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Archive for August, 2007

The Victims of Romance- Compilation Tracks

Posted in 1980s, post-punk, victims of romance on August 13, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

To kickstart another week, I’ve uploaded some loose compilation tacks by rare and forgotten U.K. post-punk outfit The Victims of Romance. Naturally, as with any band that has but a handful of songs in their (reported) discography, there’s little information to be found through various internet sources, but I’ve come up with a small dollop.

Victims of Romance was conceived in Gainsborough, featuring a female singer with the drawl of a passionate and operatic Patti Smith (complete with the occasional spoken word rant). The band’s style was gloomy, sharp, and minimal, with easy comparisons to early era Siouxsie and the Banshees, with a splash of synthesizer tossed in for good measure. The band split quickly after recording a handful of tracks, each of the members defaulting to various other projects, none of which got any further off the ground than The Victims of Romance.

The band released one cassette tape, which is incredibly scarce and hasn’t been circulated yet to my knowledge. The three tracks I’ve managed to acquire all hail from various compilations, while there’s yet another loose track floating around on the Nuclear Terra cassette.

The Victims of Romance- Compilation Tracks
1. 9 a.m.
2. All There Is
3. Abigail’s Party

*download them here*

“9 a.m.” hails from the We Couldn’t Agree on a Title comp., 1981
“All There Is” hails from the No Platform For Heels comp., 1982
“Abigail’s Party” hails from the Giraffe In Flames comp., 1984.

Happy Monday, ladies and gentlemen!

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Testcard F

Posted in 1980s, british, minimal, synth, synthpunk, testcard f, wave on August 9, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s band, Testcard F, has so little recorded output that I almost considered tossing it all at you, but that would take all the fun out of hunting it down and savoring it, wouldn’t it?

In fact, there’s not only just two singles and a John Peel recording available, there’s very little information to be found about this British band, aside from a few bits and bobs:

The band formed in 1981, and reconstructed and built their own synthesizers. Unlike some synth-punk and minimal wave acts of the time, this band near-completely utilized electronic instruments, drum machines, and backing tapes; the only organic instrumentation appearing in the form of trash cans, coat racks, and other assorted debris. Oftentimes, their live performances would be slagged viciously by heckling attendees, anxious for guitars. One particular gig in their hometown of Norwich ended in a small riot.

The band split immediately on the brink of success after winning a Norwich battle of the bands and recording their two singles and Peel Session in 1984.

I’ve uploaded their b-sides, both tracks which I enjoy more than their respective flip. The first, ‘Unfamiliar Room’ is a particular favorite of mine, featured on the Bandwagon Tango 7” and the second the b-side of the Third Stroke 7”. If anyone is anxious for the remaining a-sides and Peel recordings, drop a line and I’ll happily upload the rest.

download Testcard F- ‘Unfamiliar Room’
download Testcard F- ‘If Only it Wasn’t’

…and sadly, I have no photos, youtube clips, or homepages for you today, and naturally since their material is so far out of print, if you manage to come in cahoots with either of these vinyl singles, snap them up in a heartbeat!

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The Lost Patrol

Posted in 2000s, dreampop, new jersey, shoegaze, the lost patrol on August 8, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Late night storms leave me a bit sleep-deprived this afternoon, and today’s choice is a band perfect for such moments. They are the Lost Patrol, a currently active dark dreampop outfit based in New Jersey.

The Lost Patrol has been gigging and recording since the late 1990s, combining a love of all things dreampop with soft touches of drum machines and synthesizers; the result an organic, dreamy sound reminiscent of Mazzy Star or Julee Cruise. The Lost Patrol sound much like the soundtrack those fleeting moments and late nights, powerful and ethereal female vocals leading an orchestra of lush instrumentation and catchy hooks. Despite their myriad of influences, the Lost Patrol sound completely unique, especially in these times.

Over the course of their tenure, the band has released five self-released full length records and an EP, each one developing their luxuriant soundscapes further as they perfect their craft.

For your ears today, I’ve uploaded three tracks. The first is the opening number from their 2004 record High Noon. The second is a featured and favorite song of mine from their most recent effort, 2007’s Launch and Landing. Last but not least, the third a sleigh-bell ridden dirge from Lonesome Sky, released in 2005.

download The Lost Patrol- ‘All Around’
download The Lost Patrol- ‘Only Love’
download The Lost Patrol- ‘Velveteen’

Though some of their earlier efforts are sadly out of print, all of their material is available on the Itunes music store to purchase, and most of their full-lengths can be ordered both directly from their website and through Cdbaby.com. For more information on the band, I bring your attention to these links:

Official Lost Patrol homepage
The Lost Patrol on myspace
The Lost Patrol on Cdbaby.com

P.S.- Is there any certain artist or style you folks would like to see featured in these pages in the near future? Feel free to toss out some comments and requests anywhere along this blog!

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Colin Newman

Posted in 1980s, art-punk, british, colin newman, synth, wave, wire on August 7, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Having gone though rather huge phases listening to nothing but post-punk greats Wire for a few days in a row, it’s no shock that I’ve also inspected and been overjoyed with the various side projects and solo outings during the band’s off-time. Today’s artist is one of the double frontmen of Wire and the primary tunesmith, Mr. Colin Newman.

