Archive for October, 2008

Current Band Corner: Mt. Sims

Posted in 2000s, berlin, electronic, experimental, hungry eye records, LA, los angeles, mount sims, mt. sims, post-punk, synth on October 29, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Allow me to take this little bit of necessary blog downtime to talk about a newer artist. Back in this blog’s salad days, I posted a handful of tracks from new and exciting post-punk/synth/wave acts, and I’ve been meaning to revisit this format every now and again to mix things up a bit, so while I’m stuck with the daunting task of reuploading this blog’s entire back pages, I figured I’d offer you kids a little modern, yet equally relevant content.

That said, the band on the slab is none other than Mt. Simms. A featured artist on Montreal based Hungry Eye Records, Mt. Simms is a full collective developing from Mount Simms, a similarly styled one-man experimental/electro-pop outfit originally hailing from LA. Led by Matt Sims, a resident DJ/performance artist, Mount Sims released two stunning synth records throughout the new millenium, expanding the boundaries of both electro-pop and performance art. By the time 2005’s Wild Lights hit the shelves, Matt added two members to back up the band’s growing live presence.

After the subsequent tour, Mount Sims disbanded as Matt relocated to Berlin to start work on a third record as Mt. Sims. The new outfit consists of Randy Twigg on bass and Andre Lange on drums. Despite the mild change to the band’s moniker, subsquent sounds explored different territory, adding a much darker and chaotic post-punk edge to the previously solid electronic aesthetic. The results, however, are equally captivating.

Happily Ever After, Mt. Sims’ first full length release (featuring mixing and production assistance by Thomas Stern of Crime & the City Solution), was released just last week, but was predated by a 12” single. I am pleased to offer one track from each respeective Mt. Sims release for your enjoyment. The first is the title track from May’s A Grave EP, and the second is a featured number from Happily Ever After:

*downloads removed*

If you dig these tracks, please say so, and do pick up Matt’s releases both new and old. Mount Sims material is easily purchased from Amazon.com and the Itunes Music Store, but Matt’s latest work can be found on the Hungry Eye webstore, linked below. Alternately, click below for the Mt. Sims myspace page, chock full of information, photos, and more songs to learn and sing:

Mt. Sims on Hungry Eye Records dot com
Mt. Sims on myspace

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The Reegs- Return of the Sea Monkeys LP

Posted in 1980s, 1990s, 1991, post-punk, the chameleons, the reegs, uk on October 22, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Tackling an older request today, for the first LP by British post-punk/dreampop act The Reegs. Those familiar with post-punk 101 may recognize some of the key players in this band, as half of its lineup consisted of ex-members of the Chameleons (Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies), who drifted apart after the 1987 Tony Fletcher Walked On Water LP. Joined by singer Gary Lavery, the band released two LPs, both which combined the post-punk/dreampop edge of the Chameleons prior work with synthesizers and a more Manchester-based sound, developing in bands like the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. Their first record, uploaded below, is more of a compilation, gathering together two 1988 singles and two covers. Only two tracks on the record were “new.”

The band would support the Wedding Present during their ephemeral run, and would release a handful of EPs up until 1997, just a few years prior to the turn of the century Chameleons reunion. Dave is currently active in Coconut DF.

Without any further ado, here’s the information for the 1991 debut record, Return of the Sea Monkeys:

The Reegs- Return of the Sea Monkeys LP
1. See My Friends (Kinks cover)
2. Is There A Mother-In-Law In The Club?
3. This Savage Garden
4. Chorus Of The Lost
5. Pond Life
6. Start To See
7. These Days
8. Turn It Up
9. All Tomorrows Parties (instrumental Velvet Underground cover)

*download it here*

There seems to be an official Reegs myspace page, complete with a few rare videos of projects both past and present. Click below to check it out:

The Reegs on myspace

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1000 Ohm- A.G.N.E.S. 12” & Love In Motion 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 1984, Belgian, minimal, synth, wave on October 15, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

Back to the grind, ladies and gentlemen. Just recently married, I haven’t had much time to think about posting, but now that the dust has settled, let’s get this blog back up and running. I’m still aiming for a twice a week goal for now, so let’s see how that goes.

Today’s band is 1000 Ohm, a two man Belgian minimal synth project formed in 1979. Originally, 1000 Ohm was the brainchild of Frank Van Bogaert, but as the outfit continued into the 1980s, Johan Van Herck joined in to flesh out the band’s sound, joined by an unnamed third member for live shows (if anyone knows the third member’s name, please chime in). The first release uploaded today, the 1981 A.G.N.E.S. 12”, features just Frank at the helm, while Van Herck joined in time for 1984’s Love In Motion 12”.

The duo split in 1987 after several more 12” singles (including ‘The Claim’ a shameless synthpop jam), and Van Bogaert went on to produce several local artists before purchasing ACE studios in Antwerp. As the nineties came to a close, Frank began to release a series of his own organic synth recordings, some of which have won German awards. He still records to this day.

Without any further adieu, here’s the info for these two synth-pop gems:

1000 Ohm- A.G.N.E.S. 12”
1. A.G.N.E.S.
2. A.G.N.E.S. (2nd mix)
3. Look Around

1000 Ohm- Love In Motion 12”
1. Love In Motion
2. Love In Motion (Instrumental)

*download them here*

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