Archive for March, 2012

Coldwave grab bag: Red Rain Coat & Jus Dorange

Posted in 1983, 1987, Belgian, coldwave, jus dorange, post-punk, red rain coat, swiss, switzerland on March 27, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

I think the internet police have spoken and it’s time to call it a day here at Systems of Romance. I’ve been pretty zen about the whole thing thus far, as it’s been five years and over 500 posts- certainly nothing to balk at. However, I do have a few more posts I’d like to share with you all before wrapping up here. Please pardon the sudden change in file sharing sites. Hopefully these links last long enough for everyone to enjoy them!

Here we have two incredibly rare 7”s for the price of one (hah). Both of these records have been in my wantlist for ages, and it’s taken me some time to track them both down properly. Patience has never been my strongest suit, but it certainly paid off here, as both of these 7”s were worth the thrill of the hunt and have quickly become two of my most cherished records in my entire collection.

Some of you may recall the Jus Dorange a-side from an early VA compilation. Many thanks to Sean McBride, AKA Martial Canterel, for cluing me into that track a few years ago via Youtube, as it’s haunted my dreams ever since. As expected, the flip is just as stellar, sitting nicely alongside Lè Travo, The Names, Aimless Device, & Siglo XX at the top of the Belgian coldwave crop. Two perfectly vicious tracks that demand repeat listening. It’s worthwhile to note that Dries Decocker was also active in The Misz, who released several cassette tapes and have been compiled on the excellent Underground Belgian Wave Vol. 2 compilation on Walhalla Records.

The second single is a more recent, but no less rare obsession. Red Rain Coat were from Switzerland, and while they were more well known for their early 90s foray into more guitar-pop turf, their first 7” is another cold masterpiece of its era. Their story parallels Eskimos & Egypt, whose debut 7”, while having little in common with their other releases, is a bona-fide classic.

Jus Dorange- At Night 7” (1983)
1. At Night
2. Watching

*download it here* (RE-RIPPED 6.5.13)

Red Rain Coat- In Between the Fronts 7” (1987)
1. Small Town
2. Distinguished Ball

*download it here* (RE-RIPPED 6.5.13)

I have at least two more posts in the works, so please do check back over the next week or two for the grand finale!

24 Comments »

Denouement

Posted in Uncategorized on March 27, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Looks like mediafire suspended my account thanks to a few flagged files.  Awesome!

While it’s possible that my account will be unfrozen in due time, it looks like we’ll be winding down here very soon. I’m aware that there are plenty of other options out there and that file sharing will never truly die, however after nearly five years and roughly 500 posts, I’m afraid I just don’t have the time or energy to reupload everything for the third time during this blog’s tenure. Some things must come to an end I’m afraid, and unless the account bounces back, I’ll try and get the last things I had queued up out there to you all before closing the doors here.

26 Comments »

Rule of Thirds- Demo K7

Posted in 2000s, 2012, australia, deathrock, goth, goth-rock, post-punk, rule of thirds on March 26, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Keeping with the cassette theme, here’s a demo from a new band from Adelaide, Australia, who were gracious enough to send me the tape and their blessing to post the mp3s for you all to enjoy. This one is so fresh, it’s barely three months old!

There seems to be a very modern interest in the deathrock/batcave sound, with all the young bands cropping up with strong demos and limited releases. While the sound seemed to creep back in as early as the turn of the century thanks to the folks at Drop Dead, it’s taken this long for it to finally break out into more public consciousness, and there seem to be dozens of new bands (Anasazi, Winter Severity Index, Population, Bellicose Minds, Pleasure Leftists, etc.) eager to inherit the throne. It makes me yearn for a forgotten era, having been in a deathrock band many moons ago, wishing for a few more peers out there in the ether. Sadly, many of the bands from that time period have long since faded away, with the exception of Entertainment, who are gearing up to release a new LP on Disaro sometime this year.

Ok, so I got on a little bittersweet tangent there, sorry about that. Back to the post at hand.

Taking their name from either a classic Death In June album, a guideline for photography, OR a basic military strategy (all three invoke some excellent imagery) Rule of Thirds explore the classic deathrock sound a la Skeletal Family, Christian Death, Corpus Delecti, Move, Dance Macabre, and others in that vein. A mix of incisive guitars and a confident and smoldering female vocal are the ingredients for success here, and the organ-esque synths (a must for me when it comes to this style of music) stand out with a sense of melody and the rhythm section is top notch, hitting that perfect blend of composure and rawness that works best in this style. A little taste of early Siouxsie can be heard on “Northanger Abbey,” which invokes “Playground Twist” with it’s unified grooves and gloomy atmosphere. My favorite track is the leadoff “No More Moon,” which adds some male vocals to the mix and is ripe for guitar-driven club nights. Really great stuff here, both a mix of uptempo and slow burn tracks, so thanks to Celeste and the band for sending it my way! Hope you all enjoy it!

