Archive for the california Category

The Telling- The Telling 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, california, dreampop, ethereal, synth, synthpop, US on May 4, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

It’s no small secret that I tend to go wild for things on the more ethereal/dream pop side of the spectrum, especially now more than ever before. With that in mind, today’s post was originally recommended by Goutroy and has become a fast favorite these last few weeks. Here we have the first 12” by The Telling a band from California. The band, consisting primarily of Don and Sheri Swanson, released this debut single in 1986 and followed it up with two albums in 1990 and 1998, respectively. I’ve heard a bit of the first record, which mixes in some more folk influences, via YouTube and immediately ordered a CD copy, but I haven’t heard much of the second record just yet.

This debut 12” features two vocal tracks and two dreamy, instrumental passages. While it may be easy to pick out the usual 4AD influences on this single, I also hear the playful art-pop influence of Kate Bush throughout, especially on closing track “Heaven Never End.” Other natural touchstones include latter-era Japan/early Sylvian solo works, and of course, the highly underrated Bel Canto, who were operating around the same time with their own blend of ethereal, atmospheric synth pop.

Hope you all enjoy!

The Telling- The Telling 12”
1. Ghost of Tokyo
2. Cocoon
3. Sand Mass
4. Heaven Never End

*download it here*

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Fourwaycross- Fourwaycross K7

Posted in 1980s, 1985, california, fourwaycross, post-punk, US on December 4, 2018 by Frankie Teardrop

Picking back up where our last post left off, here’s an album that’s been near and dear to my heart for many moons, hailing from the same general area and scene as Drowning Pool, Abecedarians, etc. While there seems to be a lot of activity in the area, there doesn’t seem to be as much love out there for Fourwaycross, who began in 1984 in Los Angeles. Though the main core of the band was Tom Dolan, Biff Sanders, Steve Gerdes and Courtney Davies, the band has shifted lineups and styles seamlessly over the years, most notably drafting Brad Laner and Beth Thompson, who would then go on to form Medicine upon the band’s demise.

Despite the lineup changes, the original core of the band offered up what is in my opinion, their strongest work, 1985’s self-titled cassette. The release is haunting, singular, and transcends genres to allow for neo-classical passages, Savage Republic-esque tribal post-punk, ethereal instrumentals with flutes in tow, and psychedelic, haunting folk. The cassette was reissued several times over in a variety of formats, including a vinyl pressing (affordable and essential), cassettes with alternate artwork, and even a CD-R issue in 2011 as interest in post-punk music was thriving. That said, this rip comes from an original cassette from 1985, in pristine condition.

This is the band’s earliest material, not counting a posthumous release of outtakes, demos, and rare tracks on Independent Project Records, released as Pendulum. The band would issue three equally strong albums following this debut, and have released a handful of excellent singles in the last year featuring the original core lineup. You can listen and purchase the new work via the band’s Bandcamp, and you can also find them all on Facebook. Courtney and Steve have also launched a new project called The Roogs, who are currently working on material.

Without any further ado, here’s the info on this cassette:

Fourwaycross- Fourwaycross K7
1. Intro
2. When Will You
3. Apologize
4. Sharpened Knives
5. Long Talk
6. Driving Thru Trees
7. MF
8. Strictly Morphine

*download it here*

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Various Artists- Ultraviolet LP

Posted in 1980s, 1989, abecedarians, california, post-punk, US on October 15, 2018 by Frankie Teardrop

Fresh off the needle, here’s an updated rip of a favorite US post-punk compilation from ’89, released on Sketch Records. Ultraviolet collects nine tracks of California-based post-punk and new wave tracks, several of the bands who were seldom heard from again. The first two bands are likely the most well-known of the lot, as both Abecedarians and Drowning Pool (not the nu metal band of the same name, mind you) have respectable cult followings. Abecedarians of course, have been covered here before a handful of times (and have their debut 12” release on Factory Records), and Drowning Pool’s body of work is incredibly enjoyable, in line with many of the other bands from the time period (Red Temple Spirits, Savage Republic, etc.).

The most notable standout, and one of the best reasons to own this compilation is for the track “Eleven Is Waiting” by Homeland. Not only is the song an absolute corker, an five-minute post-punk workout with haunting melodies, a chorus-drenched bass line, flutes, and a tempo that changes tempos near its close, it’s also a curious footnote to the Brian Jonestown Massacre story, as Homeland was singer Anton Newcombe’s first project. The band released one excellent demo cassette in 1989, which has since been reissued on CD-r, as has a slew of unreleased work including additional demos and live tracks, all of which likely exist due to the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s indie success over the years.

