Kentucky Fried Wave

Halloween - B. Town Beauty 7" (1982, H.L.W. Records)

2012-02-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

Rare 7" from Belgium... this band might be known to some for their appearance on the "Nuit Blanche" compilation LP in '84. The a-side ("B. Town Beauty") is somewhat conventional, catchy new wave/punk with a singer who reminds me of the French band Wallenberg in certain parts of this track. Not bad, but the highlight of the record is the great b-side ("Ghetto"), which sounds like a totally different singer to me... but certainly no indication in the credits. Anyways... this is a great depressive cold wave tune.

Someone on discogs left the note: "Nice coldwave from Oostende (Belgium), a much sought-after collector's item in vein of De Brassers and Red Zebra, recorded at Danny Lacksman Synsound Studio Brussels in May '82".

Preview sample here (64/22):

Halloween - B. Town Beauty 7" (1982, H.L.W. Records)

01. B. Town Beauty
02. Ghetto

http://www.mediafire.com/?5fd7pusosr9riu6

Crew of Corps - Crew of Corps 12" (1986, On Record)

2012-02-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Rare Swedish goth obscurity with a nice Nosferatu cover that certainly isn't a household name. Pretty good stuff... reminds me more of some of the mid 80s German goth bands than what I'd usually expect out of Sweden from the time period.

Crew of Corps - Crew of Corps 12" (1986, On Record)

01. Into The Fields
02. White Feather
03. Power of Passion
04. Final Clash

http://www.mediafire.com/?r0fl2yu70jphmps

Kabuki - Demo K7 (198x, Self-Released)

2012-02-19T14:30:00.000-05:00

Super-duper rare tape by the pre-Ausgang band Kabuki, best known for their rare, single official release "I Am A Horse" 7" from 1982. This tape include some demo recordings, live tracks, and a radio session. Unfortunately, the radio session tracks only include audio in the right channel and the last live track ("Between Thy Hips") is separated among the A and B side since the tape runs out on the A-Side.... Therefore I included a sub-folder inside the main directory were I tried to splice together "Between Thy Hips" (far from perfect) and messed with the panning on the radio sessions to make them a bit easier to listen to.

Despite some audio quality issues... impossible to find tape and tracks!

Kabuki - Demo K7 (198x, Self-Released)

"Trilogy"

A1. Instrumental
A2. And She
A3. Hey Bed
A4. Downfall (Instrumental)

"Live"

A5. Downfall
A6. Trapper Sam
A7. Between Thy Hips
B1. Between Thy Hips (continued...)

"Radio Beacon Session"

B2. Downfall
B3. Inside
B4. The Elusive Things
B5. Kills Love Kills
B6. Inside

http://www.mediafire.com/?5cggksjsr6ze6vm

Calendar Crowd - Perfect Hideaway 7" (1982, Romantic Records)

2012-02-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

UK synth / new wave band. They had a 12" follow up in 1985 that you can grab at Crispy Nuggets, and oddly the b-side on this 7" also later appeared there. If you've heard that one before, you get the normal version of the track here.

Calendar Crowd - Perfect Hideaway 7" (1982, Romantic Records)

01. Perfect Hideaway
02. Perfect Hideaway Dub

http://www.mediafire.com/?a43apqu50g2c29c

Safehouse - Underneath The Ice 12" (1982, Au Fait Records)

2012-02-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

Good quality Aussie post-punk, dark new wave, indie music... somewhat similar to country mates Ducks In Formation. This was their only vinyl release (from the Au Fait label known for the Spencer Spencer 12")... but apparently they released a S/T demo cassette in '83 according to a youtube user who posted two live videos of songs not included on this release (check bottom of post to view one of them). Quite rare for sure!

Safehouse - Underneath The Ice 12" (1982, Au Fait Records)

01. Underneath The Ice
02. Red
03. Things That You Say
04. Celebration

http://www.mediafire.com/?8wb10f2sq2892oi

VA: Tempesta Magnetica K7 (1988, Silenzio Statico / Gregorsamsa)

2012-02-05T17:07:00.000-05:00

Rare late 80s Italian compilation that appears to have been co-released by Silenzio Statico and Gregorsamsa. Basically a mix of dark/cold wave, new wave, post-punk, goth, indie/alternative rock, and avant-garde Italian bands. Guido Lusetti, who ran the label Gregorsamsa, also helped run the Hax label that is probably best known for it's DsorDNE releases.

Glancing at the tracklists... the more interesting bands for me include X-Offender, Symbiosi, Anatema, Diskanto, Claudio Fusai, Lix Bolero, and En Manque D'Autre.

VA: Tempesta Magnetica K7 (1988, Silenzio Statico / Gregorsamsa)

Silenzio Statico Side:

01. Anatema - Reconquista
02. A.C.T.H. - Tu Dici?
03. X-Offender - Falling Down
04. Luna Incostante - Frammento
05. Symbiosi - Tempo Di Vivere
06 .Diskanto - Sogno Sudamericano

Gregorsamsa Side:

07. Claudio Fusai - Love Song
08. Lix Bolero - Visioni
09. En Manque D'Autre - Nuove Religioni
10. Quidem - Prigionieri
11. Konats - Viva Viva I Ruminanti
12. Konats - L'uomo Bianco Bolliva Lieto
13. Almanacco Scuba - Il Tempo Che Respiri

http://www.mediafire.com/?36h8hmtcv94tr1a

Les Zeiga Fleurs - Good Men Die Quietly! K7 (1983, Zeiga Records)

2012-02-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

Raw early 80s Hull-based goth band. This tape was released on Zeiga Records/Recordings that was also responsible for releasing Punctured Tough Guy's "Warped Houses" cassette.

Here is a humorous description taken from http://www.nickclay.karoo.net/hullbands1.htm.

Sharon's dreadful old goth band. They were awful, but here's a nice photo from her small-girl-with-enormous-bass days.

I have got a number of LZF tapes at home but do not really think that the world is ready for such a goth revival. For that reason I have decided not to put any of their awful music on this page. I know what my band did was not The Beatles or anything, but it was still better than LZF.

For those of you lucky enough not to have seen or heard them, here is a precis:
Hairspray
Booming doom-laden bass lines
Extra-big drum kit
Funereal set
No fun
Black clothing de rigeur
No summer songs to lift your hearts
Best left alone
LZF's founder and leader was Ingo Dewsnap. He recorded a large number of local bands at 51 Stepney Lane on his 4-track portastudio. As such he deserves credit for being the first to record The Housemartins, and for getting a local scene going. Unfortunately, LZF probably blots his copybook beyond redemption.

Sounds pretty awesome to me! :) ...If you enjoy early 80s obscure goth bands, certainly not as bad as that description applies... some decent tunes for sure if you can sit through the mucky recordings.

Les Zeiga Fleurs - Good Men Die Quietly! K7 (1983, Zeiga Records)

01. Les Zeiga Fleurs
02. Could You Love Me?
03. Searching
04. Cinono
05. Illusion
06. Distant Eyes
07. The Cold October
08. Vagina Crisis
09. The Signature's Signed
10. In Far Off Days
11. Anyone
12. Trust
13. Drowning

http://www.mediafire.com/?ihc6re9eeg91cab

Stephen Spera - Sound of The Crowd 7" (1982, Red Music)

2012-01-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

Classic Dutch minimal synth. I don't really have much else to say due to feeling partly burnt out tonight. Obviously from the photo, my copy is lacking the sleeve... so if you cannot live without the sleeve image for your "i" device or whatever, go visit discogs or buy the damn thing. Other than that, the b-side off this record is very quiet in comparison to the A-Side in turns of volume, so I did boost the volume up quite a bit for those 2 tracks to loosely match the volume of the title track (rarely something I ever do, but did feel a need here)...

Stephen Spera - Sound of The Crowd 7" (1982, Red Music)

01. Sound of The Crowd
02. My Geography
03. Men & Women Part 1

http://www.mediafire.com/?56l5qj3d6b8e6xi

Joy Circuit - Time Held The Night 7" (1985, Sinister Bop! Records)

2012-01-24T22:19:00.000-05:00

Fairly obscure minimal synth band from Arkon, Ohio... The title track off this 7" appeared on the rare LP compilation " Exhibit A" from '85 + they also appeared on the "Exhibit C: Ohio's Undercurrent" CD from '88 (both from Play Records). Apparently the band recorded quite a few demo tracks and an album the never was... you can view more of this at http://leibrary2.8m.com/joy.htm.

Joy Circuit - Time Held The Night 7" (1985, Sinister Bop! Records)

01. Time Held The Night
02. The Deceleration Fix

http://www.mediafire.com/?sagosx4s2cmdcdh

Elysium - Summer House 7" (1984, Cauldron Records)

2012-01-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

Elysium's first release, also known by the name Burning Skies of Elysium circa '87. I've had quite a few people ask me about this one over the years, so guess it is pretty scarce to find. This one sounds quite alike their better-known tunes off the "Carousel" 12" + "Last Revolving Door" LP, just simply more primitively produced. "Far From The Crowd" from the '87 LP could have possibly been a re-written/re-worked version of the track "Summer House" featured here as far as I concerned. The saxophone player on this 7", Ron Howe, played on The Cure's "The Head On The Door" LP along with the band Fools Dance. If you've never heard Elysium/Burning Skies of Elysium and none of this makes any sense, expect goth/wave with a singer who sounds a bit like Ian Astbury from his Southern Death Cult/Death Cult period.

Preview samples here:

Elysium - Summer House 7'' (1984, Cauldron Records)

01. Summer House
02. Through Flak & Flak

http://www.mediafire.com/?0y3zbky1b1je0z1

This Eternal Waiting - The Prize 7" (1986, I Live In Hell Records)

2012-01-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Super rarity from Ireland with a great synth/goth sound that is practically impossible to find. "The Prize" reminds me of some moody tracks off The Valley Forge's "From Across The Sea" 12" mixed with prime Xymox. "Love & Limb Tombs" is upbeat and dancefloor friendly... perhaps like a synthier Laughing Mothers! This record was never released with a picture sleeve due to costs (though sleeve art was designed), and the release company is abbreviated I.L.I.H. on the labels. Great, highly obscure stuff...

Preview samples:

This Eternal Waiting - The Prize 7" (1986, I Live In Hell Records)

01. The Prize
02. Love & Live Tombs

http://www.mediafire.com/?l3vd8ybierxjtoe

The Primary - Radio Silence 7" (1983, Goldfish Records)

2012-01-15T12:38:00.000-05:00

Obscure UK synth wave band off the Goldfish label that morphed into Peeved Records after this releasing tapes by Perfect Vision, President Reagan Is Clever, The Dead Goldfish Ensemble, amongst many others. This band started out under the name Gestalt, apparently with a bleak synthesizer / Joy Division sound, and released a cassette single + had some tracks on a compilation tape (both released through the Stick It In Your Ear fanzine). Band members were friends with Tears For Fears, and the Gestalt cassette single was recorded in their studio. With Louise Tierney taking over the vocals, the band changed their name to The Primary and went in a stronger "pop" direction. This was the only release while active (limited to 500 copies), later in 1987 a compilation tape called "A For Assasination" was released by Peeved Records containing studio and live recordings. For more info, check out the Peeved Records website.

Preview samples here:

The Primary - Radio Silence 7" (1983, Goldfish Records)

01. Radio Silence
02. Responding

http://www.mediafire.com/?27c8f2mac66g3d4

Uncertain Call - Out 7" (1986, Self-Released) / Uncertain Call - The Blame 7" (1988, Krezimikroïd)

2012-01-14T15:52:00.000-05:00

French melodic synthpop band with some crossover cold wave influences. Like many other synthpop bands, they're going for a commercial / produced sound, though I still find most of the tracks enjoyable. These are their only two releases, besides a track in the same basic style (more guitar) on the compilation LP "Kram Production" from '87.

