Archive for the synth Category

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Glory – At Last! 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, dancing madly backwards, glory, minimal, minimal synth, new wave, New York, new york city, synth, synthpop on February 26, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s an extremely rare/spendy 12” from NYC band Glory, their one and only release from 1982. Much love to my Harrow bandmate and fellow music historian Greg Fasolino for lending me this one to rip and for turning me on to the first track, the excellent mid-tempo new wave track “Oh My Brothers,” which is the clear standout here. The remaining tracks veer a bit towards that rock and roll/power pop side of the new wave spectrum for my taste (think early Blondie or pre-Pleasure Victim Berlin), but for my money, “Oh My Brothers” is a lost classic, through and through, and deserves to be heard across the board.

The band appears to have gotten their name from an Emily Dickinson poem, according to the sleeve. Always here for a literary reference! After Glory disbanded, members of this band would reform as Dancing Madly Backwards, releasing a similar-sounding, but slightly darker/heavier 12” in 1983. There’s a new recording of “Oh My Brothers” featured on that single as well, proof that this song had something special… If anyone has that record and could provide a better-sounding rip than what’s out there, I’d be more than happy to feature it here!

Dancing Madly Backwards would evolve into Air America and release one more 7” before calling it a day. Vocalist Andriette Redmann would remain active in rock/folk bands such as Sun Palace and Avon Faire.

Without any further ado…

Glory – At Last! 12”
1. Oh My Brothers
2. Turn the Channel
3. I’m Not Falling
4. Surfing Sickness

*download it here*

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Réseau d’Ombres – Vinyl Discography

Posted in 1980s, 1985, 1987, coldwave, french, post-punk, punk, Réseau d’Ombres, synth, synthpunk on March 25, 2025 by Frankie Teardrop

Ahhh, this band. This band, this band, this band. No single French coldwave band gets my blood boiling more than Réseau d’Ombres. While not romantic and wistful like many of their contemporaries (and like much of the music I tend to prefer), this French trio is downright relentless and extremely caustic, while also remaining completely and utterly danceable. If you haven’t heard them yet, stop what you’re doing right now, download this link, and get listening. You can expect some of the most hard-hitting, synth-driven, coldwave you’ve ever heard – in the vein of bands like Ausweis, Killing Joke, Suicide, Guerre Froide, early Charles De Goal, Les Provisoires, early Xmal, and of course, Bérurier Noir.

The Laval-based band was rather prolific, releasing five cassettes (one which is a live show from 1984), one 7”, one 12”, and two full-length LPs between 1983 and 1987. The live cassette Ireos has been lovingly reissued by Greek label ειρκτή back in 2014, while the other cassettes are a bit more elusive. Except one that is coming in the mail shortly, so more on that later, wink-wink.

When I get in the mood for this band, nothing else will suffice, and with things as they are these last few weeks – let’s just say they’re really hitting the spot today. With that in mind, I wanted to post freshly updated rips of the band’s vinyl-only catalogue, and by “freshly,” I mean, I digitized the two LPs and 12” single for my own personal listening over ten years ago, and just haven’t gotten around to sharing them yet. Much love to Nick from Crispy Nuggets for handling the band’s exceptional debut 7” as well, which I’ve included with his blessing. Also, check out his video restoration work on “Mirrors” as well:

As always, enjoy!

Réseau d’Ombres – Instant 7” (1985)
1. Instant
2. Mirrors

Réseau d’Ombres – Sotcha LP (1985)
1 New York
2 On The Floor
3 D’Estonnie
4 Bigger
5. Return Ticket
6. Blue Horsemen
7. Square
8. Whoska Sound
9. The Gold Of Netsa

Réseau d’Ombres – Axe 12” (1987)
1. Hanky Panky
2. Perska
3. The Gash
4. Holy Scab

Réseau d’Ombres – Faction LP (1987)
1. Soldier
2. Control
3. Howtch
4. Fire Away!
5. 7.00
6. Mockers
7. Today 5
8. Burnt-Offering
9. The Hanged

*download everything here*

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Missing Link- Politicians 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1985, france, french, Missing Link, Oberkampf, synth, synthpop on November 12, 2024 by Frankie Teardrop

Well, here’s a rather suitable 12” – three tracks of politically charged synth pop from 1985 that makes you want to dance ’til the world ends… From the cold war all the way to today’s political climate.

Missing Link were the French duo of Marc Dmitry (who also performed with The Game on their excellent LP Under the White Bible Law) and Patrick Levy (also a famous French House producer and a member of cold punk band Oberkampf,). This is their only release under this project name, though they would record again under the moniker FX 2000 in the mid-90s.

Fans of B-Movie, Jarvon Jol, Electric Theatre, and huge synth pop hooks with world weary edge and a little light guitar work should find much to love here. Not much more to say here other than enjoy, and much love to y’all out there.

Missing Link- Politicians 12”
1. Politicians
2. Happy (Tax Payer)
3. Angel

*download it here*

5 Comments »

Tanz Waffen – Big Strong Man 12”

Posted in 1990, austin, darkwave, synth, synthpop, tanz waffen, US, zyx on February 3, 2023 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy belated new year, folks! I’ve been struggling to find time to keep this thing going, but I still have a huge backlog of things I’ve been digitizing in my spare time, so it’s time I kick back into gear here, I suppose. Let’s see if I can get two posts done today!

The first: a big big synth pop single from 1990 on ZYX Records. The project: Tanz Waffen, which translates to Dance Weapons. Despite their German name, the band hailed from Austin, Texas, and consisted of Jeff Campbell of The Secret Six and vocalist Nanz Campbell. After releasing this one single, the duo would join forces with like-minded Austin EBM project Mark of Kane to form Voodoo Dali, who released one cassette in 1991.

