Quite Simple- Victims 7” & Unknown Stranger LP

Posted in 1980s, 1987, 1989, darkwave, Dutch, goth, goth-rock, post-punk on November 18, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I have two posts today, both request from friends so I thought I’d drop both on you in one day.  This first post fulfills a request by Xerfrank for the official discography of post-punk/goth band Quite Simple, from Holland.  I’ve seen these two records go for moderate prices over the years, so they certainly warrant some more attention for those unaware of the band.

Fans of hook-driven Leeds bands such as March Violets and the Lorries should love this one, straight down to the male/female vocal dynamics and big, shameless production.   For a private pressing, the production on the LP is especially impressive, and sometimes it sounds like the LP is only a major label away from being Floodland II.

Unknown Stranger was released in 1989, while the 7” (which I prefer by a small margin) was released in 1987.  There’s also another track released on the Made In Brabant compilation in 1987, and since that collection pre-dates the LP as well, I’m assuming the recording of “Visions” from the compilation is different than what would appear two years later.  If anyone has this compilation, feel free to drop a line!   Otherwise, enjoy!

Quite Simple- Victims 7” (1987)
1. Victims
2. Light In the Dark



Quite Simple- Unknown Stranger LP (1989)
1. Unknown Stranger
2. Mistery of the Night
3. Visions
4. Age of Miracles
5. China Town
6. Curious Eyes
7. Nightmare
8. Out of the Spirit World

*download both here*

6 Comments »

Here Today- Whistle In the Yard 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, goth, here today, new wave, post-punk, vigil on November 13, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve always had a soft spot for the self-titled Vigil record, which I first heard via Hi-Fi Hillary.  The album has made the blog circuits before, and is notorious for being the first rock album to have been recorded and mixed digitally.  It was released on Chrysalis records in 1987, and while a vinyl pressing of the LP and the I Am Waiting 12” can be easily found for a few bucks (I have bought/passed out several copies among friends and DJs in the scene), the CD is much more scarce, fetching between $40-60 bucks whenever it pops up.  The album is a hybrid of catchy new wave hooks and post-punk guitars, a bit of grit beneath the gloss.   I’ve always dug it.

However, before Vigil there was Here Today, who formed in Baltimore in 1983 (see also The Mission, Immortal, and The Unknown for more flagship acts of Baltimore’s fertile post-punk scene).  They recorded just one 3-track 12” in 1983, before courting major label interest from CBS.  Without swapping band members, they changed their name to Vigil and began work on their debut record in 1984.   However, the A&R rep who signed the band departed CBS, and the band agreed to a buyout in order to sign with Chrysalis records.  This entire process took three years, and the band were soon dropped after contributing a song to the Nightmare on Elm Street 4 soundtrack, but the title track of this 12” survived the test of time, with a re-recorded version appearing on the Vigil LP.   The Here Today version of the track is leaner, meaner, and darker, and the two b-sides are exclusive to this release.  While ‘Whistle’ is still the standout, the other tracks are enjoyable.  “In the Maze” is a slow, bass driven dirge that picks up mid-way through, while “Del Centro 86/99” is a futuristic themed track that sounds like a hybrid of Devo and Bauhaus’ more spastic tracks (“Kamikaze Dive”).

Meanwhile, Vigil recorded a second album after leaving Chrysalis, which was self-released on cassette in the late 1980s.   There are plans to reissue the first Vigil album in 2014, so perhaps the second album and other assorted rarities will see the light of day.  You can find Vigil here on Facebook for any future updates.

Here Today- Whistle In the Yard 12”
1. Whistle In the Yard
2. Del Centro 86/89
3. In the Maze

*download it here*

Jo Connor has also uploaded a bunch of live Vigil clips from 1986.  Click here to check out his youtube page.  I also remember seeing an official video for the re-recorded version of “Whistle in the Yard,” but it must have been removed.  I’ll link it here if I ever come across it again!