Preview samples here:

Uncertain Call - Out 7" (1986, Self-Released)

01. Out
02. The Will

Uncertain Call - The Blame 7" (1988, Krezimikroïd)

01. The Blame
02. Picture Girl

Get both below:

http://www.mediafire.com/?px99f5mz6jm8cuc

The Ultimate Sway - Here We Stand 7" (1982, International Records)

2012-01-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Rare UK post-punk band that only did this lone release as far as I've ever seen... quite good, especially the B-Side... check out the video to hear for yourself. If Troops For Tomorrow jammed with The Gentry, it might have sounded like this... They have an unfinished website here as well as a Myspace page that I just discovered before posting this.

The Ultimate Sway - Here We Stand 7" (1982, International Records)

01. Here We Stand
02. Always Waiting

http://www.mediafire.com/?70nqi0kib3f4rxy

Silent Guests - House of Wax 7'' (1982, TW Records)

2012-01-04T22:04:00.001-05:00

Pretty good UK band with a dark new wave/post-punk sound... sort of reminds me of an amateur For Against if they were British... powerpop gone gothic.... or the band Rhythm Method from Flux Records. Oddly, this appears to be the band's final release with two previous records in '81 ('Desperate Measures' 7" + 'In My Secret Garden' LP). You can check out their LP here and some more info here (though the audio files wouldn't stream when I tried them at this blog). Someone left a comment on one of those links claiming that the singer/guitarist (David Cole) of this band also played guitar in Moskow (excellent 'Heat-House' 7").

Preview samples here:

Silent Guests - House of Wax 7'' (1982, TW Records)

01. House of Wax
02. The Guillotine

http://www.mediafire.com/?862yyoxa7956963

Pale Blue - Ruin 7" (1983, Chameleon Records)

2011-12-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

Nothing exceptional in my opinion, but a decent little dark new wave band from Canada with a female singer, guitars + synths. As far as I know, their only release.

Pale Blue - Ruin 7" (1983, Chameleon Records)

01. Ruin
02. Therapy

http://www.mediafire.com/?2hdxif26bdvu6t3

Dusk To Dawn

2011-12-29T15:25:00.001-05:00

Some surprising news, Dusk To Dawn are back together with the original line-up recording new material after receiving a bit of interest online in their early works over the past couple years with more people discovering their material. Their first recording session since 1997 has produced three new songs, and one of these tracks ("Sole Survivor") can now be heard and/or purchased at Amazon, iTunes, and probably some other retailers if you look around. Heh, I would have never imagined some years back...

You can find their first tape here, their second one over at Crispy Nuggets, and more tracks at their SoundCloud page. Current info at their Facebook page.

Desertshore - Desertshore MLP (1984, Pafe Record)

2011-12-23T17:31:00.000-05:00

This is the first Japanese record I've posted on tihs blog, and one that I just picked up recently (it had been high on the wantlist for a couple years after hearing some samples on eBay). Really good (and rare) dark wave with lyrics in both Japanese and English. To my knowledge, their only release. The Pafe label that this one was released on had some other cool bands as well (Funeral Party, Pale Cocoon, ...).

For the songs named in Japanese, I just labeled the ID tags "Track 1", "Track 2", etc. since Winamp doesn't recognize the special characters on my computer at least.

Preview samples here:

Desertshore - Desertshore MLP (1984, Pafe Record)

01. 隔離
02. 天邪鬼
03. 流砂
04. 栄光製造機
05. Dreaming In Your Dream
06. 夜の涯

http://www.mediafire.com/?4869a3o4b4q97rt

Ghosts of Dance Update

2011-12-22T14:21:00.000-05:00

If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy of the Ghosts of Dance "Complete..." CD, please check the comments found in the post below for details:

lhttp://kentuckyfriedwave.blogspot.com/2011/11/ghosts-of-dance-complete-ghosts-of.html

The Roman Index - Revolution 7" (1981, 1,2,3, Records)

2011-12-18T00:22:00.000-05:00

Superb obscure UK diy dark post-punk band. Crazy this isn't more well-known even amongst die-hard collectors. This is one of those lucky finds I took a chance on some years back when I saw it for sell even though I had never heard of the band before because the seller claimed it sounded like Bauhaus meets Morrissey. Well, not quite... but that might make sense to someone who isn't deeply into these genre(s) --> and I wasn't disappointed! I have only seen it for sell once since the time I discovered it (3-4 years ago) and have had it on my eBay radar since for curiosity, so obviously quite rare.

Here is a video for an alternate version of the title track that appears on this 7" that seems have been uploaded by a band member based on the content (photos/flyers) so that you can check it out...

The Roman Index - Revolution 7" (1981, 1,2,3, Records)

01. Revolution
02. Burn Those Books

http://www.mediafire.com/?xi92jkcrcm3nwny

Instant Karma - Songs of Lust & Pain 12" (1987, PSI Music / EMP Music)

2011-12-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

Quite obscure band from Austria appearing to be from Vienna. The cover looks like a metal record, and the self-proclaimed "Snake Charming Rock & Roll" on the back sleeve and label doesn't sound too promising for sure... though a track like "Electric Armchair" is exactly what I hope to hear when a new, unheard record arrives in the mailbox. Don't hear too much about Austria's 80's goth history either besides bands like Astaron or X-Beliebig.

Devil's Doll" is a slow moving, 7 minute+ dirge, "Electric Armchair" is my favorite for the cold/desperate 80's goth sound, and "Under The Western Sky" has a slower tempo as well. This is the only record I have ever seen by this band, but I suppose other releases might exist. At the moment I write this, everyone who has voted for this one on discogs has gave it a 5/5, which is interesting. I personally don't think it is that great as a whole, but certainly an interesting find!

Preview samples here:

Instant Karma - Songs of Lust & Pain 12" (1987, PSI Music / EMP Music)

01. Devil's Doll (Live SZ 1986)
02. Electric Armchair (Live SZ 1986)
03. Under The Western Sky

http://www.mediafire.com/?im838du9lyblya5

What If Thinking - I Want That Boy 7" (1985, Rüde Records)

2011-12-10T16:01:00.001-05:00

Some synth / new wave / minimal synthpop bubblegum out of Detroit, Michigan.They also had a previous 7" in 1983, and appeared on the 1987 compilation LP "Strange Babies Who Cry Rock". Member Howard Glazer also plays in some other bands from that compilation, as well as solo.

Preview samples here:

What If Thinking - I Want That Boy 7" (1985, Rüde Records)

01. I Want That Boy
02. Run, Run, Run

http://www.mediafire.com/?0cmv7775akmh5ba

VA: Gotham K7 (1994, Gotham Productions)

2011-12-10T15:23:00.000-05:00

Mega rare compilation tape compiled by Carlos Enriquez out of Jersey City, New Jersey featuring bands from the US, UK, and Germany. If you were actively listening to current goth music in the 90s, this one features some well-known tracks by household names (The Wake, Love Like Blood, Sunshine Blind, Dream Disciples...), but also contains quite a few difficult to obtain demos (Kathedral, Shadowplay, Momento Mori, Kill Sister Kill, The Shroudettes (pre-The Shroud), Children On Stun...).

The absolute highlight is a track from the impossible to find Kathedral demo tape, a New Jersey-based band with a Christian Death-inspired sound that a handful of people have had interest in over the years from what I've gathered talking with folks. Member(s) later played in Electric Frankenstein + Shadow Project, and four of their songs were included on Electric Frankenstein's "The Dawn of The Electirc Frankenstein" CD (2000), though these were obviously later recordings than what is featured here from their original demo cassette.

I'd say this one is for goth rock fans only...

VA: Gotham K7 (1994, Gotham Productions)

01. The Wake - Nazarene
02. Love Like Blood - Doomsday 2
03. Like Wreckage - Justine
04. Momento Mori UK - Big Nadir
05. Shadowplay - Blood Moon
06. Kill Sister Kill - Sister Sunday
07. Phobia - Jack
08. The Shroudettes - The Beginning of The End
09. Kathedral - Evening Fear
10. Sunshine Blind - Keyeslough
11. Children On Stun - Downfall
12. Dream Disciples - Resting Place
13. Restoration II - Come Close My Eyes

http://www.mediafire.com/?mw7booexskooszb

After The Tides - Witches & Fools 12" (1987, Silent Place ASBL)

2011-12-03T22:51:00.000-05:00

Good, obscure Belgium band playing goth / dark new wave / post-punk. Their only release that I know of. The track "Cities Run" is my favorite of the three, though I hope you hate it. :)

After The Tides - Witches & Fools 12" (1987, Silent Place ASBL)

01. Witches & Fools
02. Vargtimmen
03. Cities Run

http://www.mediafire.com/?2t658180jt0ctu4

Club of Rome - Jesus Wouldn't Like It 7" (1983, Domination Records)

2011-12-03T22:21:00.000-05:00

Quite difficult to find Australian goth / post-punk, though easily one of the finest from the country. The fantastic b-side "Germany" is the best Aussie example to prime material by UK bands such as The Silent Scream or Twisted Nerve that I could possibly imagine. This band also issued a self-titled cassette in 1982, and luckily you can hear some track off it on youTube through the user MrClubofRome. I recommend the track "Axe Murder" for some great Joy Division / Razor Penguins sounding material, though the other tracks are great too.

Club of Rome - Jesus Wouldn't Like It 7" (1983, Domination Records)

01. Jesus Wouldn't Like It
02. Germany

http://www.mediafire.com/?93sydutk3h2yas3

VA: Not Waving But Drowning LP (1983, Little Sister Enterprises)

2011-11-21T23:02:00.002-05:00

This was once posted on Mutant Sounds back in 2007 at a low bitrate rip... so here it is again in higher quality with more info...

This is the follow up to the highly sought-after "Sing As We Go" compilation put out by Little Sister Enterprises, and includes 2 of the same bands from that compilation (China Moon and Vaguely Divine). This one is every bit as great if not better, containing several excellent and obscure minimal synth, post-punk, goth, and new wave tracks... There are a lot of strange, diy UK compilations LPs from this time period that contain one or two excellent songs, but few with the overall consistency of this one.

Marine Boy has a great dark synth dance floor hit. The Wait sounds like bands such as Skeletal Family with synths, you can grab their debut 7" at Phoenix Hairpin's blog here that is good too, or check out their web page. Mad Dogs & Englishmen play dark wave in the vein of I Scream Brothers. Blood Fetish are dark post-punk / goth. This band later morphed into Bzu-zu, who had another wonderful track off the obscure "Pulsebeat" LP compilation the following year. You can hear / download some additional recordings from both bands at http://www.reverbnation.com/bzuzu. Playground Association have a melancholy minimal track comparable to some material by Modern Art or Lives of Angels. Silent Swim are diy minimal synth / new wave with male/female duo vocals. Unknown Colours have a rocky, live-recorded indie / post-punk track. I guess most of us know Vex for their killer anarcho-goth 12" "Sanctuary"... though this earlier track demonstrates they were capable of great cold post-punk tunes as well. The Persistant Gods are indie wave with a little bit of synth, you can grab on their 7" at Vinyl Obscurity if interested. China Moon is David Bowie gone minimal. Aquila has a cool goth track with a female singer, also known from the "From Bromley With Love" compilation. Peacock Dance and The Untouchables are skip-able. Ego & Co. does moody, dark, diy new wave. Vaguely Divine ends it with some guitar-heavy post-punk recorded live.

Preview samples here:

VA: Not Waving But Drowning LP (1983, Little Sister Enterprises)

01. Marine Boy - Haunted
02. The Wait - Tomorrow
03. Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Trumpton
04. Blood Fetish - Blood Mistress
05. Playground Association - The Edge
06. Silent Swim - Blind Disease
07. Unknown Colours - Beirut (Live)
08. Vex - Pressure
09. The Persistant Gods - Curtain House
10. China Moon - Walk On Walk By
11. Aquila - No Point
12. Peacock Dance - I'll Say Goodbye
13. The Untouchables - Woman In The City
14. Ego & Co. - Closing In On Chaos
15. Vaguely Divine - Emotions (Live)

http://www.mediafire.com/?06c8v3km0e32zbh

Phantom Forth + This Is Heaven - Rare Tracks

2011-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:00

Paul Lurker, who ran the New Zealand label Industrial Tapes throughout the 80's + was a member of bands such as Phantom Forth and This Is Heaven is planning on putting out a compiled CD in 2012 containing tracks from his various releases to celebrate 30 years since his first recordings. Luckily, he gave me permission to share some of the tracks that might be featured on that disc in their non-mastered/cleaned-up form (still decent sound considering many old tape recordings). The CD, when released, will contain a higher quality sound.