When the British band temporarily split in 1980 after three records, Colin quickly pursued a solo career, taking the art-damaged direction that Wire had experimented with on both Chairs Missing and 154. The result didn’t fall far from the tree, for Colin recorded a series of three records in a similar art-pop style. The first, 1980’s A-Z, was released on Beggar’s Banquet and featured ‘Alone,’ a haunting track tapped near-ten years later for the soundtrack to Silence of the Lambs and covered by friends in 4AD project This Mortal Coil. Both 1981’s Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish and 1982’s Not To were released on 4AD, once they were able to properly finance Newman’s recordings. The first featured instrumental tracks as a series of numbered fish while the second consisted of new recordings and reworked Wire outtakes.

Though Wire reformed in 1984 and has remained intermittently active since, Colin released three more solo records and an EP for various labels. The last, 1997’s Bastard was a largely collective and collaborative electronic outing. Over the years, Colin has also produced records for the Virgin Prunes and Minimal Compact, produced recorded full-lengths with Wire as well as longtime collaborator and wife Malka Spigel, managed Wire’s Pinkflag label, and also done double-duty as a member of Githead, an experimental rock outfit.

I’ve uploaded two solo Newman tracks for the downloading; ‘Alone’ from A-Z and ‘Don’t Bring Reminders’ from Not To.

download Colin Newman- ‘Alone’
download Colin Newman- ‘Don’t Bring Reminders’

Most of his solo and collaborative band material is easily available through Amazon and your local record shoppes, so pick some up if you’re into it! For a more thorough biography and discography on Colin, click this link:

Colin Newman web-hub
Colin Newman via 4AD

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Sixteens

Posted in Uncategorized on August 6, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Today’s band, Sixteens, has managed to gain a fair amount of worldwide notoriety over the past few years of relentless touring and recording.

The outfit, consisting of duo Kristen Louise and Verve Pauli (with the occasional collaborator or guest) birthed from San Francisco and is now based in the heart of Berlin. Both Kristen and Verve share vocal duties and instrumentation both live and on record.

Their sound combines a variety of aesthetics, from the cold, pulsing art-madness of Suicide, the dark wave and deathrock of the Skeletal Family, and a slew of minimal wave acts, many of which have been featured on this page in the past.

The band has released a handful of previous albums and series of split 7” with acts such as Hungry Eye Records’ the Vanishing before signing to the label proper, releasing both the Fendi EP in 2006 and the full length Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off just this year. For your listening pleasure, I’ve uploaded a track from Into the Goldwave of Future Non Rip-off as well as a track featured on the 2003 Witches of the West compilation.

download Sixteens- ‘Aphrodite’
download Sixteens- ‘This Knife’

For photos, purchasing information, and all other info on Sixteens, please visit these local haunts:

Official Sixteens homepage

Sixteens on Hungry Eye Records

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The Holy Kiss

Posted in Uncategorized on August 2, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

Not only am I excited to write about today’s band, but I’m also rather excited to be sharing the stage with them in just a few short hours at the notorious Club Midway here in New York City.

San Francisco’s The Holy Kiss walks similar paths as Sixteen Horsepower, the Gun Club, and the Bad Seeds; a bluesy, raw, country-thick stomp with the fire and passion of a post-punk outfit in their prime. The vocals and lyrics act as shrieking gospel of heartbreak and ruminating ghosts while the bass and drums trash rhythmically- the slide guitar holding it all together with delicious ethereal tension. There’s just as much Son House and Bessie Smith as there is Rowland S. Howard in this band’s repertoire.

The band began with a spark in the new millennium, and though they’ve already been through several lineup changes since their conception, the band’s progress has yet to slow. After a slew of rare compilation appearances, Shot Love on the Back Line appeared in 2007 as their first record proper. The album was released under Swedish greats Release the Bats. Meanwhile, our friends at Hungry Eye Records compiled those rare offshoot appearances and singles on to one self-titled collection for those taken with the band and anxious to get ahold of these oddities.

I’ve taken two of my favorite Holy Kiss tracks and tossed them up for today’s consumption, and I pray you find them as captivating as I do… Both of these tracks are featured on their debut record, Shot Love on the Back Line:

download The Holy Kiss- ‘A Dancehall Goodbye’
download The Holy Kiss- ‘Black, Etc.’

and here’s an official video for ‘Black, Etc.,’ directed by Dion Olivier:

For more on the Holy Kiss, visit these sites:

the official Holy Kiss site

purchase albums from Hungry Eye Records

and be sure to come see them (and us) play this evening if you’re in the NYC area! 9pm, Club Midway- 25 ave. B, Manhattan.

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Turn Pale

Posted in Uncategorized on August 1, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

No synthesizers this time ladies and gentlemen, for today’s band is all organic, and as intense as can be. Furthermore, unlike most of the bands featured on this page thus far, they’re alive and well.

Hailing from Bloomington, Indiana, Turn Pale is a powerful post-punk unit complete with razor-sharp rhythmic basslines, howling vocals, and shuddering guitar licks backed with thundering drums. The band’s fury and hypnotic rhythm draws comparisons to the likes of the Birthday Party and Public Image Ltd. while remaining fresh as ever.

On the band’s homepage, they describe themselves as 3 parts Factory, 1 part 4ad, and 1 part Mute, a fitting concoction that defines their cold, yet atmospheric blend of dance punk, which claims to be even more captivating live. As far as recorded output is concerned, Turn Pale has a duo of 7” releases and two full-length records in the can; 2003’s Kill the Lights and 2007’s Mock Trial/Hung Jury. Today’s audio treats are a pair of tracks, one from each of these records. In chronological order, no less!

download Turn Pale- ‘Peaceable Kingdom
download Turn Pale- ‘Fuseable Link’

and to catch a glimpse of the band’s intense live show, here’s a youtube video for ‘Lights Melt Away,’ recorded on tour for Kill the Lights.