Archive for the swiss Category

Les Fleurs D’Hiver – Fleurs D’Hiver 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, les fleurs d'hiver, post-punk, swiss on March 1, 2024 by Frankie Teardrop

Quick and dirty post for your Friday enjoyment… Here’s another single from Swiss label Winterschatten (also home to The Silence Cries), released in 1984. This is the five piece (or four piece with a different bassist on each track) band’s only single which comes housed in an oversized picture sleeve. The songs are sung in a mix of English and French and are equally gloomy and catchy, definitely a great single for fans of Look Back In Anger, Cry of the Innocent, Send No Flowers etc.

Enjoy!

Les Fleurs D’Hiver- Fleurs D’Hiver 
1. Fleurs D’Hiver
2. Association in White

*download it here*

4 Comments »

The Silence Cries – Silent Eyes LP

Posted in 1980s, 1987, new wave, post-punk, swiss, switzerland, the silence cries on February 14, 2024 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy Hallmark Day, y’all! Better late than never with a new post. Here’s the debut album from Swiss post-punk/new wave band The Silence Cries, released in 1987. This three piece band reminds me quite a bit of Mecano, Svätsox, Razor Penguins, early Modern English, and other rickety, yet powerful post-punk bands from the early/mid 80s. There’s also quite a bit of sax, trumpet, and accordion throughout the LP, which adds a nice bit of tension. It’s quite an eclectic album – there’s a lot of variation and dynamic range across the album, and the band occasionally flirts with jangle pop, NDW, and more experimental shades, but still retains that gloomy post-punk sound I love so dearly.

The Silence Cries has a rather modest discography,  three albums and two singles, all of which were released on the Winterschatten label. I couldn’t say how their sound evolved on their second and third album, but I’d be curious to find out one of these days. As always, feel free to drop a line if you have any of their other releases, and perhaps you’ll find the band’s first 7” single here soon enough.

Until then…

The Silence Cries – Silent Eyes
1. Change
2. Emotions
3. Grieni Auge
4. Fische Nur
5. Silent Eyes
6. Violence Is Growing
7. Why Should I Dance
8. Slow Death
9. In My Brain
10. Another Beer
11. Frontiers
12. Killed By Unfeeling

*download it here*

6 Comments »

Silently Down- SAD CD

Posted in 1980s, 1990s, 1992, coldwave, france, swiss, synth, synthpop with tags on May 5, 2012 by Frankie Teardrop

Great hybrid of synthpop and coldwave sounds here on this CD from 1992, very much influenced by the Lively Art bands as well as Depeche Mode.   Not much out there about this one man band, as this disc was released without a label.  There’s a Myspace page out there, which pegs the project as hailing from both France and Switzerland, but I’m not sure of the whole story there.  Likely a French-born Swiss transplant, if I had to make a guess.

This is pretty much the entire recorded output of Silently Down.  Another track, “Tired to Life,” appears on the fourth volume of L’Appel De La Muse, but I’ve included it here for you all as well.   There’s also a track recorded with Ursula Nun of The Vyllies on Myspace, but since that site still throttles its quality, you’ll have to listen over there.

Track 2 is my favorite here, but they all tread very similar turf throughout.  Enjoy!

Silently Down- SAD CD
1. Days Go By
2. Reflection
3. Alone
4. La-Haut
5. Strange Times
6. Welcome To A Suicide Day

Bonus Track- ‘Tired To Life’

*download link removed* – Reissue now available via Dead Wax Records!

7 Comments »

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 »

Nuit D’Octobre- Tempêtes CD

Posted in 1990s, 1992, coldwave, goth, nuit d'octobre, post-punk, swiss, switzerland on June 15, 2011 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s another great coldwave release from the 1990s. Technically, this band hails from Switzerland, but employ the French coldwave sound of the 80s and early 90s so very well that they almost had me fooled, mostly because of all the French titles and references. Highly recommended for fans of Gestalt, Résistance, Mémoires D’automne, Lucie Cries, etc.

This is the six piece band’s first LP, released in 1992. As far as I can tell, they have one more single (date unknown), a single-sided cassette, and a handful of VHS releases under their belt. Here’s the info for this gem:

Nuit D’Octobre- Tempêtes CD
1. La Ballade De Jones
2. Le Voile Des Années
3. Eclusiers De Brouillard
4. Pastel Et Poésie
5. Le Fanfaron Gris
6. Comme Un Orage
7. La Horde Noire
8. Récifs
9. La Valse Aux Adieux

*download it here*

Expect some more synthy/club oriented things to follow over the next few weeks!

4 Comments »

Soviet Sex- End of INRI LP

Posted in 1980s, 1984, coldwave, goth-rock, post-punk, Soviet Sex, swiss on June 1, 2010 by Frankie Teardrop

Last week, I left you kids with a trio of synth-based dance records. Now, to switch over to the guitar driven side of things for a few posts. Up on the slab for today we have the 1984 debut of Soviet Sex, a post-punk band based in Switzerland. There are also two other bands with this name- a band from the US and a band from the Netherlands (featured here), but according to a few pieces of info kicking around and the band members listed on the sleeve of this record (Beat Rohrer, Vico, Alwin Luschin, and Jost Baggenstos), I believe this is a completely separate entry.