The two Phantom Forth tracks here come from an '83 demo session, while the This Is Heaven material here spans the following releases: "Self-Titled" K7 (1983), "Albert Northee" K7 (1984), "Above" K7 (1984), and "200 Variations" 7" (1985).

If you've heard the Phantom Forth MLP, these tracks are in the exact style. This Is Heaven is certainly more experimental. Some of their material sounds close to Phantom Forth, while other tracks are quite avant-garde, droney, or 80's lo-fi industrial. The track "Albert Northee" reminds me of modern bands such as Tropic of Cancer. Great stuff, sure to be an interesting release. Hopefully, I can keep you posted on details when it is available.

Phantom Forth + This Is Heaven - Rare Tracks

Phantom Forth - Fragments
Phantom Forth - See You

This Is Heaven - A Bit of Bother
This Is Heaven - Albert Northee
This Is Heaven - And Bullets Within
This Is Heaven - Circa 1941
This Is Heaven - Middling Messing Man
This Is Heaven - Mr Kingdom
This Is Heaven - Turkish Otter Time

http://www.mediafire.com/?hho0nasz6iddf4x

VA: The Last Rumba LP (1983, Flying Nun Records)

2011-11-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

Here is an early Flying Nun Records release (New Zealand's most famous indie label) all recorded live in one day at the Rumba Bar in Auckland, New Zealand, 1983. The bands vary quite a bit from post-punk, indie, experimental / avant-garde, alternative, and dark/cold tracks by Phantom Forth (actually listed as Phantom Fourth on this release) + Children's Hour. My main motivating factor to pick this one up was for the exclusive track by Phantom Forth (I posted their great lone 12" last July here). The track by Children's Hour on here is very good too.

Some good news, Paul from Phantom Forth is planning on releasing a CD in 2012 containing a lot of rare material from Phantom Forth + This Is Heaven. He gave me permission to share some rough/non-mastered versions of some of the tracks that are likely to be included on the CD. Should be one to pick it up for sure once it's released. Check the post above for more info if interested.

Samples here:

VA: The Last Rumba LP (1983, Flying Nun Records)

01. The Lesser Speckled Gottliebs - Gottliebing
02. Tall Dwarfs - This Room Is Wrong
03. Eight Living Legs - Tse Tse Fly
04. Flak - To Buy Food
05. Phantom Forth - Night Time Falls
06. "Where Have All The Ideals Gone" [No Artist Credited]
07. Kevin Hawkins - Song With No Future
08. The Heptocrats - One More
09. The Exploding Budgies - Paulsong
10. This Sporting Life - Wriggle Around
11. The Stones - Mother/Father
12. Children's Hour - The Mongolian Brothers Meet Their Match In The Man Mountain

http://www.mediafire.com/?d84rappq3qulezr

Nordland - Just Keep It Away 7" (1987, Self-Released)

2011-11-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

Very good single from Swiss-based Nordland. This was their second release, I've yet to ever hear their first 12", nor their final CD from the 90's... so don't know how they compare (kinda regret not grabbing their first 12" when I had the chance at a fair price). The title track later appeared on their '89 CD "Mystery" as well (that release has a few decent tracks, but certainly nothing amazing or incredibly memorable in my opinion). I once saw a demo tape on eBay quite a few years back, though it contained a hand-written sleeve / blank tape... so probably never official.

On this release, the title track is an excellent, memorable, polished dark guitar wave tune... general stuff like Sad Lovers & Giants, UV Pop's "Serious", or early Escape With Romeo come to mind when hearing it. B-side has a stronger synth presence and is quite bouncy.

Nordland - Just Keep It Away 7" (1987, Self-Released)

01. Just Keep It Away
02. Masquerade

http://www.mediafire.com/?u6i4dk3w037unik

Ravencathaus - Brothers of The Sun LP (1989, Lucifer Records)

2011-11-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

Ravencathaus were a late 80's UK goth band... and like many from this time period, appear to have been incredibly influenced by The Sisters of Mercy and Fields of The Nephilim. Unlike many of the other similar UK bands from the time period, these guys seem to have been total outsiders and/or hermits to the goth community since their name remains so elusive. Somehow they managed to finance a full-length LP, though I have the feeling that very few actually heard it.

I was in communication with one of the members couple years ago (some still played together in a rock band - can't recall their name at the moment), and was told that some cassettes were released as well. Believe the guy also commented that this LP was basically garage-recorded. That said, the production can be a bit rough around the edges (adding its own charm), though the bulk of the songs themselves are solid, good quality goth rock tunes certainly better than many of the popular goth bands from the late 80's / early 90's. Perhaps a bit similar to bands such as the The Wake from the USA / Ohio.

Preview samples here:

Ravencathaus - Brothers of The Sun LP (1989, Lucifer Records)

01. Kingdom
02. Creed
03. Shade
04. Burning
05. Spirit
06. Khristianne
07. Tacnevar
08. Sleep
09. Drown
10. Obsession
11. Take Me Away
12. Reincarnate

http://www.mediafire.com/?t6lpq3245nh7hln

Move / Gronge - Split LP (1987, A&D Records)

2011-11-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

I was about to post Afrodisia Città Libera's "Il Veleno Della Sottomissione" LP few days ago, which I uploaded to mediafire over two months ago (just never had got around to posting it)... and out-of-nowhere a limited remastered official CD edition popped up on eBay this weekend containing their 12" as well... Cool... moving on, here is the next Italian record I had in queue. I was pretty certain that this one had been posted before, but couldn't find it the other day (though the band names don't make it incredibly search engine-friendly).

This is a split between two Italian bands: Move and Gronge. I'm guessing the tracks by Move would be the main motivating factor to check this one out, as it is their follow up to the impressive S/T MLP once posted at Systems of Romance. Everyone I've spoken with agrees the tracks here are not quite as fantastic, but still good quality and in the same general style as the MLP... call it whatever you will: goth, coldwave, postpunk...

I've seen a few other releases by Gronge, but never was impressed enough by the tracks on this release to further investigate. They have an ethic sound with a female lead singer, avant-garde rock, occasional moments of 90's post-Dead Can Dance darkwave...I've heard a few bands in the past that sound similar, but since this isn't the style of music I typically listen to... comparisons are limited. Not horrible, simply not what gets me excited.

Preview Move tracks here:

Preview Gronge tracks here:

Move / Gronge - Split LP (1987, A&D Records)

01. Move - Guardati Intorno
02. Move - Lacrime E Sangue
03. Move - Poke At The Pope
04. Move - Silver Kites
05. Move - Miss Take
06. Gronge - Burocrazia.mp3
07. Gronge - La Torre Del Silenzio
08. Gronge - Prigioniero Politico
09. Gronge - Mentre Soweto Brucia
10. Gronge - Burocrazia
11. Gronge - Un Giorno Nasce E Uno Muore

http://www.mediafire.com/?exxy1ee1ylniboe

Théâtre - Ambiance Bar 7" (1983, F.L.V.M.)

2011-11-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

Another rare French coldwave / post-punk single. Personally, do not think either song on here is as strong as their track "Film Noir" from the compilation LP "13 Rock À Caen"... but still decent enough. Their only release on vinyl (besides the compilation appearance listed above), know I've seen them listed on a tape compilation or two... A copy is on eBay right now here if anyone is interested with a few days left. I just got this copy a few months ago, but some years ago bought a test-pressing/promo(?) version lacking the sleeve with an embossed label similar to some of the Tonpress records. Strange...

Preview samples here (may not work on all web browsers):

Théâtre - Ambiance Bar 7'' (1983, F.L.V.M.)

01. NP/AD
02. Ambiance Bar

http://www.mediafire.com/?h20u09hqj14yh2v

Ghosts of Dance - The Complete Ghosts of Dance CD (1996, Peppercorn)

2011-11-05T16:37:00.001-04:00

Back in late June I posted Ghosts of Dance's lone 7" vinyl release here, and to my surprise their original drummer (Kevin Maynard) left a comment claiming the band had issued a CD release in the past collecting their recordings. Initially I assumed it would have been a limited to 30 copies, home-made CDR sent to a few friends that is sometimes the case in these circumstances since I had never seen or heard anything about it. Nope, turns out it was a professionally manufactured CD (even has a barcode) from 1996 on a UK label called Peppercorn (PCCD 003). The sound quality is very high as well, certainly not poor vinyl/tape transfers.... I'm assuming these recordings came direct from the masters.

The 1996 date struck me odd too because unlike nowadays when there are a handful of reissues out every month for obscure 80s minimal synth / coldwave / new wave / post-punk / goth / etc. bands, this certainly did not occur incredibly often throughout the 90s - especially with bands in minimal synth territory such as Ghosts of Dance. I began hitting the search engines trying to find information on this CD, locating 0 results... Luckily, Kevin made it possible for me to receive a copy of this CD in return that a review would be posted here. I do not know the entire story surrounding this release, though my obvious assumption is that it must have got very, very little distribution. Would be great if one of our favorite distros could pick up some copies to make it more widely available since I assume someone has some boxes of these collecting dust...

Ghosts of Dance were from the North Devon region in England, and took their name from the song "Ghosts" by Japan. Members included:

Mark Butcher: vocals and keyboards
Yvette Norris: vocals
Peter Heaton: lead guitar
Daryl Hunt: bass guitar
Kevin Maynard: drums

This CD contains ten tracks recorded in 1982, and five from 1983. Keven told me the band issued a cassette called "Finale", so not entirely sure if many/some/all/none of these tracks were initially included on that release. The two tracks from their '82 7" are featured here. Despite the short time-span between the recordings, some sharp contrast exists between the years where they practically sound like two separate bands. The '82 material has that great early 80s UK synth sound with a goth-girl vocalist... like discovering a bunch of unreleased recordings from some strange mystery band that only issued a single track off a limited/locally pressed compilation. I am certainly reminded a bit of bands like Hedone (UK), Cry of The Innocent's "The Haunting" 7", or maybe even if bands such as Coldreams and a gothier Poeme Electronique teamed up, Skating For Cover, N.A. Pop 2000, "Just A Friend" by Skeletal Family, minor Psychic Youth comparisons too... All the songs are synth-based containing sparse guitar/bass, live drums... (much like their 7") with many being quite dream/trance-like with some witchy / pagan / ghostly themes (or at least how I interpreted them). The only complaints I can muster up is that I initially felt like some of the songs sounded quite alike the first couple times I played the disc, and a few being a bit nonchalant meaning they could have been developed a bit further (hehe, though this normally isn't a complaint for collectors of this style of music).

The five tracks from '83 show the band moving into a better produced new romantic / synthpop direction with the keyboard player taking over the main vocals. Not sure what the story is for the change, or if the original singer left the band at some point (she does contribute backing vocals on one of these songs: "Inspiration"). Personally I prefer the earlier material, and these later tracks nowadays sound a bit more dated... though they are still quality songs that I can easily listen through without being annoyed or tempted to skip (I'm simply not a gigantic new romantic / synthpop fan). "Living With A Shadow" is my favorite from this period with it being somewhat melancholy and dramatic... the instrumental "Berlin" is a nice synth tune as well.

Overall a very good quality release and pleasant surprise from a band that often appears practically unheard even amongst 80s synth freaks. For now, I can only provide you with samples of the tracks that you can stream below (might not be visible with certain web browsers or under specific security settings). Hopefully, more information will follow on how to obtain the CD if interested. I'll keep you posted if I find out more details...

