trash that floated around the Record-Stores around this time. Nichts may have borrowed a few things from what was going on in the music scene in Germany back then, but kept it’s Punk flavor.

Their first Demo Tape “Made in Eile” was picked up by the local Record-label “Schallmauer-Records”. It became a surprise success. After some ridicules controversy about releasing a single over CBS Records, they released their second album “Tango 2000” in 1982. The song “Tango 2000” became a huge hit, and is what the Band is most remembered for. This second album is still fun, but at least feels a lot closer to the dreaded NDW then their first one. After the release the base and the guitar player decided to leave the Band. In 1983 the Album “Aus dem Jenseits” was released, played by a new lineup.

In my opinion the very first Album/Demo Tape is still the best, it carries the strong punk vibe that seemed like a leftover from the KFC days.

If you are interested in German music that was sold under the Flag of NDW but in reality was a beast of it’s own, you should really give it at least a try.

01 Radio
02 Eingeschlossen
03 Hallo Kartoffelsalat
04 10 Bier zuviel
05 Allein zuhaus
06 Scheisse
07 Wer du bist
08 Made in Eile
09 Nichts

DOWNLOAD

In 2009 they reunited with a new lineup (yet again) and are playing gigs again. Hopefully with the same rough chaotic force they were famous for when they started in 1981.

MODERN ENGLISH- 1st & 2nd PEEL SESSIONS (UK)

2009-09-09T21:39:00.004+02:00

No intro is needed for these 4AD label pioneers. Here are some small but great offering from John Peel.

+favorite track'16 days'full album link below+

1st & 2nd Peel sessions

1st Peel Session:

Some One Calling

Being Peeled

Face of Wood

2nd Peel Session

Sixteen Days

Mesh and Lace

a Viable Commercial

Here is the complete BBC radio recording which has a few extra tracks not on the peel sessions release.

SIAM- COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY(ISRAEL)

2009-09-08T00:57:00.005+02:00

One of the best things to come out of Tel-Aviv during the Israeli new wave scene. Very unique wall of sound complete with echoey guitars, synths and electric violins. At times brings to mind U2, Simple Minds and Killing joke during their ' Brighter Than a Thousand Suns ' period. Many, Many Thanks to Hanoch for introducing me to various bands from Israel and most of all SIAM a few years ago, I can never get tired of them. Below is a compilation of their complete discography stuff taken from their live 12" Saiam from '86, War and Piece And Inbetween LP '89, and some unreleased material.

+favorite track'Don't want to understand' Full album below+

SIAM-COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY

+Tracks Listing +

01. Siam-Instrumental
02. Intro/You
03. Evening Falls
04. In The Realm Of...
05. Changing(Live)
06. Don't Want To Understand
07. You Are Siam
08. Choices
09. Private Jokes
10. B.R.O. Theme
11. When Love Gets Out Of Hand
12. The Outsider
13. Hard Time
14. I Believe
15. Siam(Instrumental 2)
16. In The Realm(7even Remix)

LEGION UK - HELL SPITS BLOOD (UK)

2009-09-07T22:39:00.012+02:00

It was a bit difficult to really find any info at all on this unknown UK band, but what I do know is that they started back around 1981 and went through a couple line up changes with a few different female singers and a different Chris on Bass. Then in '85, Steve moved from guitar to take over vocals and Paul took over Guitar, Chris on Bass and Azzy on Drums, with a new lineup in order they decided to make a few recordings. Which are now made available on this compilation called Hell Spits Blood, that has various recorded material from 1986 thru 1987.
Legion's sound is post punk driven with references to The Chameleons and the boy-band appeal of Flesh For Lulu, but loaded with tons of energy and attitude. Give them a listen and join the league of loyal LEGIONAIRES !

+favorite track'Twist The Knife'full album link below+

HELL SPITS BLOOD- 1986-1987

HELL SPITS BLOOD
SEEDS OF LOVE
INNOCENCE
TWIST THE KNIFE
SEX ATTACK
HELL SPITS BLOOD (REMIX)
TASTE OF EVIL
WASTED SIN
SEEDS OF LOVE (REMIX)

Violet Indiana - Roulette 2001

2009-08-09T23:24:00.005+02:00

Debut full length Album from 2 gem's of the DreamPop world Featuring Cocteau Twin's Robin Guthrie and Mono's singer Siobhan De Marie. This album is filled with dreamy, sultry, and hypnotic tracks like 'Sundance', 'Air Kissing' and 'Poison Gorgeous' that seems to echo around in your head long after you have heard them. Definitely worth a listen!