That all said, here’s the good stuff:

Various Artists- Ultraviolet
1. Laugh At Yourself (Live)- Abecedarians
2. Edith, Hold Out Your Hand- Drowning Pool
3. In Their Eyes- 3D Picnic
4. During Moss- X-1 Whiteman
5. Blue Roses- Electric-Cool-Aide
6. Green Gel- Blue Death Ride ’69
7. Eleven Is Waiting- Homeland
8. Tundra- Man From Missouri
9. Sesso Fantasma- Prison of Socrates

*download it here*

2 Comments »

Bethany Curve- Mee-Eaux K7

Posted in 1990s, 1995, bethany curve, california, dreampop, shoegaze, US on April 6, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

While I haven’t posted much shoegaze here, I’ve been a fan of the genre as long as I can remember… Aside from the classics, I’ve also grown to love more modern bands such as Ashrae Fax, Stella Luna, Tamaryn, The Autumns, the Claire Records bands, and of course, Bethany Curve.  With that in mind, I’ve been looking for a copy of this cassette for ages, pretty much a holy grail for me for many years, so it’s proof that good things come to those who wait.  This came to me as an anonymous donation at first but many thanks to the original collector who spent a lot of effort and time to track this down. 

Bethany Curve formed in Santa Cruz, CA in 1994, taking their name from a local street sign.  The band released four albums and one EP, going on hiatus in 2004 after the release of Flaxen.  Though they haven’t released anything since, the band played some shows in 2010, and their site hints at a new record, Murder, whose release date is still TBA.  There’s also talk of this tape being reissued with remastered sound, so this download will be obviously be removed once it’s available for sale.

As for the band’s sound, Bethany Curve often explored darker territories than most of their peers, citing Dead Can Dance and Depeche Mode as influences alongside Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and the like .  The influence is most apparent on this tape, released in 1995 as a demo.  There are a few experimental synth moments here as well, serving as interludes between the remaining tracks.  Either way, if you’ve been looking for this tape as long as I have, you’ve already skipped this text and have gone straight to the download, so let’s cut straight to the chase:

Bethany+Curve+MeeAux

Bethany Curve- Mee-Eaux K7
1. Sequence
2. Satellite
3. Mar
4. Walk In
5. 2 Minutes of Hate
6. Jalap
7. Sunned
8. Reversion
9. Out of the Clear
10. Me Voy

*download it here*

3 Comments »

League of Nations- Discography

Posted in 1980s, 1983, 1984, california, league of nations, minimal synth on June 9, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop

For the second post for today, I’m pleased to offer the full discography of California based minimal synth band League Of Nations, who released just one LP and 12” on Glaze Records.

League of Nations were a two piece consisting of Laurie Jean on drums and programming and David Sinfield on piano, synth, and voice. The pair had also released one 7” in 1981 under David Sinfield’s full name. Otherwise, here’s the information for their discography.

League of Nations- Music For the New Depression LP (1984)
1. Illuminous
2. Overlord
3. Index Of Motion
4. Fade
5. Systematic Eyes
6. For A Moment


League of Nations- Fade 12” (1983)
1. Fade (12” version)
2. Thin Ice Wall

DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED- purchase the League of Nations/David Sinfield reissue here on Anna Logue!

I’ve caught wind of a few various, but unofficial reissues of the full length record. There also seems to be a myspace page, linked here.

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Anything Box- Peace LP

Posted in 1980s, 1990, 1990s, 2000s, anything box, california, new wave, synthpop, US on March 20, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop

Before we begin, I’m headed to London and Paris for the next week and change, so please excuse my absence in advance. I’m leaving you with a fantastic seminal synthpop record, released in 1990 and cherished to date. The band is Anything Box, a three-piece synthpop band based out of Caliornia, who are still active to date.

Anything Box began their recordings in 1989, based out of a small New Jersey town (fun fact- the band played some of their first gigs at Passaic’s Loop Lounge, a stage I played on just a few years ago). The band signed to Epic Records and relocated to Orange County, California, immediately beginning work on their first album (uploaded below). Since then, the band has released several EPs, singles, and records over the years, and the last dates to 2008. However, Peace, their stunning debut, remains one of their most popular, and boasts the single “Living In Oblivion,” their biggest chart success. The record’s success, as well as all subsequent releases, helped keep synthpop alive in the 1990s.

Without any further ado, here’s the info:

Anything Box- Peace LP
1. Living In Oblivion
2. When We Lie
3. Kiss Of Love
4. Jubilation
5. Soul On Fire
6. Our Dreams
7. Carmen
8. Lady In Waiting
9. I Felt The Pain
10. Hypocrites
11. Just One Day
12. All These Days Undone

*download it here*

It seems both youtube copies of the video have embedding disabled by request, but click here to give it a spin. Otherwise, catch you kids when I’m back on home soil, and perhaps I’ll have found some rare minimal records to rip and share whilst I’m abroad!

Edit: Since this stellar debut, each Anything Box record has been self-released on the band’s own label. Click below to visit their site and purchase more Anything Box records!

Anything Box Homepage

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