Preview the '82 period tracks from this CD here:

Preview the '83 period tracks from this CD here:

Ghosts of Dance - The Complete Ghosts of Dance CD (1996, Peppercorn)

01. Inspiration
02. Sunset Across Kyoto
03. Till I Wake
04. Calling
05. Living With A Shadow
06. Saigon
07. Compulsion
08. Walking Through Gardens
09. Berlin
10. Celebrate
11. Day Like I've Never Seen
12. Portrait of Eden
13. Images of You
14. Black Sheep
15. Ghosts of Dance

The Pleasure Cell - New Age 7" (1986, Self-Released)

2011-11-02T21:10:00.000-04:00

Mega hard-to-find Irish rarity for post-punk, guitar cold, goth fans.You can read a short bio about them here if interested. A video exists on youTube for their track "She's Just A Girl" (not included on this release) that is quite straight-forward indie/alternative rock compared to these tracks. This is their only vinyl release... "New Age" reminds me of a restrained Passion of Ice with an early Cure guitar/bass sound. "Common Ground" is slower and moodier, but the all-around strongest of the two...

Preview samples here (might not work on all browsers):

The Pleasure Cell - New Age 7" (1986, Self-Released)

01. New Age
02. Common Ground

http://www.mediafire.com/?io2euf3eev0nz4r

I'm Spartacus - Donna Is Distressed 7" (1983, Decade Records)

2011-10-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

Here is the debut 7" by I'm Spartacus / I Spartacus. This one dates back to '83, and it wouldn't be until 1988 that they returned to vinyl with the "Crank" 12" (found at Phoenix Hairpin's blog here), and ending with the1989 LP "The Greats" (posted directly below). This one is pretty straight-forward early 80s post-punk with some odd western influences... The title track has never blown me away, but always an enjoyable listen.

Preview samples here:

I'm Spartacus - Donna Is Distressed 7" (1983, Decade Records)

01. Donna Is Distressed
02. Seven Wonders of The West

http://www.mediafire.com/?185r3c4r74xbs37

I Spartacus - The Greats LP (1989, Self-Released)

2011-10-25T22:03:00.001-04:00

If you would ask me what my favorite Australian record is, I might reply "Crank" by I Spartacus some days. I doubt if I Spartacus were intentially going for a "gothy" sound, but that 12" surely is private press bliss if you're into that sort of stuff. This is the follow up to that EP, and their final release. The first time I ever noticed this one on eBay, the seller had it listed as "The Greats - The Wonderful World of I Spartacus", which is how I would interpret it as well if I simply saw it in a shop and just glanced at the cover. Naturally, this left me scratching my head since it was Australian and from the same era, and luckily someone I knew purchased it and later confirmed it was the same band.

This LP certainly took longer to grow on me than the "Crank" 12", probably due to the fact that I had such high expectations that it would essentially be a continuation to that release. There are a few tracks that could have been outtakes from that EP ("The Greats" and "Part of The Art of Eve"), though this LP is certainly a bit more varied. "Cut Me Down" and "Drumheart" both have dancefloor potential. There are some slower tracks too ("The Strangest Life", "She Has No Tears", "Beautiful Again", and "Godsmoke")... as well as some short instrumental interludes.

This release is quite rare, apparently the singer grew tired of transporting several heavy boxes of unsold LPs every time he moved house (claiming "often"), and left his stash of LPs in an alley outside a house that he was moving from. Surely most, if not all, of those LPs were probably destroyed. I Spartacus were from Syndey, and the singer (Jack Marx) is now a well-known journalist and author. You can read Jack's own account of I Spartacus here. If you look around on youTube, there is a live clip by them performing the first two songs on this LP from the early 90s (maybe their last show?). Check above for their debut 7".

Preview some samples here:

I Spartacus - The Greats LP (1989, Self-Released)

01. The House of Sparto
02. The Greats
03. Beautiful Again
04. Part of The Art of Eve
05. Balltearer
06. She Has No Tears
07. Drumheart
08. The Strangest Life
09. Cut Me Down
10. Our Love & Agony
11. Godsmoke

http://www.mediafire.com/?7eqfpd7jcttfl9w

Direct Action - The Album LP (1985, Second Coming Productions)

2011-10-22T14:16:00.000-04:00

Strange private press (1,000 copies) from a band that appears to have been based out of London. The LP comes with an extensive booklet containing a lot of political and philosophical rants... by glancing through it, I would think I just purchased an anarcho punk album! Discogs has this one listed as Second Coming for the band name, I don't think this is the case...

Couple cool dark/gothy tracks on here (my favorites), "Antipop" reminds me of Depeche Mode, some standard new wave tunes, few synthy ones, and others bordering on indie. I liked the LP better after a few listens... not perfect... but certainly pretty decent overall minus a few tracks. The track "Smiling Backwards" ends very abruptly, it is like this on the LP... not an error on my part. "Consequences" contains a skip or two on my copy, but one of the less memorable songs.

Preview some samples here:

Direct Action - The Album LP (1985, Second Coming Productions)

01. Insect Control
02. Louise
03. Kevin & The Constitution
04. Antipop
05. Partytime
06. Auschwitz
07. In All Honesty
08. Lust
09. Consequences
10. Smiling Backwards
11. The Haunted
12. Red

http://www.mediafire.com/?phjm3rrqz53b31b

VA: Rock Azur LP (1987, Logos Disques)

2011-10-22T13:45:00.000-04:00

Rare, obscure French compilation... By glancing at the cover, you'd probably think this one is total shit, and there are some shitty bands on here... but you'd probably never guess there are some cold wave hits too. U-Bahn has an excellent track with some Siouxsie-vibes, Ultima Dance are great too --> a bit like Parallèles De Montségur, and Dimension Libre are decent. Body Body go for a dancy sound, Point De Chute are new wave/guitar alternative rock, Anne Vivien and Masculin-Pluriel are pop/new wave, and Willie & The Lightnings play shitty rock'n'roll.

Preview some songs here:

VA: Rock Azur LP (1987, Logos Disques)

01. Anne Vivien - Les Belles Manières
02. Body Body - Body-Body
03. Dimension Libre - Trotteuse Perverse
04. Masculin-Pluriel - Nuit Blanche
05. Point De Chute - Voyageur
06. U-Bahn - Can You Hear Me
07. Ultima Dance - Esmeralda
08. Willie & The Lightnings - Don't Feel Ashamed To Rock'N Roll Tonight

http://www.mediafire.com/?czmvkxlg0b5jnu1

White Russia - Valentine 7" (1980, Trivia Records)

2011-10-16T19:04:00.001-04:00

Rare UK minimal synth gem... not to be confused with the German band with the same name from the same era.

Sample both tracks here:

White Russia - Valentine 7" (1980, Trivia Records)

01. Valentine
02. Clothes

***** LINK REMOVED DUE TO A PLANNED REISSUE (HOPEFULLY MORE INFO TO FOLLOW ******

Baraka - Baraka 12'' (1986, Self-Released)

2011-10-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

Here is the sole release by Baraka, a rare French band crossing coldwave, new wave, touching pop, and synth. I would put them in the same category as bands like Smirnov and Fatidic Seconde. For a private press, quite polished and well-produced... so I would imagine they could have easily been radio pop if in the hands of a major label/producer... though like most bands they never made it to the big league and left us only with this gem. My copy is missing the insert, so I don't have much information... but this one was limited to 1,000 copies. "C'est Pour Ton Bien" is a great coldwave pop track!

To preview some samples:

Baraka - Baraka 12'' (1986, Self-Released)

01. Des Jours Meilleurs
02. C'est Pour Ton Bien
03. Le Chant Des Sirènes
04. Les Enfants Du Paradis

http://www.mediafire.com/?wiw4cyyk9c7u4ax

Idle Lovéll - Surge Et Illuminare MLP (1984, Blonde Vinyl Records)

2011-10-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

Idle Lovéll were a gothic / dark wave band from the Los Angeles region that only released this record. They included Michael Knott on vocals, who I had never heard of before, though he has quite a massive discography beginning with the early 80's punk band The Lifesavors... and is apparently a well-known figurehead in alternative Christian music. This is the first and probably last "Christian" record I'll ever post on here... hehe, normally not the stuff I seek out! However, I wouldn't let that discourage anyone from checking it out since it contains many excellent tracks. The better tracks remind me of some songs by bands such as South of No North, Art Boulevard, Necropolis of Love, or tracks such as "Out of The Window" by Aerial FX, etc... "Shallow" and "Only" are very good dark wave tracks, "Drone" is gothy, "I Can't Wait" is dreamy, "One-Sided Love Affair" has a jangle-pop vibe, and "Touch Me In The Wind" is my least favorite since it has a lame "radio-friendly" sing-a-long chorus. Overall, very good stuff if the religious overtones don't pester you.

Idle Lovéll - Surge Et Illuminare MLP (1984, Blonde Vinyl Records)

01. Touch Me In The Wind
02. Shallow
03. I Can't Wait
04. Only
05. One-Sided Love Affair
06. Drone

http://www.mediafire.com/?vucrv4gld0dyiru

Crises En Themes - Aquarelle Mission K7 (1990, Self-Released)

2011-10-03T21:30:00.000-04:00

This is a tape I took a gamble on several years back since it was fairly cheap, the seller had some other cool items, and in this case I did get lucky (and not fall victim to sales puffery) since it 1) contains some good coldwave songs, 2) never have seen it since (it hasn't been off the radar either), 3) nor heard their name spoken/typed/written from anyone else besides a few personal friends after I have sent tracks to over the years, or the individual I purchased it off. I thought I got lucky once again few years ago when "googling" this band and finding a contact, but after talking to the guy -- turned out that there was another late 80s French band with the exact same name who just happened to be influenced by Xymox, Christian Death, and (I believe he wrote) buddies with a member(s) of Opera Multi Steel... but there was no connection or awareness!

Oh well... this band were a two-piece out of Lyon, who sound like a poor man's Opera Multi Steel with some stronger Cure influences. Super-duper rare French coldwave tape.

Crises En Themes - Aquarelle Mission K7 (1990, Self-Released)

01. Untitled
02. Digital Scream
03. Octobre Rouge
04. Escalier
05. Mery's Hollogram
06. Gothique
07. L'horizon Des Prisons
08. Hot Girl
09. Fenêtre Sur Cour
10. Et Angélique Rêve
11. Dr Muller

http://www.mediafire.com/?red48wm7c22yqxt

Shadowplay - Another Autumn Day K7 (1988, Individual Pop)

2011-10-03T20:57:00.000-04:00

Shadowplay was the solo project of Michael Scholz, nowadays best known as the singer of cult 80s goths Taste of Decay. However, quite a few years before I ever heard or read about Taste of Decay... there was Shadowplay (not to be confused with the US band I posted last week, the Finnish band, or others sharing the name). Naturally there are some very similar Taste of Decay sounds, but perhaps a bit more introspective at times (it is a solo project after all). Michael mentions influences by Joy Division, Bauhaus, Sad Lovers & Giants, and Danse Society... though the Bauhaus influences comes out heavily on the vocals at times, and there is certainly some big-time Cure influences here-and-there. This is nothing groundbreaking, but certainly good quality DIY underground goth music, especially for being a debut cassette-only release. The title track is probably my favorite on here, though know I had this tape for a couple years before the song I ever grabbed my attention, "Come Inside" is a dark analogue synth track, and there are quite a few other decent tunes as well.

