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.
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.
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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)
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 Divineends 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)
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
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
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)
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)
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
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):
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
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)
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
Get this 7" + the LP (posted below) below (I stuck them together on accident when doing a reupload)
http://netkups.com/?d=8e1adea90f58e
pass: kentuckyfriedwave
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
Get this LP + the 7" (posted above) below (I stuck them together on accident when doing a reupload)
http://netkups.com/?d=8e1adea90f58e
pass: kentuckyfriedwave
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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
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. 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)