As for this single, the clear dance floor filler here is “Big Strong Man,” which appears in extended and 7” form. However, the third track, “Memories of Voices,” is a moodier, more esoteric track that showcases Nanz Campbell’s vocals and features some darkwave guitar throughout. The A-side certainly has Celebrate the Nun-esque vibes, while the flip reminds me a bit of Six Sed Red or Soma Holiday. Either way, the single is an absolute banger, and as with most of the ZYX catalog, is worth picking up!

Tanz Waffen – Big Strong Man 12”
1. Big Strong Man (Wild Boys Remix)
2. Big Strong Man (Wild Boys 7” Remix)
3. Memories of Voices

*download it here*

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Crashing Plastic – Gretchen 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1989, goth, synth, synthpunk, US on December 8, 2022 by Frankie Teardrop

Thanks to Goutroy as always for turning me on to this one and making the original rip. A Viable Romance!

Here we have three icy guitar-wave tracks from Crashing Plastic, self-released in 1989. There’s a touch of deathrock/synthpunk flavor in both Gwen Alyson’s vocals and synth melodies and Chris Daya’s musicianship, with razor-sharp guitars, punchy drum programming, and synths galore to round out their sound. I’m reminded of the early Pretty Poison releases, before they went freestyle. This tracks in a sense, as this duo also appears to be from Philadelphia, PA. As always, if anyone has anything more to share about this band, please do.

Otherwise, hope y’all enjoy!

Crashing Plastic – Gretchen 12”.
1. Gretchen
2. Time Tunnel
3. Take Me Away

*download it here*

 

 

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Cargo Cult- Shakedown 12”

Posted in 12'', 1985, electro, electronic, industrial, synth, synthpop on February 1, 2022 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a one-off 12” by a dark electro/industrial project from the US, released in 1985. Not to be confused with the incredible minimal synth project Cargo Cultus, there’s virtually no information to be found about this project – members, city or state, or stories about the band or any live dates. The stark cover is met with a pitch black back cover with the most minimal of details, including the year and the record label. The only other documented release on the label is the first, more scarce 7” by Angel of the Odd, who were from California. If the label was a local affair, we can potentially deduce that Cargo Cult were also from California, but that still isn’t a sure bet. Any information about this project is welcome!

As for the sounds here, this 12” should definitely appeal to fans of mid-era Cabaret Voltaire, which might be already something you might already gather from the name of the band and the title track. Crackdown, shakedown, all the same, it’s an excellent sample-driven electronic track that you could expect to get the floor cooking on the earlier side of the evening. The second track is a little funkier, yet a bit more experimental, with a distorted three-note melody in tow, while the final track (my personal favorite here), has an extremely hypnotic electronic bass line pulsing throughout, with some scathing guitar thrown in for good measure. All in all, three excellent tracks worth their weight in gold. Enjoy!

Cargo Cult- Shakedown 12”
1. Shakedown
2. Last Cab In Berlin
3. Ji’had

*download it here*

4 Comments »

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*

4 Comments »

A Deux Voix- Reaction 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1989, a deux voix, synth, synthpop, US on March 29, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

Spring is here in NYC. Brighter skies, more hope on the horizon, and much more in the coming weeks, I hope. With that in mind, here’s a quick post to keep things moving along here. This particular 12” is by a Dallas, TX-based synth pop project called A Deux Voix. Released in 1989, this single is the only release by the band, which is a two piece, judging from the back cover details.

Obvious touchstones here are Celebrate the Nun, Red Flag, and the slew of Depeche Mode-esque synth pop bands that were pretty common at the time. Even though the sound is a familiar one, the songs are stellar slabs of big beat synth pop that should get you aching for the dance floor again, or at the very least, eager to run to Discogs to score a copy asap. The b-side of this 12” is comprised of instrumental versions, which may or may not be up your alley, depending on your particular tastes.

Anyway, I can’t share too much more about this one, but I’m happy to get straight to the details. Enjoy!

A Deux Voix- Reaction 12”
1. Reaction
2. Choices
3. Choices (Instrumental)
4. Reaction (Instrumental)

*download it here*

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Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, new romantic, new wave, synth, synthpop on February 18, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a more romantic/synth pop flavored single from the UK, released in 1988. Thanks to Goutroy for the rip on this one! Really couldn’t tell you too much about Nikola Eugene or the label America First Records, but here’s two tracks that should be welcome for fans of things like Anna Domino, Toyah, ‘Til Tuesday and things in that vein with plenty of dreamy new wave hooks but a fair amount of cold guitar mixed in for good measure. All in all an excellent little slice of obscure wave. Hope y’all enjoy!

Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”
1. Longest Revolution
2. More Than a Prayer

*download it here*

6 Comments »

Lisa Lee- I’m Taken By You 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1984, synth, synthpop, US on August 20, 2020 by Frankie Teardrop

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well out there. Here’s a little slice of 7” synth pop bliss that should keep you cool on these hot summer nights (or vice versa if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere).

This 7” was released in 1984 and features vocalist Lisa Lee, a US-based singer. Both tracks were co-written by Lee and her band. According to Discogs, Lee released a separate 12” in 1990, produced by Ronald Burrell and featuring a more house/electro style, but I’m not at all convinced that this is the same Lisa Lee, based on a comparison of both tracks. Perhaps someone can shed a little light on this one (or update the dang Discogs entry, accordingly).

As for this single, both tracks hit the same sweet spot as early Berlin or SSQ/Stacey Q recordings – fast, high energy synths and catchy hooks galore. Not much more I can tell you about this one, so we’ll keep it brief – hope you all enjoy!

Lisa Lee- I’m Taken By You 7”
1. Taken By You
2. Goner

*download it here*

6 Comments »

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