Sunday, April 29, 2012

Moonlight Radio (1981)

Stellar post punk compilation of mostly UK bands, that played at the Midnight Club in London.
I had to adjust the volume on a few tracks, because the discrepancy was to much to bear.

Anyway there's loads of killer tunes here. My favorites coming from The Pinkies, Flying Club, The Room, Dr Mix and the Remix, Patrik Fitzgerald Group, and Out on Blue Six.
Insert included and a more legible picture of the back cover with all the band info.
  http://www.4shared.com/rar/6w8nqX8J/Moonlight_Radio.html
I posted the companion comp here

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Againagainagain – Forever / A Cold Place (1983)

Some melodic post punk from New Jersey. A Cold Place has a jangly sound close to Felt. Except the singer sounds more like Jack Grisham here than Lawrence. Forever has more of a Joy Division influence, resembling The Comsat Angels, or The Sound. Insert included.
http://www.mediafire.com/?7upq2cxy9bve5nu
  

Saturday, April 21, 2012

SF Sound OF Music Club Live Vol.1 (1983)

Here's a slew of arty San Francisco bands rockin' live in 1983. About half these bands had their own records, about half not. My favorite moment is Arkansaw Man taunting the crowd with a Led Zeppelin cover, then going into one of their better songs. Me thinks there's a few standout tracks here, what say you? Was there ever a volume two?
 http://www.mediafire.com/?sp39a32ssrrt63e

The Terminal Jive and Scarlet Alive E.P. (1982)

Two great post punk bands from the UK, on a split EP. The Terminal Jive tracks animate high energy (China Doll is killer) compared to the moodier sounds of Scarlet Alive. Their snarky Explain All That is a keeper, and makes me remember The Fall.
Insert included
http://www.mediafire.com/?ptjitxhjskdjh2e

Friday, March 30, 2012

Le Cause - Clear Plastic Day (198?)

Some records you just love everything about. Le Cause were a remarkable minimal synth wave band. Not much info to be found about them anywhere. Judging from the phone number on the back cover they were from the Philadelphia area, and it seems two of the guys would go on to form National Razor, a dark wave band also from Pennsylvania.

It's probable that this came out in 1982 or 1983. It certainly has all the trappings of an early 80's recording. The synths and drum machine are early analogue sounding. The synths are really upfront along with some great creative bass work, and sparse guitar. Topping it all off with the awesome vocals, that sound something like Billy Mackenzie without the falsetto.

Quirky, dark, arty diy synth wave = maximum entertainment value.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ct0cnba648aypnm

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Unknown Gender - An Important Message (1982) + Boys/Girls / Arrogant (1982)

Here's two more from Unknown Gender. A follow up to the earlier post of their first LP.
"An Important Message" was recorded live in Germany, with some songs off Exposé, the two songs on this single, and some songs that would eventually make their way to Electric Kiss.

Unknown Gender took part in Venus Weltklang, the first international women’s rock festival in West Berlin. Along with Malaria!, LiLiPUT, Die Hausfrauen, Carambolage, Au Pairs, and others. Check it out here.

An Important Message
http://www.mediafire.com/?e11wq4jt4c9h2cl

Boys/Girls / Arrogant
http://www.mediafire.com/?jgsij5fdu0xusn7

Monday, March 19, 2012

Headless Chickens (1986)


The debut from Auckland, New Zealand's Headless Chickens is as strange as the story of the band itself. The band would basically become a continuation of the stellar post-punk band  Children's Hour. After the break up of Children's Hour  Chris Matthews (the hero of our story) joined another stellar post-punk band, This Kind of Punishment on some of their seminal works including A Beard of Bees, TKoP and Live '85 . After which Chris Matthews, Johnny Pierce, and Michael Lawry. Would become Headless Chickens for this 1st EP. The band had a few more personnel additions in later years.

The odd catchy song work here really defies categorization. Although they do seem good at twisting different genres, dementing them with their own particular intent. Post-punk (Monkey Jar), minimal synth (Axe), pop (Totalling Dad's Car), punk (Agit Pop), noise-rock (Hedge Song), TKoP (The Slice), space-rock (The Ghost of Some Cold Street). All the with unmistakeable chilling vocals of Chris Matthews, drum machines, synths, guitars, samplers, tape manipulations, and whatever else.

As a reviewer on RYM puts it- "This 7-track EP is a meticulous assemblage of rhythm, melody, and leftfield lyrics - cut up, mashed, filtered, then processed through a menagerie of 'treated' sound effects - sometimes devastatingly original, and superbly conceived. It can't really be described as being in a genre, so I call it art-punk - but you have to hear it really, to grasp it. It's just kinda out there ... alongside other 'radicals' like The Residents and Pere Ubu."

After winning the Rheineck Beer Rock award (whatever that is) for this EP. Which was apparently controversial. They where able to fund their later experiments on Stunt Clown. The story does get stranger, because they would go on to score a number 1 hit in New Zealand years later.
Insert with lyrics included.

https://www.4shared.com/rar/G-036Aj9/Headless_Chickens.html
  


Friday, March 9, 2012

The View - Mention No Names / Impulse (1981)

Two high energy synth punk-wave tunes from Topanga, CA. "Impulse" leans towards some Devo crazed fun. "Mention No Names" sounds more power pop like The Plimsouls with a synth. Both great tunes to my ears.

Strangely the back cover has two different years on it, but the record itself says 1981 so I went with it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ml3227ogll3l3t9

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Cough, Cough - Conflicts (1982)

Cough, Cough aka *****,***** were an excellent post punk band from Canberra, Australia. Consisting of Peter Ringwood, Alan Coop, and Cathy Green.

Seemingly informed by many odd things. Their sound isn't easily pigeonholed as being influenced by x, y, or z. Though forced to describe them at gunpoint I might reluctantly say something like "o.k. maybe Mission of Burma, Saccharine Trust, with some early Gordons thrown in."

The angular abrasive tracks like ". . . .", "danger", and "father" are real gems. The lamentation of "try to forget" is um not so forgettable. They really get cookin' on "knots". I quite enjoy every tune here.

Cough, Cough put out another cassette before this one called 1. That I would love to hear. If anyone is willing to share : ) Thanks to Girls From Tahiti for sharing 1

Link removed, a website with re-mastered songs will be online soon.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Stick Figures (1981)


Surely music this good should be better known. The Stick Figures were from Tampa, Florida. This arty post punk EP has a few different textures, so I'll try to explain a bit. N-Light reminds me of an early odd Minutemen song. Ellis Otivator Dub is more like Dub for epileptics. Crayola Bowling is close to Pylon, V; or Egoslavia. September has the sort of Velvet Underground influence that many of the 90's "indie" bands displayed. 

Two of  The Stick Figures, Bill Carey and Dave Bowman also played in N.E.M.B. Get that here.

Link removed, they're on Bandcamp now https://the-stick-figures.bandcamp.com/

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Bpeople - You at Eight / Weather to Worry / M.P.C.D. (1981)


This is an absolute classic art punk wave 7" Bpeople bring the best of all worlds together here. Arty weirdness with punk energy and new wave sensibilities. From the angular, off the wall riffs on Weather to Worry. To the manic dirge of You at Eight. The band switch instruments and come up with the almost no wave M.P.C.D.


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