Rule of Thirds- Demo K7
1. No More Moon
2. Total Disappointment
3. Mother/Master
4. Stuck
5. Northanger Abbey

*download it here*

While the band has graciously offered the mp3s here for free, you can get a copy of the tape via Major Crimes Records.

4 Comments »

Beg For Eden- Beg For Eden K7

Posted in 1980s, 1992, beg for eden, cassette, goth, post-punk on March 26, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another rare cassette. This one goes out to Michael of Return to the East who originally posted the 12” from this excellent experimentally driven post-punk band. I believe they were from the NYC area, or at least one member is located there as of now. I’ve heard tales of the singer showing up to local bars and passing out copies of The Stark Elusive on vinyl, an otherwise essential piece of forgotten lore. Just check out the track “Blink” if you haven’t heard it before. Always reminded me of a gloomier reading of “Ceremony,” while the rest of the record does well to destroy melody with traces of noise and anguish.

Well, that particular 12” appears here as well as the first six tracks on this tape. Since it sounds like the album was just dubbed to the cassette here, it’s not of much interest but worth a comparison if you’re an audiophile. The real meat and potatoes of this tape comes from the final five tracks, which were recorded in 1992. The band faded into obscurity and these tracks never saw the light of day outside of this cassette. They sound like a natural and noisier progression from the 12”. In other words, well worth listening to!

Beg For Eden- Beg For Eden K7
1. Hands Flail
2. Blink
3. Your Corpse
4. Peripheral
5. Imminent Artillery
6. Entrails
7. Intro*
8. Jesus Jet Plane
9. Catatonic
10. This Now
11. Find Our Hearts Again

*download removed by request*

Peter Messina contacted me and respectfully asked for the download link to be removed due to the lesser quality of the dub. However, he’s offered some more info about the band and the stories behind these tracks:

You correctly point to the final five songs as being the really interesting part of that tape, and those are demos the band did in it’s practice space of the songs we did eventually record in the studio. With the idea being to put out a second EP or called Find Our Hearts Again.

We also used the studio material to shop around and had serious interest from the London label Too Pure who were eager for us to send them more material. But the band was really at an end place at that point for many disastrous reasons that came together spectacularly in the Fall of 92 and the Spring of ’93 and we’d been together close to 7 years at that point.

The band on that cassette was comprised of me (Peter Messina) on vocals & bass, Jacques Cohen on guitar, Greg Scott on loops, keyboards and tapes and John Dale on drums.

The Great Greg Scott passed away in 2003. Jacques Cohen runs a very highly regarded studio called The Space in Poughkeepsie and John Dale, I believe might be in Austin, Tx or Oklahoma, I’m not sure.

He also said that he is in the process of exhuming many BFE studio and live tracks and will likely make them available in some form or another. More on that soon. Thanks for your understanding on this one!

5 Comments »

Move- Move Out of Sight K7

Posted in 1980s, 1986, goth, goth-rock, italian, move, post-punk on March 18, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

While a good majority of LPs and 12”s have been discovered by now, cassettes seem to be the final frontier. So many tapes out there, demos, official releases, or what have you, many which have yet to be unearthed and accounted for. With that in mind, the next few posts will all be cassette rips, so buckle up and enjoy!

First up, we have an incredibly rare cassette from Move, the stellar Italian post-punk band covered here (expect a better rip, or even better- a potential reissue of that LP in the near future). You can also get their split LP with Gronge over at the always excellent Kentucky Fried Wave.

This cassette was released in the same year as the LP (1986), though this one predates the LP by some time. Only one track from this K7 appears on the LP in a different form, while the rest rely the same successful male/female switch-off.

Move- Move Out of Sight K7
1. Move Out Of Sight
2. Lo Scoglio
3. Plastik Money
4. Re Sole
5. Kronstadt
6. Sweet Move

*download it here*

6 Comments »

Angels In Aspic- 12” Discography

Posted in 1980s, 1988, 1989, 1990, angels in aspic, post-punk, uk on March 12, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a contribution from Craig, who sent over these three singles from Angels in Aspic, a five piece post-punk band from the UK. They released three singles into the late 80s, the last dropping at the turn of the decade. There’s little information to be found through the usual channels, but it seems the band all went by nicknames, which makes tracking them down a little more difficult. A little info on Paul Marks (AKA Cuff) can be found here.

Also worthy to note that the band had a knack for wordy song titles. Purple prose!

