B Team - Buy American (1983) What Is This? / The Kill / Caught! (1982)

A three piece post-punk band from San Francisco. That really rip it up with moves that will remind you of Gang of Four more than once. Which in my book is a wonderful thing. Buy American has better production values. Usually I don't care to much about such things, but The Kill (fantastic song that it is) is somewhat buried. I upped the volume quite a bit there. Caught! from the 7" was on a Messthetics Homework comp. Curious pick as I find it about their least interesting song. I also included the 7" insert with lyrics to The Kill, and the 7" back cover which isn't much to look at.
 http://www.mediafire.com/?zdi7a6hcy1bwfc4

Factory - Rat Inside My Head \ Electric Buffalo (1986)

Lo-fi post-punk with noisy guitar and heavy bass. Real cool and cryptic stuff. The song titles are etched into the run-out groove, but appear no where else. Definitely worth checking out.
http://www.mediafire.com/?i7xh4f60amk7d9z

Lifers - This House (1981)

New wavy post punk from San Francisco. "Walking Distance" likes to get stuck in my head. Actually I prefer most of side one over side two, but that's just me. They also have a track on the Alive Rock City comp. That I will probably post someday.
 http://www.mediafire.com/?ec9dco7h437ahlz

American Gorilla - Forsaking All Others / Masters of War (1983)

More Los Angeles area post-punk-esque stuff. Given the affiliations with The Child Molesters and the Los Angeles Free Music Society you can figure something strange is happening here. They do a Dylan cover that by the end shows signs of art dementia. However it's Lubow's catchy phaser driven Forsaking All Others that always leaves me wanting to hear their EP.
http://www.mediafire.com/?czescvafvvbiy4c

Animal Dance - Fake / Sterile Mecca (1983)

Vibrant percussion flavored art pop new wave from Los Angeles. No six stringed thing here. Instead they entertain with sax, synth, bass, an array of percussion instruments, and very catchy vocals.

I included scans of the inner sleeve with more info on the band, and some press clippings. Seems they were compared to Bow Wow Wow quite a bit in the local press. Which is fair I suppose, but their sound has just as much in common with irregular art outsiders like The Del-Byzanteens.

Animal Dance also have a standout track on the Radio Tokyo Tapes 2 comp, I put up here.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1n37vf5akufx4ee



I found this video via the great Scavenged Luxury blog. Where they sort of pooh-poohed it. True they changed their sound, but me likes!

Big Hair - Puppet on a String / Lies (1980)

Post punk artizans from England. Go about deconstructing a tepid 60's love song into some herky jerky art-spazz fun. The flip side is similar. Sounding very much like Fresh labelmates Family Fodder. Posted a few years ago on the seemingly now defunct Swinging Singles Club blog. I ripped this from my own copy for those who may have missed it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?445eppzhzht967h

Clive Oxford - For Your Future Entertainment / Fading Star (1980)

Spacey DIY minimal synth from the UK. The a side is an instrumental version of the b side. Where the singer in monotone recites a litany of what are ostensibly fading stars. Musically the spaced out tranquilizers will have you meditating sowiesoso on another green world.
http://www.mediafire.com/?59dj7l82u5rb4h8

Fish - Cocks / Nails (1982)

Fish hailed from Andover, England with a dark post punk single. Call it goth if you want to. Shades of The Danse Society, Virgin Prunes, UK Decay. Good stuff with lots of synth rumblings to boot. According to discogs they also put out a cassette entitled Sole Music. Witticisms abound.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ap8322r1p1300eb

Sis Q Lint - Pre-Need E.P. (1984)

Wonderfully entertaining absurdist tomfoolery from Los Angeles. Similar in spirit to the likes of Inflatable Boy Clams or 2.3 Children. The detached deadpan femme vocals are coupled with silly satirical lyrical insights about out of control poodles, the stresses of finding a proper mortician for oneself, and the cheesiness of low budget romantic pretendings. The music is quite entertaining as well. Synths, sound effects, sound clips, and percussions. All artasticly mastered at Gold Star studios. Try listening to Dog Sweaters without cracking a big grin. There's a good review from San Francisco's Unsound zine to read here. They also put a single Wally! Wally! / The Very Last Record from Gold Star. That I'm dying to hear, anyone?
http://www.mediafire.com/?rz11i54d4u6e800

La Loora - This Is Not The Use They Are Longing For So They Gonna Be Fascists (1982) N'Avez Vous Rien De Mieux (1983)

La Loora from Berlin, Germany formed in 1981. Shortly thereafter they self released their first LP "This Is Not The Use They Are Longing For So They Gonna Be Fascists". Which is a masterwork, and one of the best LP's of the year. Seemingly informed by the plethora of bizarre undertakings at the time. They craft music here with nods to the neue Deutsche welle, Industrial Records, no wave, post punk or art punk, and minimal electronics. That blends all this strange architecture, and reminds one that all these labels we now affix to this kind of music is sometimes useless. As they have so much experimentation in common, being at times interchangeable.

Their next release a mini-LP. Was released by Gudrun Gut of Malaria!. A slightly better produced affair, which still has their uncompromising unique sound. Finally from the first LP gets redone, and they do an interesting epic cover of Iggy Pop's Tiny Girls. Amidst plenty of other great sounds.

Kill your pet puppy has the Berlin Atonal split with Psychic TV. Mutant sounds has Reseda Revel from 1986. There's also a myspace.

These records really need a proper reissue. You'd be a fool not to hear why.
   http://www.mediafire.com/?ye4b1955935jq55

Glad Corp (1983)

From New Kent, Virginia comes a great three song 7", of the DIY wacky minimal synth pop variety. I'm Sorry seems to be an ode to masochistic apologizes. Alone has fun helium backing vocals. Streetboys of Green my fav with it's surreal lyrics. Glad Corp also put out a three song cassette you can listen to here.  
http://www.mediafire.com/?ln9l8w4wjgcc4ll