According to the Swiss Punk Archive, the band’s roots lie in a band called Crazy, a more punk-driven outfit. Naturally, the sounds here are still fast and energetic, but there’s a bit more gloom and tension in these songs. Definitely recommended for fans of Ziyo and Siekiera. Here’s the info:

Soviet Sex- End of INRI LP
1. Sünde
2. Walpurgis Night
3. Immer Noch Das Leben
4. Trauer
5. Bare Bodies
6. Zwischen Wann Und Wirklichkeit
7. Rettet Uns!
8. Weisser Tod
9. Geschirr Zerbricht

*download it here*

The band would follow this LP up with the Blind Dogs 12” in 1985, just before disappearing. Would love to hear that one, if anyone has a copy kicking around!

4 Comments »

Starter- Start CD-R

Posted in 1980s, 1981, 2004, minimal, swiss, synth, wave on December 29, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

The following upload comes as a request, and features Swiss minimal synth band Starter’s entire discography. Starter formed in 1981 as a three piece, led by Francis Foss, who remained the only original member after a personnel switch in 1985.

Starter would release one LP in 1981, followed by several 12” releases throughout the late eighties, calling it quits in 1989. Francis Foss was also active in Shy Rose, a Swiss Italo Disco act who released a handful of singles.

In 2004, Topfuel Entertainment collected Starter’s discography and released it as an extremely limited CD-R pressing, sold alongside a DVD of various live performances over the years. Only sixty copies of this fine release exist, and I’ve had my eyes peeled for ages. Snap one up if you see it! Otherwise, here’s the information for the CD-R portion.

Starter- Start CD-R
1. Lunapark
2. Is This Love
3. Minijupe
4. Baby
5. Plastic
6. Tanger
7. Tarzan And Jane
8. Machinedrum
9. Part Of You
10. Victim
11. My Love
12. Night By Night
13. Cause I Love You
14. Victim Of The Beat

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* – ATTENTION, dear readers- you can now get a remastered copy of this LP via the always excellent DARK ENTRIES label, an awesome reissue label based out of the west coast. Click here for more info!

Though I have yet to find an original copy of this release, a generous party has uploaded a video from the DVD-R portion, so please click below to view live performances of both Lunapark and Minijupe from 1982:

————-

20 Comments »

Grauzone- Die Sunrise Tapes LP

Posted in 1991, grauzone, minimal, NDW, new wave, swiss, synth on March 30, 2008 by Frankie Teardrop

A quick lazy Sunday post…I’ve had this one uploaded on divshare for a few months now, but forgot to post it here for everyone to enjoy. For a full writeup on Grauzone, see this post here, and otherwise, enjoy this classic Swiss minimal collection, released in 1998 and compiling Grauzone’s studio output.

Grauzone- Die Sunrise Tapes LP
1. Film 2
2. Eisbar
3. Hinter Den Bergen
4. Maikafer Flieg
5. Marmelade Und Himbeereis
6. Wutendes Glas
7. Kalte Kriecht
8. Kunstgewerbe
9. Der Weg Zu Zweit
10. In Der Nacht
11. Traume Mit Mir
12. Ich Und Du
13. Moskau
14. Ich Lieb Sie
15. Schlachtet
16. Raum

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED*- Full Grauzone discography has been reissued as of 2010. Click here to grab a copy from CD Baby.

5 Comments »

Grauzone

Posted in 1980s, german, grauzone, minimal, NDW, swiss, synth, wave on September 21, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop


A request fulfilled! A quick reminder to chime up in the comments if you’d like to see a specific band featured- whether you’re involved, a fan, or trying to get ahold of more material or information.

That said, today’s band is Grauzone, a Swiss wave band who released but a few singles and one LP before disbanding. The band was the brainchild of multilingual singer Stephen Eicher and formed in 1978 along with his brother Martin, G.T. on bass, Claudine Chirac on sax, and Marco Repetto on drums. Though of Swiss origin, the majority of Grauzone’s songs were sung in German, breaking into a budding synth movement with their mild hit ‘Eisbär’ in 1981.

Soon after, their self titled full-length was released and Grauzone disbanded. However, Stephen’s interest in French music sparked a successful solo career as an ever changing musician, his future (and current) work covering a broad range of genres.

I’ve uploaded a duo of tracks for your enjoyment. The first is ‘Eisbär,’ their initial buzz single (which has since been covered prominently by both the Dresdon Dolls AND Nouvelle Vague) and the second hails from Die Sunrise Tapes, a pressed to CD collection of Grauzone’s work released in 1998.

download Grauzone- ‘Eisbär’
download Grauzone- ‘Schlachtet!’

Die Sunrise Tapes seems to be the only available and in-print CD available from Grauzone, though their vinyl is relatively easy to find on Ebay. For a link to nab Die Sunrise Tapes online, click below:

CD Universe.com

3 Comments »