Systems of Romance

Here’s an excellent UK DIY post-punk gem from 1982, well within the golden era of bands with this sort of sound. Somewhere A Voice were based in London and existed for two short years, with just this album and an appearance on Compilation 1 to show for their time together. The band were primarily a three piece, as their original drummer left before recording the LP and was subsequently replaced with a session musician. According to a rather lengthy discogs bio, the melodic interplay on the record is a byproduct of the band’s relative inexperience, with Hillary Dron’s basslines often mimicking the vocals while the synth provides alternate leads. Dron also handled the artwork for the LP.

That all said, this LP is a great listen from front to back, chock full of Factory-minded post-punk, complete with skirty rhythms, icy synths, and the occasional sax. The closest touchstone for me is the equally obscure Phones debut Two Hearts, Two Heads, but this LP is a bit quicker on the tempo overall. Perhaps a kinder, gentler Swell Maps?

Either way, hope y’all enjoy!

Somewhere a Voice- Love, Logic + Ego LP
1. Snakebite
2. Shalott
3. Maze
4. Conscience
5. Hanged Man
6. Lowlands
7. Bitter Sweet
8. Face On A Wall
9. His Decade
10. Another World

*download it here*

This entry was posted on August 29, 2018 at 9:15 pm and is filed under 1980s, 1982, post-punk . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.