Three singles here, zipped up in one file. Seems as if the band were aiming for a more commercial edge, judging from the glossier production and post-punk hooks. They sound to me like a much better and darker version of Love and Rockets, if that gives you any indication of what to expect here. My favorite track of the lot is “My Life Is Like Riding on a Ghost Train,” the b-side of the first single. Here’s the breakdown:

Angels In Aspic- Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem (1988)
1. Just Some Kind Of Groovy Mayhem
2. My Life Is Like Riding On A Ghost Train

Angels In Aspic- Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure (1989)
1. Drive Me To The Centre Of Maximum Pleasure
2. Blood That Destroyed The World

Angels In Aspic- When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos (1990)
1. When Calm Is Overcome By Chaos
2. In A State Of Hypnosis

*download it here*

4 Comments »

Lè Travo- Erring and Errant LP

Posted in 1980s, 1985, Belgian, coldwave, darkwave, Lè Travo, post-punk on March 9, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Absolutely essential Belgian coldwave from 1985, originally posted by my good friend bx-59cppw and until now, was missing the last track. Thanks to BX for the final piece of the puzzle!

This is the band’s second release, which appeared just one year after an equally excellent split with Fred Angst. Grab that one over at A Viable Commercial. Lè Travo’s tracks on that split were produced by Luc Van Acker of Arbeid Adelt!, Thrill Kill Kult, Revolting Cocks fame.

As for this LP, very little is known, though an insert pegs the band as the brainchild of Patrick Bollen, with two session musicians contributing to three tracks and a female vocalist on backup here and there. Pretty amazing that just one man can create some of the best coldwave of the era. If I had to make a short list of essential records that are in desperate need of a reissue, this would be near the very top (*hint hint*). Don’t miss out!

Lè Travo- Erring and Errant LP
1. Arapaki
2. Something New
3. Hips
4. Guernica
5. Heyday
6. Amarcord
7. E La Nave Va

*download link removed* – reissued on Dark Entries Records!

4 Comments »

Ice The Falling Rain– Lifes Illusion 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, future records, ice the falling rain, minimal synth, new wave, synthpop on March 7, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

By request, here’s a clean, fresh, and high quality rip of an old classic 7” that many of you may have heard before. If you haven’t, skip this text and download straight away. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

This 1983 single is one of the most joyous, catchy, and danceable tracks in the entire new wave spectrum. It almost makes my teeth hurt, it’s so damn infectious. It was released on Future Records, who boast pretty impressive resume, including New OrderBlitz, Rhythm and Faith, Christian Death, Two, and The Wild Flowers 7” posted just recently. No info whatsoever about the band though, aside from four first names listed on the back sleeve, though likely it’s an offshoot from members of Violators. Otherwise, just another mysterious 7” floating around in the ether…

Ice The Falling Rain– Lifes Illusion 7”
1. Lifes Illusion
2. Illusions

*download it here*

I have a few rarities kicking around here that I’m working my way through, as well as more updated rips of bona-fide classics. Expect a few never-before-blogged releases next!

8 Comments »

Various Artists- Der Bau K7

Posted in 1986, asylum party, cassette, clair obscur, coldwave, k7, little nemo, neutral project, post-punk, siglo xx on March 5, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

This one goes out to all the Canadian readers I met this weekend in both Toronto and Montreal. Thanks for saying hello and hope to see you guys again soon!

While this particular cassette has been posted before, the digital copy I had was full of digital skips/jumps (a sound I detest more than almost anything, though the snow removal alarm trucks in Montreal have quickly risen up the ranks), so I’ve made a new, high bitrate rip from a borrowed copy. If you’re not already familiar with this one, you can expect another solid collection of French and Belgian coldwave greats, from the classics to the more obscure. Most prudent is the early version of Little Nemo’s “Love Is a Lie,” which does not appear elsewhere, including the expansive CD reissue. This is also Asylum Party and Neutral Project’s first release, dating back to 1986! The label, Aspect D’Une Certaine Industrie, is also responsible for the excellent Leiv Traumas & Machina compilations, as well as the first Neutral Project cassette.

The tape is a must hear for fans of the coldest, bleakest guitar wave. Dark music for dark times.

Various Artists- Der Bau K7
1. Siglo XX– Sweet Jane
2. Asylum Party– White Light
3. Les Maîtres– Une Douleur Passagère
4. Closed Session– My Shout
5. Neutral Project– Reviens…
6. Kindergarten– Spasmodic Alice
7. Anonymes– Interrogation 3986
8. Wallenberg– Dublin
9. Dead Relatives– Father Tranquille
10. Clair Obscur– Psychiatric
11. Little Nemo– Love Is A Lie
12. Komakino– Lacrima
13. I.W.N.N.– Venus
14. Bleme– This Wait

*download it here*

7 Comments »