Archive for the sad lovers and giants Category

The Essence- Ecstasy LP

Posted in 1988, coldwave, netherlands, new wave, post-punk, sad lovers and giants, snake corps, The Essence on December 1, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop

Sorry for the repetition lately, but here’s another Ecstasy post by request. Keeping in chronological order, here’s the band’s third album, released in 1988. All information about the band can be found in the previous two posts, so let’s get to the upload, shall we?

The Essence- Ecstasy LP
1. Burned In Heaven
2. Only For You
3. Sleeping
4. Like Christ
5. Angelic
6. Jump And Fall
7. Ice
8. The Afterworld
9. So Gorgeously
10. Despair
11. Understand Why
12. One More Wasted Night

*download it here*

Naturally, we’ve got some bonus tracks here. Tracks 5 and 6 hail from the Only For You 12”, while “Ice” seems to be exclusive to this release, at least according to the band’s discogs listing. If anyone knows for sure, let me know. Otherwise, enjoy- and expect some more goodies to follow in the next few weeks.

Edit: I am currently in the process of updating all the divshare links from the first year of the blog, since I’ve heard that download limits are often exceeded. Kas Product should be live by the end of the afternoon, and the rest will follow as I have time. I also have a few zshare reuploads to handle, so stay tuned for that.

The Essence- A Monument of Trust CD

Posted in 1987, coldwave, netherlands, new wave, post-punk, sad lovers and giants, snake corps, The Essence on November 18, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop

Real quick post today, folks, but here’s the second Essence record, released in 1987 via Midnight Music. The band were still a three piece at this point in time, featuring the same lineup as their debut, so the sound doesn’t stray too far. I do happen to prefer this record to Purity though, by a hair!

Otherwise, this particular upload contains two bonus tracks plucked from the A Mirage 12” (the extended mix and “Lollipop”), as well as “The Happiness” another b-side from the This Cat 12”. Perhaps the band couldn’t fit these tracks on one LP record, but it’s nice to have them in a cleaner format, for sure! On that note, here’s the information for the record. Enjoy!

The Essence- A Monument of Trust CD
1. A Mirage
2. Drifting
3. In Tears
4. Nothing…
5. The Waves of Death
6. The Happiness
7. Lollipop
8. Years of Doubt
9. Fire
10. The Death Cell
11. A Monument of Trust
12. A Mirage (Extended Version)

*download it here*

The Essence- Purity CD

Posted in 1985, coldwave, netherlands, new wave, post-punk, sad lovers and giants, snake corps, The Essence on November 17, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop


I’ve got a pair of early Essence records to upload for you folks. Here’s the first of the lot, the band’s 1985 debut, Purity. The band originally formed as a three piece in 1984, hailing from Rotterdam, a region in the Netherlands. Over the course of time, the band grew in both popularity and personnel, releasing four full length LPs and several 12” singles before their demise in the mid-nineties. Most of the band’s material was released on Midnight Music, the label who also were responsible for Sad Lovers and Giants and The Snake Corps, two of the band’s closest sonic peers.

Speaking of which, it’s difficult to avoid comparing The Essence to The Cure, as the band walk similar sonic territory, straight down to the melodies, lyrics, and even the chimes in the instrumentation. For those who can’t avoid the comparison, the touchstones are close enough to consider it a lost record from The Top/Head on the Door era! Otherwise, it’s a rather solid guitar record from the mid-80s, with a hint of gloom and doom thrown in for good measure.

A surprising fun fact about this record: It was recorded in Alaska, of all places! Perhaps it was the allure of the near darkness and hopes of bringing the state’s icy edge to the record. Did they succeed? You decide. Here’s the information below.

The Essence- Purity CD
1. The Last Preach
2. A Reflected Dream
3. The Cat
4. The Blind
5. Never Mine
6. Endless Lakes
7. Forever in Death
8. Salivation
9. The Waving Girl
10. Purity
11. Confusion*
12. From My Mouth**
13. The Swaying Wind**

*bonus track from The Cat 12”, 1986
**bonus track from Endless Lakes 12”, 1986
both bonus tracks included on the 1996 CD reissue of Purity.

*download it here*

Stay tuned for the band’s sophomore record, which I will be uploading shortly!

The Snake Corps- Smother Earth LP

Posted in 1980s, 1990, british, coldwave, dreampop, post-punk, sad lovers and giants, shoegaze, snake corps on January 9, 2009 by Frankie Teardrop

Tossing another quick request out there for your weekend enjoyment. I covered UK post-punk act the Snake Corps back in August of 2007, so take a peek at this post for all proper information on the band and their biography. Otherwise, enjoy this record, the band’s second, released in 1990.

The Snake Corps- Smother Earth LP
1. Seagull’s Eye
2. Calling You
3. Careful…
4. Everything Turns Blue
5. I’m Not Afraid
6. Colder Than The Kiss
7. Testament
8. More Than The Ocean
9. Come The Glorious Day
10. The Sky In Your Eyes
11. Possession
12. “This Is Seagull…”
13. Seagull’s Eye (Ext.)

*download link removed* – Now available on iTunes!

The Snake Corps

Posted in 1980s, british, coldwave, dreampop, post-punk, sad lovers and giants, shoegaze, snake corps on August 28, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop

The Snake Corps formed in 1984 after the original demise of British psychedelic post-punk act Sad Lovers & Giants. In the wake of the band’s split, guitarist Tristan Garel-Funk formed a new five-piece unit, collecting a few more like minded-fellows, and set out under this new name.

The band was not unlike it’s predecessor, exploring a dreamy, atmospheric soundscape alongside a driving post-punk edge. The band would tour heavily outside of the UK, developing a slight cult following for their curious blend of dreamy effects and hard punk rhthyms. The band, though hard-working, had a very distanced approach to their affairs and had alienated the British record industry, rejecting potential superstardom as a new shoegaze movement was taking hold of Britain towards the end of the decade.

The band would take a hiatus around 1990 after recording a handful of poorly distributed records, never quite achieving the success or recognition as many of their contemporaries would shortly. In 1993, a long-since recorded final record hit the market alongside a career retrospective, but though a bit of buzz was finally on their side, members of the band had already parted for keeps and the band officially called it a day.

I’ve uploaded two tracks by the Snake Corps for your downloading pleasure. The first, ‘Animals All’ hails from their debut record, 1985’s Flesh on Flesh. The second song, ‘Seagull’s Eye’ is a more catchy number, featured as the opening track on 1990’s Smother Earth.

download Snake Corps- ‘Animals All’
download Snake Corps- ‘Seagull’s Eye’

for further information on the band:
Official Snake Corps website– for a full discography, images, videos, and more!