Michael also sang for Garden of Pleasures (best known for their track "Pandora's Box" off the New Alternatives LP) from '87-91, and has been involved in a few other bands (even pre-Taste of Decay). For more information on some of his projects, check out his way out-of-date website: http://home.foni.net/~michel/shadowplay.html

Myspace here for some more info and random tracks including a newly recorded version of "Out of Control" off this tape: http://www.myspace.com/shadowplaygermany

Here is the Shadowplay discography (ignoring compilations)

Another Autumn Day K7 (1988, Individual Pop)
An Ideal World K7 (1990, Self-Released)
Tears K7 (1992, Self-Released)
A History of Shadowplay 1988-1992 K7 (1993, Beton Tapes)
A Perfect Frame (A Compilation of Previously Unreleased Songs) K7 (199x, Self-Released) <- Think Promo-only, have only seen it one time

Shadowplay - Another Autumn Day K7 (1988, Individual Pop)

01. Out of Control
02. The Spell
03. Could Be Me
04. Eyes Like Hell
05. Two Sides
06. Another Autumn Day
07. Destiny
08. Come Inside
09. Seduction

http://www.mediafire.com/?y72w4p79o11cp19

Sheer Thursday - Expecting The Grass LP (1986, Twilgiht Records)

2011-09-26T20:55:00.000-04:00

When I have noticed this record up on eBay in the past, sellers often compare them to early R.E.M., which is certainly obvious on some songs and both bands were from Georgia (different cities -- Sheer Thursday were from Atlanta / R.E.M. --> Athens). Besides the R.E.M. influences, they also have some excellent gloomy darkwave tracks like "Gray Day", "A View From The Side VII" (beautiful), and "Distance" that are the standout tracks to me (and anyone with similar tastes). You also have some straight-forward uptempo post-punk tracks ("Moral", "Home Park", and "In View From The Side"). There is another release I've seen that is a '85 7" called "He Leaves" that is probably the same band, but have yet to ever hear it or had anyone else refer to it to me... so can't be 100% sure... if you know for sure, leave a comment. The first four tracks on here were recorded in Nov.-Dec. 1985, and the remainder in May-June '86. This one can often be found quite cheap online too, which is another plus.

Sheer Thursday - Expecting The Grass LP (1986, Twilgiht Records)

01. Dodge
02. Distance
03. Fish Form
04. Gray Day
05. Moral
06. A View From The Side VII
07. Home Park
08. In View From The Side
09. The Dancing Bear

http://www.mediafire.com/?0c7tdzaobxtj15y

Shadowplay - The Camp of The Saints LP (1989, Shadowplay Records)

2011-09-26T20:15:00.000-04:00

By glancing at the cover of this record, you might be expecting to hear the ghost of Ian Curtis once again, but not quite. There are some Joy Division influenced tracks ("The City On The Edge of Forever" -- sounds like the JD-influenced Grey March tracks), but overall I am reminded of bands such as New Math, mid 80s Kommunity FK, or even Fourwaycross at times. Mildly gothic, US-style post-punk / dark rock, deathrock-crossover. This Shadowplay (quite a few bands with the same name), were from the small city of Everett, Massachusetts (north of Boston), and consisted of Peter Odd and Robert Belvedere (pen name). Peter (maybe a pen name too?) and Robert started playing together in James Straight & The Bureaucrats in 1979, and apparently played in other Boston-area bands throughout the 80s (Shocks & Struts, Beach Party Syndrome, Kalvin Kooledge, Red Tape, No Smoking, World Citizens and minimal synth legends Doppler Effect) according to one eBay seller who recently posted this one for sale (not sure if they played together or seperate in all of those bands! -- but would imagine not together in all). A quick google search reveals Mr. Belvedere nowadays runs a self-proclaimed right-wing Political blog at http://thecampofthesaints.org ! Nevertheless, some decent tracks... and all songs recorded between July-Aug. 1988.

Shadowplay - The Camp of The Saints LP (1989, Shadowplay Records)

The Struggle Within:

01. Normandy
02. Cannae
03. Days After Daze
04. Who Is John Galt
05. Treason Within

Antarctica:

06. Virginia Dare
07. December 19th
08. Bonzo's Buddy Neal
09. The City On The Edge of Forever
10. The Wilderness Campaign

http://www.mediafire.com/?lqqxfqd3xb70q3l

One Hundred Names - Inside 12" (1985, Wishbone Records)

2011-09-26T19:50:00.000-04:00

Cool German goth band that only put out this 12" on Wishbone Records, best known for releases by Marcie's Still Waiting and No More. Don't know much else... but good stuff.

One Hundred Names - Inside 12" (1985, Wishbone Records)

01. Inside
02. Trust Yourself
03. Stop USA

http://www.mediafire.com/?6us033w37ycu3je

Sinister Attraction - Private Wars 12" (1989, Nailed To Sound)

2011-09-26T19:17:00.000-04:00

Late 80s US dark electro band from the Pittsburg, PA area and off the Nailed To Sound label (ran by members of Batz Without Flesh). "Sleep of Dreams" and "Control" are heavily Skinny Puppy-influenced, "/'nəth-iŋ/" and "NTT" are slower with a bit more gothic/darkwave atmosphere, and "Dead To The World" is in Klinik-territory. They would have fit in on the "Grindstone" compilations put out by K.O. City Studio (Data-Bank-A, Dominion) during the same time period. Discogs also has two other cassettes listed, and some more videos are on youTube from their cassettes.

Sinister Attraction - Private Wars 12" (1989, Nailed To Sound)

01. Sleep of Dreams
02. /'nəth-iŋ/
03. Control
04. NTT
05. Dead To The World

http://www.mediafire.com/?yfzgd4owdhko98c

Conspiracy of Silence - Clouds Grinned Like Skulls 7" (1987, Bricks & Mortar Records)

2011-09-20T18:13:00.000-04:00

Obscure Dutch band that I don't know much about. The track "Mother" is a great song that reminds me of the Sister of Mercy's "Marian" with a stronger indie touch... sure to be an obscure "YouTube" hit with time. The two songs on the b-side have a guitar wave/indie/post-punk sound to them, not bad. I'm not 100% sure what the correct title to the last song is... it is listed as "Innocense" on the picture sleeve and "Innocent" on the label. Who knows?

Conspiracy of Silence also had a track on the '89 K7 compilation "10 Jaar S.P.M.J. Rhythmsticks" available at the No Longer Forgotten Music blog here. There are a couple compilation apperances listed on discogs for this band too, but I have my doubts that all of them are in fact the same band. The 1990 Dutch 2xLP compilation "Some Corrupt Not Self-Programming Dee-Jays" is likely correct.

Conspiracy of Silence - Clouds Grinned Like Skulls 7" (1987, Bricks & Mortar Records)

01. Mother
02. Turn Your Back
03. Innocense

http://www.mediafire.com/?pt94xwp5v0zwkmv

Disorder - Ventriloquist 7" (1991, Big Noise Records)

2011-09-20T17:49:00.001-04:00

German darkwave band active in the early-mid 90's, also sometimes known as "The Disorder". Here is their only vinyl release, a 7" limited to 200 hand-numbered copies. The band began on Big Noise Records (later to become the popular 90's German Goth/Electro/Darkwave label Dion Fortune) releasing a S/T K7 and this 7" in 1991. In 1993, they self-released the "Amnesia" CD which contains many of the elements found here with a bit better production and some stronger electronic influences creeping in on some tracks. Following this they put out two more releases in 1995 that I have never heard or seen anywhere for sale: "Inspiration To Hamlet" K7 and "MoveDown" CD/K7. They also appear on quite a few compilations, such as their excellent contributions to "Behind Mysterious Gates (The Vicious Circles)" CD (1992, No Control Torture) and "Cascades" K7 (posted below)... to name a few. Band member Manfred Thomaser went on to synthpop/electropop bands Distain! and Arsine Tibé. I've been looking for their first tape since around 2004, but have only ran into it one time back in 2006 (and the seller would not ship outside of Europe when I contacted him)

Their early sound is quite alike many underground German wave bands from the early 90s explosion... fits in nicely among Visions of Domino, Dusk To Dawn, Fields of Winter, No Critics, early Prophet O'Haphazard, Elephant Castle, etc. This 7" starts off with "Ventriloquist" containing some synthpop undertones and backing female vocals, "Into The Dark" is DARK and will probably be the standout track to most. "All About You" is a ballad, and "Friends" has a whispery minimalistic sound.

Disorder - Ventriloquist 7" (1991, Big Noise Records)

01. Ventriloquist
02. Into The Dark
03. All About You
04. Friends

http://www.mediafire.com/?oxrf3chfhzbofuv

The Vengeful Widows - Both 7" singles + 1 K7 (1989-1994)

2011-09-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

Someone requested some Vengeful Widows on here couple months back, so here are the releases I own. A bizarre late 80s-mid 90s UK goth entity playing primitive, lo-fi, dollar-bin drum-machine,'82-83 period Sisters of Mercy-influenced tracks mixed with the doom/gloom weirdness of bands such as Dass causing them stand out a bit from the typical Eldrich-obsessed nuts (and eliminating any chance in hell for commercial success even in "goth" circles). The main member was Gavin Blackwidow, the K7 I have has Elanor on bass, and Mick Mercer's Gothic Rock book mentions a member named Libby (drums, chimes, occasional vocals), along with Suzie the Doom Machine. All of their releases appear to have been self-released on their own label Crypt of the Necromancer, and after two 7" singles, the remaining releases were cassette only. Naturally, all of their releases are quite hard to come by, and there isn't a great deal of information out there on the web. Besides these releases, they also had the following tapes (and quite possibly more): "S/T", "Cry", "The Dark", "The Violet", and "Cross Sexion" (seen this one referenced in a zine, but never heard/seen it...). Mick Mercer's Gothic Rock books claims they formed in '87 in Liverpool, but didn't get around to actually writing music until they moved to Stourbridge in '89. The Hex Files book released in '96 writes, "I have yet to meet anyone who has seen these late 80's hermits. In fact it may all be the work of one man but there are still two charming singles and five separate demos available. Bedsit Bauhaus, sofa-bound Sisters."

The Vengeful Widows - What Made Us Change 7" (1989, Crypt of The Necromancer)

01. What Made Us Change
02. Halloween

The Vengeful Widows - Turn Out The Light 7" (1990, Crypt of The Necromancer)

01. Turn Out The Light
02. Cry

The Vengeful Widows - Rise K7 (1994, Crypt of The Necromancer)

01. Rise
02. Hourglass
03. Susan
04. Mourning

Download all three here: http://www.mediafire.com/?ge7ssrrmsup0u7o

Rank Z'Heroes - Ich Werde Es Tun 7" (1983, Gamm Record) ||||||| Rank Z'Heroes - Heartbit MLP (1984, Big Heat)

2011-09-10T14:18:00.000-04:00

Rank Z'Heroes were a Belgium band that put out three releases (the first two included here). I've never picked up the 3rd and final 12" from '86, "Need A Slave"... so no clue how it compares to these. The first 7" ('83) is certainly the coldest, reminiscent of many French coldwave bands from the time period... though the title track is sung in German. The "Heartbit" MLP ('84) is a bit more produced and varied, the French mailorder Superdisques writes "rare mini lp of complex cold by this belgian band remembers a bit minimal compact"... The A-Side of the MLP is nothing outstanding for me, but all three songs on the B-Side are dark post-punk/cold.

Rank Z'Heroes - Ich Werde Es Tun 7" (1983, Gamm Record)

01. Ich Werde Es Tun
02. Gone So Fast

Rank Z'Heroes - Heartbit MLP (1984, Big Heat)

01. Don't Walk Away
02. The Storm
03. Can Never Say Never Again
04. Das Leben
05. Secret Lips
06. Lullabies

Download both here: http://www.mediafire.com/?gwdei6diwbdcqr5

WCH - WCH 12" (1986, Big Heat)

2011-09-10T14:17:00.000-04:00

WCH (Working Class Heroes --> sounds like a skinhead band!) were a short-lived dark/cold Belgium band that formed in '84, released this single 12" (also off the Big Heat label such as the Rank Z'Heroes MLP posted above), and then vanished. Good stuff with some throaty-vocals, though the last track is a bit silly.

WCH - WCH 12" (1986, Big Heat)

01. Chanson D'Amour
02. Time
03. I'm On Holiday
04. Jazz

http://www.mediafire.com/?d89bad23c7ks4fv

VA: Cascades K7 (1992, Beton Tapes)

2011-09-10T14:15:00.000-04:00

One of several compilation tapes put out by Beton Tapes spotlighting some of the then current underground goth, darkwave, and dark electro bands in Germany during the early 90s. Beton Tapes was formed in 1990, and ran by Alexander Pohle who now does the minimal label NLW, along with the Back Again zine (amongst other things). He also had another tape label called Gorkon Recordings in the 90s too. If the label's catalog numbers are correct, Beton put out well over 100 cassettes, though I have only been able to uncover maybe around 50-60 of these (so would love to see a complete list of tapes if anyone has this available! *wink *wink). Some years ago, I got a handful of emails from Sopor Aeternus-obsessed collectors offering me steep prices for this tape since it does include an exclusive version of "Birth - Fiendish Figuration" that to my knowledge has never been released elsewhere. My thoughts were, who cares about that silly tranny when you get great obscure tracks by bands such as Disorder and Tumorous Flesh! Several of the bands included here went on to become common names in the 90s German Goth Hall of Fame (or Shame), so you get some early recordings from The House of Usher, Ghosting, The Hall of Souls, etc. along with bands that never got past the cassette circuit. My favorite track is certainly the one by Disorder.

