Ron Miller - Till the End / Sick and Tired (1986)

Making it's way from Salt Lake City, Utah. Onto your computer chips. Is an old favorite of mine, courtesy of Ron Miller. The savage strange sounds of Sick and Tired are made all the more deranged by the effects processed vocals, bemoaning the tale of a war vet that's had to much to think. I remembered Sick and Tired as being the standout track, but after listening to this again lately Till the End has been fastened to my memories repeat button. Seriously can't get it out of my head. Not that I want to with Ron's warm croon and some of the best mystifying lyrics to demystify. 'just look inside of someone that you know so well. often called yourself, but then can you tell which one that is?' Punk business manager blogged Ron's earlier band Angle here.

Ron was kind enough to write a few words of explanation and description.
This was a result of experiments recorded somewhat surreptitiously at KUED studios after hours about 2 years before the record was pressed. The studio players were selected from my ultimate wish list of guys I wanted to work with in the SLC, UT area. The backing tracks were recorded in a few hours on one day. None of them had heard any of the music. They did a great job and special thanks to the producer, Eliot Case, for all his hard work and for making sure it got pressed. I slapped the cover together at the local Kinko's for all of $10. The photo is a self portrait taken on a photo-lithographic camera used to make plates for small printing presses. The use of acoustic guitar was largely associated with Yacht Rock or Folk and was considered somewhat radical at the time.

 http://www.mediafire.com/?sob25qn5snomlue

Death in the Shopping Malls - (Man on a) Tight-Rope / Purpose (1981)

Hard to find record from Boston, and even harder to find with the cover sleeve. So I got this picture off of Discogs. Released on the cheeky titled Modern Methadone Records. Which some may recognize is a send up of  the prolific Boston label Modern Method. Btw I put the two Modern Method, A Wicked Good Time! comps here. Purpose reminds me of Active Ingredients from NY in it's manic punk-wave art grind. (Man on a) Tight-Rope has a Voidoids feel to it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?qqgmnce5bkbl52b

Color the Reality (1982)

Excellent compilation of four LA bands. Excerpts from the performance Mysteries, is a synth heavy adventure with art afflicted industrial antics strewn about. Strong Silent Types sound of death-wave post-punk, kinda like 45 Grave without the hardcore trappings. Fred Cadaver is a standout track. Hesitations armed with Casio cheese and an upright bass. Entertain and amuse with melodious humor. Romans certainly the most well known band on here. Were kind of an art-punk super group. Having members from Monitor, Bpeople, The Deadbeats, many other LAFMS related bands. Can't speak to their later recordings, but on this the sound somewhat like an instrumental version of The Urinals. This record came with an insert, but I don't have it.

 http://www.mediafire.com/?z5imw1rzs8n7guv

Mystery Guests - The Sparrow That Ate New York / The Nude (1981)

Some cool British post punk weirdo art rock here. Sounds a lot like a lo-fi stripped down early Family Fodder. With unusual percussive sounds, and tension filled nervous guy vocals.

http://www.mediafire.com/?6q4q2my2id8te2r

Surplus Stock - Let's Kill Each Other / Dangerous Visions (1982)

Led by Robert Giddens Surplus Stock were a few Brits living in Germany. The original version of Let's Kill Each Other from the Fix Planet compilation is a textbook example of early minimal synth (see the video below) along the lines of The Normal single. The version here finds them in their 'fake jazz' mode. The lyrics are an hilariously sad observation of human nature, and some of it's absurd situations. Dangerous Visions sounds kinda like A Certain Ratio with a drum machine.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1qa97bop5xclal1

The Varve - Bamboo Curtain / The Plan / Erotic Frigidaire (1982)

Distinctive audio art from this all female post punk / new wave quintet. They got together in Colorado, eventually moving to San Francisco. Where they recorded this record.

There's a detailed write up on 'em here. The description of their sound from the Colorado New Wave site is pretty spot on."jangly guitar scratches, jazzy multi-note melodic bass lines, poppy yet sinister keyboard, solid drumming, funky alto sax and vocals that someone once said was the result if you mixed Yoko Ono with tribal American Indian music and rockabilly hiccups." There was also a 7" picture sleeve version of this, see the scans on Discogs.

Carolyn Crampton, the guitar player writes -
Haha, what a hoot to hear these!

We were definitely  a weird band -- but noise was big then. We played once or twice a month in SF, and went on a couple of tours. Our singer was influenced by rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson. She got a lot of flack for her style of singing. But she was a great performer. She learned how to play sax in our apartment in SF -- I lived through ever minute of it in the next room.

We recorded this set at like 4am on the sly in Hyde Street studio -- our producer was paying the engineer in cocaine. I had to be at work at 7am as a temp receptionist! I would have preferred a more punk sound on this.

I have a cassette with 5 songs that came in a meat container. I need to digitize it somehow.

We have a cut "frictional drag" on a record called 'live at le disque", this club in the Haight.

Hear Carolyn's new band The Insufferables on Bandcamp and their website.  

http://www.mediafire.com/?shlbx3pb5gpsw8o

The Divorce - Friends and Celebrities / Family (1980)

New wave art pop from Holland. Sounds like something from Object Music by way of The Legendary Pink Dots. Two great post punk oddities with synth buzz around the extremities. The two main players Mark Glynne and Bart Zwier also put out an LP, called Home Comfort. Which you can listen to courtesy of the most exalted Mutant Sounds.  

http://www.mediafire.com/?1w681blknfjp2jy