+our favorite track'Sundance'full album link below+

Roulette (2001)

Tracklisting

Air Kissing
Busted
Sundance
Powder River
Little Echo
Angel
Poison Gorgeous
Hiding
Rage Days
Liar
Feline Or Famine
Killer Eyes

*Update 12-3-2011 * New download link added

Big In Japan

2009-07-22T10:39:00.021+02:00

One of Liverpool's first punk outfits that was very short lived and who's members went on to bigger and better things after disbanding sometime in '78. Singer Jayne Casey shortly after started Pink Military, that eventually evolved into Pink Industry and Holly Johnson who would become the frontman of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Budgie who would soon drum for Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Ian Broudie who later formed The Lightening Seeds. Shortly after their initial split, they decided to put out an Ep on their own created label, Zoo to pay off some debts. Zoo would later on release some of the first recordings from early liverpool scene greats like Echo and the Bunnymen and The TearDrop Explodes. Besides the EP their only known release, they did do a Peel Sessions. I've been trying to get my hands on these, so if anyone has them please contact me. Finding stuff from Big In Japan isn't the easiest task, so after a few requests and some conversations about them inspired me to compiled a short list of tracks. I've taken from their "From Y to Z" Ep and The Zoo:Uncaged Compilation. I also do have a handful of demos that are not the greatest of quality, but if anyone is interested I will be more then happy to post them!

+our favorite track"S.C.U.M" full album link below+

Big in Japan Compilation

++++Tracklisting++++
Big In Japan
Nothing Special
Cindy and the BarbiDoll
Suicide a Go Go
Taxi
Match of the Day
Society for Cutting Up Men

Strange Dolls Cult (Austria)

2009-06-24T02:37:00.010+02:00

It’s not very easy to describe the Sound of this fairly young Band from Austria, some may just describe it as the typical style of the recent Deathrock revival, or in other words ‘just another Christian Death Clone’. Doing that is far too easy in my opinion, of course there are similarities to Christian Death, but it’s Deathrock, you will always find similarities to Christian Death. But enough about me rambling on about how much I hate people that have preconceptions about newer Deathrock Bands only because a few of them became popular (and we all know how ‘uncool’ that is).

Strange Dolls Cult was formed in 2005 and they released a 7” in 2007 titled ‘Puppets Dance’ which got a pretty good review from Mick Mercer (http://mickmercer.livejournal.com/696679.html). On this single you will find ‘Puppets Dance’ and ’Ruins of Western Civilisation’. Beside some releases on Samplers and a Demo Tape floating around the Internet , they didn’t released another EP or Album yet. With the latter one in production at the moment. (In the last mixing stages to be exact)

The first thing you will notice when listening to the 7” and especially the first song ‘Puppets Dance’ is that everything is there as expected, a solid Base, good percussions and nice Guitar Riffs. But then it goes further, the vocals come in, and you go on a nightmare trip through a manic brain. Music and Vocals work together to evoke this strong and powerful atmosphere that became so rare in Deathrock over the past few years. (You can listen to ‘Puppets Dance’ at their Myspace page)

What made me fall in love with them was that you can actually hear this guys (and girl) were really having fun just performing (It reminded me a bit of the 'fun-attitude' you hear when listening to Anorexic Dread… and that always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling), this only became more obvious when watching live clips.

+favorite track'PUPPETS DANCE'+

So if you are up to give something new a try, get the 7” and help a really promising new band to some well deserved fame.

http://www.myspace.com/strangedollscult
http://www.strobelight-records.com

Deception Bay - My Color Flag (1991) USA

2009-06-17T17:53:00.020+02:00

Deception Bay is definitely one of those bands where you tell yourself..."DAMN why didn't I discover them sooner"!?. This has to be one of my favorite bands/albums that have come across my path within the past year. Many thanks to DJ Delecti who was eager to play for me some freshly new acquired goods in his apartment one drunken evening. Thus was presented to me 'My Color Flag'. The first Track 'fortune days' immediately sucks you in with thunderous drums, basslines,distorted guitars and atonal vocals and the rest of the album never falling short. Dark, guitar oriented post punk that references Savage Republic and Joy Division.

This was there 3rd and final release off of Independent Project records known to have release such bands as Savage Republic, Kommunity FK, Red Temple Spirits, For Against, and Autumnfair.

A raw and subtly powerful album, sure to not disappoint!

+Our favorite track" Fortune Days", full album link below+

My Color Flag -(2001) on Independent Project Records

+ Pressing was limited to 2000 copies+

+Tracks+
Fortune Days
All My Future
Fence and Flag
On My Side
Where Am I Now
The Place I’m Going
It’ll Be My Day
Getting Scared

There is also a Myspace page www.myspace.com/deceptionbays