VA: Cascades K7 (1992, Beton Tapes)

01. The Trinity-Mania - Invisibility
02. Ghosting - Ad Infinitum
03. The Hall of Souls - Shadow Factory
04. Disorder - Der Taucher II
05. Tumorous Flesh - Below The Cascade
06. Static Threshold - Der Schmerz
07. Serpents - Dying Angel
08. Halo Svevo - Pain Leisure
09. Sopor Aeternus - Birth - Fiendish Figuration (The Inner Hell)
10. Halo Svevo - And So Am I...
11. The Hall of Souls - Leviathan
12. Elephant Vs. Bromley - Clock
13. The House of Usher - Anne
14. 1 SBH - Seconds
15. Ghosting - With Closed Eyes
16. Sopor Aeternus - Birth - Fiendish Figuration (Memories Are Haunted Places)

http://www.mediafire.com/?ta3rblfb8fte3kn

VA: A Brûle-Pourpoint K7 (1984, Présence)

2011-08-31T22:13:00.000-04:00

So much music always, but so little time to actually sit down and listen to most of it... and even less time to spend ripping records and tapes lately. I did squeeze some time in for this one. Ignore what discogs says, this one came out in 1984, which is clearly listed on the cassette and the booklet contains information in it regarding some releases that came out in 1984... Released on the Présence label, which was ran by members of Isolation Ward... so naturally mostly Belgian bands... but a few from France and one from the UK too (though recorded in Belgium). Many rare, obscure bands/tracks ranging from coldwave, minimal synth, new wave, post punk, and experimental. Here is a quick, vague description of the lot... to give you an idea.

01. Crime of The Kitchen - "Batgirl" // Belgium minimal synth/new wave with girl vocals, sounds similar to Vita Noctis

02. Isolation Ward - "Fifth Rate Puritains" // Famous Belgium coldwave / postpunk band... male singer on this track. The trumpets sort of give it that early Death In June feel ("We Drive East")... though this is certainly less dynamic, and much more lo-fi

03. Pip - "Wiskey Hour" // UK band... mournful experimental track with violin, percussion, female vocals, etc.

04. Digital Dance - "The Night Suite (Live 3-12-81)" // Belgian post-punk / new wave band... fairly well known I would think

05. DZ Lectric - "Chine" // France .. Instrumental, experimental minimal synth track... but good quality. This guy did tons of tapes (and one LP), often collaborating with Anton from Norma Loy.

06. Entrée En Gare De La Ciotat - "The Quest" // Belgium post-punk, new wave

07. North Pole - "Transhumans" // Belgium experimental, instrumental minimal synth track

08. Magnétique Bleu - "In The Night" // France, same guy from DZ Lectric with additional members. Coldwave, minimal synth, new wave... Best known for their tracks from the "Le Cimetière Des Passions" LP and their 7".

09-Bernthöler - "Extérieur Nuit" // Belgium, one of the darker and more obscure tracks I've heard by them... similar sound to their track from "Underground Belgian Wave Vol. 2" LP, but darker / less upbeat.

10. Nox - "Kano" // France, certainly similar to their early track "White Noise" from the "Rituals Dos Sadicos" K7 if you've ever heard it... I never really kept up on this band, so don't know how it compares to their later material that is probably better known...

11. Chemical Hours - "Hate" // Another Belgium band with a girl singer playing DIY new wave with some synths...

12. Venise - "Giepsies" // French coldwave, gothic, new wave band... I posted their 7" on this blog not too long ago. Often listed as a Belgium band, the booklet claims they are French, and this track was recorded in Paris as well.

13. Dirty Time - "Silence" // Belgium post-punk, cold... Factory Records influenced.

14. Michel D. - "Dead End Poison" // Belgium - experimental, instrumental track

15. Two Witnesses - "Mangeons Les Esquimaux Tant Qu'ils Sont Froids" // Belgium - experimental track

If I have the free-time, I will post something new late next week, if not.... then maybe the next week!

Here is a link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?1szgvxtxangd6mc

Screaming Fools - Recent Moments In Life 12" (1991, Self-Released)

2011-08-19T20:14:00.000-04:00

Another very good quality, rarely mentioned German private-press oddity from the early 90s mixing dark wave and guitar wave, not too dissimilar to country mates Dusk To Dawn and others from the German wave scene of that era.

The first track "I Wonder" is probably the most radio-friendly of the bunch (think Pink Turns Blue, Escape With Romeo, The Colour of Spring, The Convent, Blessing In Disguise, etc. if recorded on a small budget), "The Light" reminds me of Passion Noire with a stronger Cure influence (my second favorite track on here), "The Girl & The Train" is an okay track, and "No More" is the dark wave smasher that might make you want to hunt this one down.

No other releases from this band unless some cassettes are available... which wouldn't surprise me because I do have one live track by them included on the German Beton Tapes compilation tape "Brave Boys Keep Their Promises" released in 1992. The keyboard player is now in an electronic band called The Promise, and some past Electro/EBM/Synthpop bands such as Philtron and SFOR Crime.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sdvsa8ged30sles

Rineva 7 - Ennui 7" (1981, F.L.V.M.)

2011-08-17T20:16:00.000-04:00

Another rare, obscure French coldwave record.... their only release from the F.L.V.M. label that had some other nice releases too. Rineva 7 sounds quite a bit like Guerre Froide, especially on the excellent B-side "Brulure".

http://www.mediafire.com/?5h6mtt12shjqjcx

Formule Tag - Derniers Baisers 12" (1986, Nad Disques)

2011-08-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

Based off the five track I've heard by Formule Tag, I would be lying if I said they were overall a great band... but like many obscurities from the 80s... they did manage to produce one brilliant song. That song is "July", included here... a perfect example of mid 80s period Cure mixed with that melodic French coldwave/touching pop charm.

http://www.mediafire.com/?5p16wvp5f76e0db

Disciples of Spess - Another New Iceland 7" (1987, Grimble Records)

2011-08-03T21:26:00.000-04:00

Not much to write today... just another lost classic dark synth UK single... Check out their website for an alternate version of the title track + a lot more tracks to download. http://www.disciplesofspess.com/

http://www.mediafire.com/?eg219gefan19hfb

Indians Fall In Love - When The Rain Fell Down 7" (1987, Self-Released)

2011-07-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a really cool German 7" in the dark/cold guitar wave-goth style, with a really impressive B-Side called "Eternal Dance". The A-Side has that late 80s/early 90s German sound, like a primitive private-press version of early Pink Turns Blue, Blessing In Disguise, + the rest of that scene... and is alright. The B-Side, "Eternal Dance" is the highlight and has some obvious Cure influences, but also reminds me quite a bit of some of the songs by the later German band Fallen Apart or the German Danse Macabre ("Wear Away", "She Believes", etc.). Maybe even a gothier version of the Colour Moves 7". It also reminds me quite a bit of the demo version of "Christian Hydrophobia" by Decay (another German band). I could keep going but highly doubt if most people reading this would have any clue what I'm talking about... :)

Discogs has this one incorrectly listed as 1986... one of the songs was recorded in '86, and the other in Sept. 1987. They also have a myspace page with some additional tracks (perhaps released on tape(s)??): http://www.myspace.com/indiansfallinlove

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?0ei7f7466uh746m

The Gift - Crashing Down 7" (1982, Venus Records)

2011-07-27T20:48:00.000-04:00

UK melancholy indie-wave, post punk single recorded in Dec. 1981. There are quite a few bands with the same name, including other darker 80s bands from Sweden and Italy that I know of... but I am guessing this was the band's only release. I first heard this one on youtube last year, and had to hunt down a copy...

http://www.mediafire.com/?4457mr3b6ram632

VA: The Simple Approach To Newtown Products 7" (1980, Newtown Products)

2011-07-23T13:48:00.000-04:00

Sought-after Scottish compilation recorded in 1979, and released in 1980. This one is also known for being in Johan Kugelberg's Top 100 DIY records (link here), who reviewed:

"My approach was to pay the inflated price the dealer was asking and happily walk home with this great record. 4 songs, four bands: Crimedesk are toilet-recorded DIY-slop, Basic Unit must be the most amateuristic goth band I've ever heard, Beat Necessity showcase only the finest in tuneless death-dirge with off-key howling and Story So Far is an awesome Joy Division/Factory Records attempt, but with no discernable musical talent. Needless to say, the whole EP is as charming as the day is long."

Besides Beat Necessity, I've never ran into any of these other bands anywhere else. Beat Necessity put out a spectacular 1981 Split 7" with Veldt in the coldwave vein and followed in 1982 with the "These Nights" 7" that overall had a funkier new wave/post-punk sound. These tracks were also reissued on the unofficial 3xCDR compilation "Kilt By Death: The Sound of Old Scotland" (also including bands like The Flowers, Simple Minds, Visitors, Noise Annoys, Neon Barbs, Significant Zeros, The Wake, Twisted Nerve, Jesus & Mary Chain, Metropak, Battery Boys, Josef K., etc.), which apparently quotes (based from Newtown Product's website):

”Basic Unit come to us from perhaps the scarcest of Scottish new wave artifacts, the Simple Approach to Newtown Products comp 7" (NTP 1), which served up four Glenrothes bands, including also Crimedesk, practitioners of a ragged punk heard nowhere else north of Hadrian's Wall, and Story So Far, from whose stumbles all Factory Records could be induced. Rounding out the Simple Approach to Newtown Products comp were Beat Necessity, the most ambitious of the lot, whose wandering dirges here would soon be tamed into an Echo and the Bunnymen goth pop for NTP 2 (a 7" split with the Veldt in 1981) and NTP 3 (their "These Nights" single a year later).“

The label Newtown Products has had their own website for the past couple years, which includes more downloads and information. http://www.newtownproducts.com.

Tracklist:

01. Crimedesk - Arms Race
02. Basic Unit - Ladder
03. Beat Necessity - 'Just Fine
04. Story So Far - Radiated

http://www.mediafire.com/?9em74zht9usgqfs

Look Back In Anger - Rare Recordings...

2011-07-23T12:57:00.000-04:00

As promised, here are some more rare Look Back In Anger recordings... the cassettes these came from are not official releases (thus I didn't bother providing any images)... Some exclusive tracks!

Look Back In Anger - Live @ The Ace, May 19, 1983

01. Flowers
02. Foxhunt
03. Executioner
04. The Dark
05. Silent Partner
06. Hollow Minds
07. Life's Dispute
08. Cut!
09. Mannequin

I bought this tape off Mick Mercer around 2005/06 when he was selling a lot of his old cassettes on eBay. The other side of the cassette has an Adam Ant live recording from Milan ('78) which I've never played... So, not an official release, but a good quality live recording nevertheless. The first track starts with some of the beginning cut off, but other than that, it sounds good!

Look Back In Anger - Various Demos and Live Tracks

01. Solitary (Demo 1982)
02. Executioner (Unmixed LP Version 1983/84)
03. Overlord (Live Oct. 24, 1981)
04. Torment / Without You (Live Nov. 16, 1983)
05. Foxhunt (Live Nov. 16, 1983)
06. Precept (Demo 1982)

These tracks came from a home-made compilation tape that appears to have been compiled by Sean O'Farrell (a.k.a. Jim Newby) who was a member of Look Back In Anger, The Fifteenth, Splashpool, and re-formed LBIA in the 90s as a solo project with an electronic sound. The ink on the tape insert is so faded that I could barely make out the track titles (hope I got them all correct). A friend passed this one to me couple years ago. Hope you enjoy.

Get both here: http://www.mediafire.com/?x51c47iyztg6e1d

Perfect End - Sweet Dreams 7" (1981, Hellfire Discs)

2011-07-16T21:59:00.000-04:00

Cool Scottish band with a gothy / dark new wave sound, and female vocals (on this release). Perhaps a bit like bands such as Klingons, Rhythm & Faith, or The Wait. You can read a bit more about their history at http://www.framingorecords.com/Perfect%20End.htm. Hellfire Discs also put out a limited CDR released in 2002 called "The Complete Collection 1980-1983" that contains 6 demo tracks recorded in 1980-1981 (with a different female singer than this 7" -- but including versions of the same three tracks featured here), this 7", and then 6 more demo tracks ('82-83) with a male singer + an instrumental demo version of "Sweet Dreams" as a bonus track. Below is a video of the title track, though the track "Puppets" is my favorite.The same youtube user had uploaded one of the demos with a male singer from the band's later period here (if anyone is curious) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBEQTsPok8k.

http://www.mediafire.com/?yxxksfwn8axepzz

Look Back In Anger - Foxhunt K7 (1982, Stick It In Your Ear Tapes!)

2011-07-16T15:13:00.000-04:00

Mega rare cassette single put out by the Stick It In Your Ear fanzine. Their second release (unless there are more strange tapes out there), and in the same usual quality 80s UK goth found on their vinyl releases. I have an unofficial live cassette from '83 by them with some tracks I've never seen on any of their releases that I'll post sometime in the future... as well as another "home-made"/"hand-written" compilation tape including some additional rare LBIA demos along with bands like The Fifteenth and Splashpool. One of the members reformed Look Back In Anger in the 90s, and there are at least two tapes from this period, but I believe the material is in the experimental, industrial soundscapes style.. I have one of them, so might eventually pull it out one day to check it out again to refresh my memory.

http://www.mediafire.com/?a97b90jd018xu39

Venise - The Alien 7" (1982, Caress Records)

2011-07-16T14:51:00.000-04:00

I've always been confused whether this band came from Belgium or France since I've seen both countries cited in the past. However, a couple years ago I got the "A Brûle-Pourpoint" K7 compilation, which lists their address as France in the booklet. The title track on here reminds me of the Italian band Pâle / Pale TV, and the b-side is a bit darker -- sort of in the vein of bands like Odessa. Pretty decent single..

http://www.mediafire.com/?6uttkkhw2trslbx

Subterfuge - Subterfuge K7 (1993, Self-Released)

2011-07-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

Rare early 90s Australian goth rock tape... Pretty rough, and certainly not the quality of their lone EP on Heartland Records. I personally do not like the singer's voice at all on here, but they eventually got better and this is where it started I suppose... The tape starts out with a Led Zepplin cover (which isn't a good start), and ends with two tracks that later appeared on their CD. The singer was also part of Jerusalem Syndrome with Chris McCarter from Ikon (their CD recently got reissued for some odd reason), has been on several Ikon releases, and is now in a band called Razorfade doing modern-day EBM/goth club stuff on Alfa Matrix of all places with an ex-member of Suspiria/Intra-Venus...

http://www.mediafire.com/?ahs3mud0ysn4yea

Phantom Forth - The EP MLP (1984, Flying Nun Records)

2011-07-09T22:55:00.000-04:00

Sort of New Zealand's answer to bands like Isolation Ward, Spray Pals, Tee Vee Pop, etc... Lo-fi, cold/dark wave with female vocals (and some occasional male vox too). Really good stuff, and a record that took me a couple years to simply hunt down a copy for sale (not that it was ever too expensive). At least one of the members of this band was involved in This Is Heaven, who released the "200 Variations" 7" that always goes for 3-digit prices whenever I've noticed it on eBay over the past years. Phantom Forth also had another good live track on the compilation "The Last Rhumba", which I might eventually upload here.... though lately has been hardly any free time! Unlike many, I'm not a huge fan of Flying Nun Record's entire catalog, but this is the one (along with Children's Hour) for cold/dark fans.

http://www.mediafire.com/?lillmdauanapgui

Ghosts of Dance - Ghosts of Dance 7" (1982, Plastic Canvas Records)

2011-06-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ghosts of Dance are a relatively unknown UK minimal synth band (perhaps bordering a tiny bit on nonchalant goth) who only put out this single 7" (unless some cassettes exist) , and certainly are a band who has not been hyped to death or tainted through eBay sales puffery over the years. The first bands that come to my mind to compare them to include Hedone (UK ~ "Sensible" 7") and Coldreams...

http://www.mediafire.com/?993phnxr14ii9bc

VA: The Timebox LP (1987, Timebox Records)

2011-06-28T21:35:00.000-04:00

[A very brief description summary of the information on the back sleeve]
The Timebox was formed as a live music club in Feb. 1986 at the Bull & Gate pub in Kentish Town, London. A second location (Timebox 2) was created in Camberwell as well. The Timebox also manages bands, works as an agency for others, and has set up a record label.

This one contains a mix of goth, indie, c86, alternative, new wave, and punk bands. Overall a decent collection of UK bands with many exclusive tracks, some of the highlights (for me) include Black Cillas, The Fifteenth, We Are Going To Eat You, A Strange Desire, The Laughing Mothers, and Only Connect.

01. Blyth Power – Probably Won't Be Easy
02. Persuasion – Sin Baby
03. Black Cillas - Shooting Stars
04. Menticide - Sunday Night
05. Thatcher On Acid - Got You Covered
06. Children Held Hostage - Black Day
07. We Are Going To Eat You - Waiting
08. Stump - Tupperware Stripper
09. Saviours Of Pop Music - Love Is Miles Away
10. Stitched Backfoot Airmen - The Dirty's Happened
11. The Fifteenth - Time Stood Still
12. A Strange Desire - On Another Day
13. Resistance - We Wish You
14. Only Connect - Lord Of The Dance
15. The Laughing Mothers - Let The Light
16. Brad Is Sex - Rocking On A Saturday Night

http://www.mediafire.com/?gk6sfed6ol5mcgg

VA: Terpsichore (Silly Not To) LP (1981, EMI Records)

2011-06-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

This one includes quite a few fairly popular bands from the early 80's along with some lesser knowns... I suppose the highlight to most people who read here would be the exclusive track by Naked Lunch, "Horror Shock Horror", which is excellent. There is a lot of new wave, synth wave, electro, disco, etc. stuff on here too...

01. Sandii – Hey Rock-A La La
02. M.A.O. – Friend For A Day
03. Shock – R.E.R.B.
04. Airport And Dean – Blonde Darlings
05. Fehlfarben – Militürk
06. Sapho – Respect
07. Logic System – Talk Back
08. Katmandu – I Can Make The Future
09. Thomas Dolby – Urges
10. Naked Lunch – Horror Shock Horror
11. Gina X Performance – No G.D.M.
12. Classix Nouveaux – Robots Dance

http://www.mediafire.com/?95a6flv2hgpe5eb

VA: Nationale Rockmeeting LP (1982, Pyramid)

2011-06-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

This one contains Parade Ground's first track, which is maybe their best track ever (in my opinion) if you enjoy their early coldwave period. However, most of the material on this compilation is by a bunch of Belgian rock bands sporting 70's porn mustaches... which makes me wonder how the hell Parade Ground got on here in the first place. The track by Zo Wie Zo is the second best track (certainly nothing essential though), and The Tuxedo's have a new wave/power pop sound... but not really my cup of tea. Concerning Parade Ground - Look for a collection of their early material coming out on Dark Entries Records in the coming months...

01. The Tuxedo's - Strangers Passing By
02. Parade Ground - I Shut My Eyes
03. Sprouts U.T.D. - I Know
04. The Perro - Nice Guys
05. Cognac - Rhino
06. The Rejects - Nowhere To Go
07. Zo Wie Zo - In M'n Kamer
08. Costa Gravas - The Beauty & The Beast

http://www.mediafire.com/?48t0a016415vpg2

VA: Substanz LP (1985, Trikont)

2011-06-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a strange compilation that doesn't have much to offer as a whole, but might surprise some Moloko+ fans of its existence because it contains an alternate version of their classic "Falling Apart" along with another track (uncredited band name) featuring many of the same members called "Doctor X". This LP was limited to 1,000 copies and includes a hand-painted cover. Since some of the tracks do not officially list a band name, I included the credits for each track. The credits were somewhat confusing as well since some had been fixed by hand in green marker on my copy! This compilation seems to be the work of Franz Erlmeier and Fritz Köstler, who appear on many of the tracks. Besides Moloko+, the rest of the material ranges from dub, cheesy 80s synth/new wave in the commercial vein, reggae, to a German blues band!

http://www.mediafire.com/?547b9ebrhj78j5l

01. "Öffnen Sie Mal Ihre Tasche"
(Franz Erlmeier / Fritz Köstler)
(aus: "Zuckerbaby", einem Film von Percy Adlon)

02. "Love & Dancing"
(Franz Erlmeier / Fritz Köstler)
Franz Erlmeier: keyboards, drums
Sigi Zerrath: vocals
Petra: vocals
Robert Ponzer: trompeten
Robert Hobmeier: mundharmonika

03. "What Have We Done!"
(Franz Erlmeier / Fritz Köstler)
Fritz Köstler: keyboards, drums, bass, vocals
(Paul-Albert Ehrenreich: drums)

04. Moloko+ - "Falling Apart"
(Uli Goderbauer / Harry Holm)
Martin Holm: vocals
Uli Goderbauer: gitarre
Harry Holm: keyboards
Robert Zellner: bass
Gerry Meier: drums

05. "Doctor X"
(Uli Goderbauer / Martin Holm / Franz Erlmeier / Fritz Köstler)
Martin Holm: vocals
Uli Goderbauer: bass
Fritz Köstler: bass
Bep Kiermeier: gitarre
Franz Erlmeier: keyboards, 12-string, drums
Gerry Meier: conga

06. "Zuckermelodie"
(Franz Erlmeier / Fritz Köstler)
(aus: "Zuckerbaby", einem Film von Percy Adlon)

07. Dub Invaders - "True Love"
Christian Aigner: drums
Sigi Zerrath: vocals
Eugen Kumpfmüller: keyboards
Stefan Scholz: gitarre
Robert Ponzer: saxophon
Fritz Köstler: bass
Gerd Schulte: posaune
featuring: zwei Sänger aus Ghana

08. Dub Invaders - "Special Tribute"
Christian Aigner: drums, bass
Sigi Zerrath: vocals
Fritz Köstler: saxophon
Eugen Kumpfmüller: keyboards
Gerd Schulte: posaune
Bep Kiermeier: gitarre

09. Congo Moon - "Walzer"
(Bernd Koschmieder / Wolfgang Hingel)
Bernd Koschmieder: keyboards
Wolfgang Hingel: bass
featuring: Karin Ederwein

10. "R-B-T-Blues Projekt - "Blues For A Living"
Rob Hobmeier: mundharmonika, gesang
Bel Hubauer: gitarre
Tac Thalhammer: kontra bass

11. Thomas Schmiedl - "Substanz"
(Fritz Köstler / Franz Erlmeier / Thomas Schmiedl)
Thomas Schmiedl: stimmen, text

Produziert und zusammengestellt von Franz Erlmeier und Fritz Köstler.
Aufgenommen und Abgemischt im Dreieier-Studio Aham (1985); eine Dreieier-Produktion
Tonmischung von Franz Erlmeier

Stulna Begär - Fire In Her Eyes 7" (1983, Straight Arts Records)

2011-06-15T21:01:00.000-04:00

Another excellent 7", this time from Sweden and certainly influenced by Factory Records. Stulna Begär previously released another 7", and appeared on the 7" compilation "Tusen Och En Natt...". You can hear their tracks from that compilation at http://www.b-sound.com/stulna.htm, which contain a stronger synth sound.

http://www.mediafire.com/?pef9b20j99hf8h1

Chant! Chant! Chant! - Quicksand 7" (1981, Peig The Man)

2011-06-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

Great Irish 7" for fans of dark post punk and early goth... Recorded in Nov. 1980, but not released until July 1981. They also appeared on the highly-sought 7" compilation "The Boddis".

http://www.mediafire.com/?ru5kl7v73pgb0dj

Strapped - Edna 7" (1985, Brownwind Records)

2011-06-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

Humorous, gay-themed minimal electro-pop from Texas. I've never seen any copies with picture sleeves, nor am aware of any other releases. There are some additional live videos on YouTube if you look around, such as this one for the title track on this record:

http://www.mediafire.com/?cynr52v956t69ki

Preison's Shade - Race Me Home 12" (1987, Amok Records)

2011-06-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

Nice, hard-to-find Canadian dark wave band who sadly only released this 12" besides some cassettes. One of the band members has uploaded some videos on YouTube including some tracks not featured here.

http://www.mediafire.com/?mrerbib8roe2pmx

Séance - Detlef & Destemonia's End MLP (1987, Lux Noire) ||| Séance - Blue Dolphin Blue LP (1988, 150 BPM Records)

2011-05-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Séance - Detlef & Destemonia's End MLP (1987, Lux Noire)

I had these two records out and did see that they were once posted on some New Romantic themed blog I'd never seen/heard of before back in 2008... but am re-posting my personal rips regardless - which are likely better quality. Séance were a Swiss band mixing synthpop with some coldwave elements. I've yet to hear their later '89 7" release, but this is my favorite from the two I have. Sometimes the vocals can be quite over-the-top, which might cause a chuckle.... but solid stuff all the way through if you enjoy this style. A quick comparison that comes to mind is Ligne D'Hiver meets early Second Decay... though I wouldn't consider that 100% accurate.

http://www.mediafire.com/?xc6ql46l5eqla92

Séance - Blue Dolphin Blue LP (1988, 150 BPM Records)

Here is the second release... certainly more polished and produced than the MLP, but still containing some worthwhile tracks such as the great "My Room". I do recall some of the songs having some cheesy / laughable lyrics -- heh, but I don't think that should be any surprise.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dnne922keeci7bn

VA: Once Bitten LP (198x, Red Door)

2011-05-28T13:34:00.000-04:00

I had this one laying out, so figured I'd go ahead and upload it before I put it back in storage. It is common to see this one sale for $50-70 when it occasionally shows up on eBay because most sellers do not offer much information about it other than "minimal synth" with the hope that the market might believe that there a bunch of obscure synth gems on here... but don't be fooled. The highlight is Trem's "My Robotic Friend", which is an excellent minimal electro-pop track.... but like many compilations from this era there isn't much else worth listening to in my opinion. Tier Garden is likely the best known band on here and I suppose their track is bearable (not really memorable). Blind Tenant rocks a NWOBHM tune with some slight goth-crossover, Dance On Dance offers commercial new wave with some synth, and Street Aliens border on vintage indie/alternative rock However, the rest of the material is pop/rock territory. Trem also released a 7" including the track featured on this LP, which can be found here.

I'm not 100% when this came out, probably 1984 since the plain white paper sleeve has "Made in England R.S. 1-84" printed on it...

Tracklist:

01. Arc Connexion - Bata Bata
02. Harliquin - Jealous Eyes
03. Dance On Dance - No Happy Ending
04. Mother Russia - No Ones Girls
05. Street Aliens - Intrigue Hell
06. Ron Gandertons Conception - Good News For Lovers
07. Trem - My Robotic Friend
08. Life of Leisure - Working Up A Street
09. Tier Garden - Games of The Tear Garden
10. Blind Tenant - In The Earth
11. Kookoo Bazooka - Tomorrow Last Another Day
12. The Young Revelation - Emily
13. Ron Warren Ganderton - Dancing With My Shadow
14. Flexi-I - So Fine
15. Dimitrios - Rain At First

http://www.mediafire.com/?posbeo0yoz8c7en

Dusk To Dawn - Before The Eye K7 (1992, Self-Released)

2011-05-18T21:34:00.000-04:00

The first cassette by Dusk To Dawn, a very under-rated early 90s German band mixing wave, goth, and synth... I first heard them on some compilations through Beton Tapes and was impressed, thus was quite thankful to finally get my hands on this couple years ago. You can find their second cassette at Crispy Nugget's blog [here]. You can also hear more material at their Soundcloud page here. I know one of the members went on to form Blues of A Lesser God, which uses the same melody from the track "Eternal Dawn" featured on this tape on their song "For Love & Rock'N'Roll". I saw some of the Blues From A Lesser God tapes posted on the blog EBM-Minimal Goth-Industrial recently. I haven't had the chance to listen to them yet, but do have the "Groove-T Music" tape in my collection and did not think it was anything nearly as strong as Dusk To Dawn (more electro-rock though... so not my personal favourite style). Still probably worth investigating if you are a fan and have the time...

http://www.mediafire.com/?cti3s04nbfyi3ve

Stranger Still - Solitude 7" (1981, Exit Records)

2011-05-11T20:47:00.000-04:00

Life has been busy this week... but here is some serious doom and gloom that should please fans of both coldwave + minimal who enjoy some Joy Division influences thrown into the mix. Recorded at Spaceward Studios, which was also responsible for recording 13th Chime, 1919, Analysis, Art Failure, Autopilot, Bauhaus, Dance Chapter, Desperate Bicycles, Drinking Electricity, Gothic Girls, The Mob, Modern English, Perfect Vision, Play, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Sad Lovers & Giants, and many other great bands --> http://www.spacewardstudios.ukf.net/discog.htm. My copy plays with a bit of crackle in parts, so eventually would like to pick up another copy... Nevertheless, great stuff!

http://www.mediafire.com/?4xw22zaw88rs9s1

Cages Play - Midnight In Katowice 7" (198?, SSM)

2011-05-06T23:29:00.000-04:00

Yet another one of these obscure UK bands who put out one single in the early 80s and disappeared.
"Midnight In Katowice" has that darker early 80s UK post punk vibe you'd expect to hear on a private press with some backing synth thrown in... certainly the highlight for me. The b-side "Abstraction" is a bit lighter, but mixing elements of early 80s UK indie / new wave / synth...

http://www.mediafire.com/?vrrcwigfymloudq

The Bodies - Art Nouveau 7" (1979, Waldo's Records)

2011-05-05T09:22:00.001-04:00

This one sometimes gets discussed among punk collectors, but the title track is certainly an early example of deathrock / goth doom and gloom pre-dating the first releases of bands such as Christian Death or 45 Grave.Apparently they also did a John Peel session in 1980.... Looks like the title track was presented here couple years ago, but here are both tracks.

http://www.mediafire.com/?frs1e2kcrfb2cc7

Today we give thanks to beer,,,

2011-05-04T20:44:00.000-04:00

Besides coldwave, minimal, goth, and postpunk records... I love some good beer. I will post something new once Mediafire fixes their JavaScript code to work with Firefox on the file upload portion of their website... it's not working for me at the moment... until then, have a drink!

The Brothers Christ - Echoes of Lost Souls LP (1987, Colony Records)

2011-04-26T19:19:00.000-04:00

Here is a Venus In Furs side-project including Times (going by the name Jeremy Christ) and Colin Johnson. The material varies throughout the album including some dark and gloomy minimal tracks to experimental instrumental pieces. "Night of Denial" is the monster here... reminds me of an accidental precursor to the Staccato Du Mal sound or even "Call of the Wild"-style Dark White. Some of the other tracks are certainly worth a try as well, such as "The Void".

http://www.mediafire.com/?dou33l1z26dzb37

Portrait Bizarre - Heat Up One Moment 12" (1984, Anything But Records)

2011-04-23T11:16:00.000-04:00

I have seen some tracks off this record included on home-made web compilations and youtube, but do not believe this record has been posted in its entirety to the best of my knowledge. One of the more highly sought-after records from the Anything But label. The title track is a lengthy, forgettable new beat song... but both b-side tracks should please minimal synth / coldwave fans. The funny thing is that it appears this band has reformed and a new single is in the works! http://www.portraitbizarre.be

http://www.mediafire.com/?bw2i3wf0i3e3utc

Club De Rome - Subway 7" (1982, Rom Records)

2011-04-18T14:49:00.000-04:00

I recall seeing some posts about Club De Rome on the A Viable Commercial blog in the past. Here is their first 7" from 1982 long before their Lively Art period. Guitarist Renato Bortolotti seems to be the only member on this record to have kept the band together based on the credits (different singer included here). Naturally this record sounds a bit different due to the time lapse: drum machine-based postpunk with some NDW influences. Both tracks are decent.

http://www.mediafire.com/?aqo2q6b20lu7vi3

VA: Les Nouveaux Barbares! LP (1984?, Kool)

2011-04-18T14:22:00.000-04:00

Here is a great French compilation (with the exception of three bands) on the same quality level as some other 80s French compilation LPs ... "Le Cimetière Des Passions", "L'Appel De La Muse", "In Awe", "Unreleased Vol. 2", "Lyon Compilation" .... No year appears listed, but believe it came out in or around 1984. I also received a 7" by Pascal Laval (who the compilation is "presented" by) when I purchased this, but really am unsure if it actually came with this LP or was just a free gift thrown in the package from the seller (I don't recall it being anything interesting), The back of the LP lists some phone number and contact addresses for all the bands as well as many more who do not appear on the LP (E.V., Zoopsie, etc.). However, I noticed a great deal of spelling errors, so for the band names/track titles... I used what is printed on the LP labels as a reference. Enjoy.

01. Der Knall - C.D.E // this track also appears on their lone 7" release. Gloomy coldwave
02. Eeurop - Skin Graft // also available on their incredibly rare 7". Nice coldwave / postpunk
03. Réseau D'Ombres - Instant // on their debut 7" too! Fairly well-known coldwave / dark minimal
04. Vortex - Amour Blesse // unknown band to me, but a pretty good postpunk / cold track
05. Bunter Guillaume - La Victoire Est Obligatoire // I recall reading on a forum once about a demo tape available from this band several years ago. Gloomy coldwave.
06. Ex Bela - La Force De Dire // another excellent gloomy coldwave / goth track.
07. The Grief - Synopsis // slightly avantgarde synth, one of the better tracks I've heard by them
08. Calliper Square - Down In The Street // French band trying to sound like AC/DC. Terrible, but funny!
09. Bad Virus - English Dictionary // decent new wave with a slight cold touch.
10. Alexander Platz - Le Silence Des Vœux // nice synth / coldwave track.
11. Nirvana - June // rock/pop band with a female singer
12. XS - Clap Your Hands // rock band

http://www.mediafire.com/?w9oo2clp7bvmm4q

VA: Mister President's Breakfast 7" (1985, Lirp Records)

2011-04-09T00:10:00.000-04:00

Quite obscure, but an incredible Belgian 7" compilation including four great bands exclusive only here to the best of my knowledge. The A-side includes two minimal synth bands (7 A Nou and Primus Box); B-side includes two coldwave bands (701 Triangles and Graceful Lines In Marble). All four bands could easily fit in nicely with the recently released "Underground Belgian Wave" compilations via Walhalla Records. Being the miserably depressed goth guy I am, I prefer the B-Side overall, though all tracks are excellent! No date appears on the record, but sources (such as discogs) say 1985.

http://www.mediafire.com/?axrbsnmb2ooi472

D'as Hirth - Kalashnikov 12'' (1986, Self-Released)

2011-04-08T23:52:00.000-04:00

Here is one of my favourite Italian coldwave/minimal records in my collection, and certainly one of the rarest. I'm sure if you are reading this that you have probably heard their track "Niente" from one of those flexipop compilations or YouTube by now. Luckily, the rest of the material on this record is superb too. I would compare them to Weimar Gesgang on steroids, but obviously they fit in with Victrola, Chromagain, Deafear, X-Offender, and the rest of the great Italian bands from the same era. This band produced a demo K7 previous to this 12" which includes some alternate versions of the songs featured on this record along with some exclusive tracks. In addition, two tracks are available on compilation LPs.

http://www.mediafire.com/?bfqxdy4cdjprk04

Introduction

2011-04-08T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hello, this is my first post!