1 Comment »

The Floor- Discography

Posted in 2000s, 2003, 2005, canadian, edmonton, post-punk, synth, the floor on November 5, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

The+Floor

A good friend of mine recently gave me some sage advice.  To paraphrase, he mentioned that it’s a crime to dig too much into the distant past, for fear of ignoring more recent bands who are making incredible music.  By doing this, it only dooms modern bands to the same fate as their forgotten predecessors.

I can’t agree more, and while I’m still on the hunt for forgotten 80s treasures (and have plenty more coming in the mail, mind you), there are quite a few bands from the turn of the century that have already fallen by the wayside in lieu of their more Pitchfork-centric peers.   While the post-punk resurgence of the mid-2000s wasn’t the true second coming we all hoped it would be, there are still several bands who managed to make some incredible music, overshadowed by bands like Interpol, The Strokes, The Rapture, etc., who dominated the scene.

I received a lot of great feedback about Branches, another band that Jason recommended and shared a rip of here, and with his advice in mind, I plan to share a handful of more recent bands that we’re both fond of.  First up is The Floor, a Canadian band who flirted with electronics, classic post-punk bass tones, and shoegaze textures, mixing those timelessly great techniques with big hooks, solid musicianship, and killer songs.  I discovered their only full length back in 2006, shortly after it was released, and it’s a seasonal favorite.  Over the years, I’ve clocked more plays on Personnel than I have any other album from that era, and know the whole record like the back of my hand.  However, I hadn’t heard anything else from them, and as like many bands from that era (including many of my own), I presume they broke up soon after.

However, Jason was able to provide a rip of the two EPs that preceded Personnel, completing the official discography.  The EPs are just as good, as one might suspect…  In general, fans of bands like The Chameleons, A Flock of Seagulls, and For Against’s December should LOVE these guys, and I hope you enjoy these records as much as I do…

The Floor- Doll (2003)
1. Catastrophe
2. Seconds Later
3. Feature 74
4. Doll
5. Warning Signs
6. Mistake to Make
7. Daffodil

The Floor- Autonomy Off/On (2003)
1. Drown Inside
2. Isolene, I
3. Automation
4. Impossible
5. Noncom
6. Blank Reaction
7. Cloud of Blinding Light

The Floor- Personnel (2005)
1. Fallout Forever
2. Someone Else
3. In the New World
4. The Guilt of Silence
5. Personnel
6. Glass Heart
7. Freeze/Frame
8. What Do You Know?
9. Occur
10. Never After
11. Alone On Your Own

*download all three here*

16 Comments »

The Chyldren- Mortis Hora

Posted in 1980s, 1987, darkwave, synth, synthpop, the chyldren, uk on October 29, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Now that blog culture has come full circle, there are very few “holy grails” left to uncover.  However, this LP has achieved near mythic status to me over the years after hearing a loose track ages ago.  I don’t even remember how I came across the track, and having it tagged improperly didn’t help much, as it took me some time to figure out that the band name was The Chyldren and not The Children.  Either way, I was always curious to hear the rest of it, and here we have it, another donation that comes courtesy of xerfrank.  Thanks again!

All talk aside, this record, like VHF and Eleven Pond before it, deserves it’s mythic status, less so based on the quality of the recording but moreso because it was never *officially* released.  Sure, there are copies of it out there, especially if you’ve got $700 to spare, but good luck finding this one in your local record store.  The story behind it is simple: band makes record, record goes to print in 1987, record does not make it past the test pressing phase.  It should be self explanatory, but in case you’re not a vinyl collector or of a younger generation, test pressings are simply copies of an album used to gauge the quality of a pressing, as anomalies, variables, and errors can be rather commonplace.  Now in my experience, there’s usually only four or five test pressings of a given record, mostly for individual band members or label personnel.  With that in mind, I’m not sure how 8 people (or more, since discogs records are never 100% accurate) came across a test pressing, but I suppose it could be possible that they pressed more of these than usual to be sold at shows or given away to friends.  Either that, or some people on discogs are theoretical collectors.  All copies of this album come complete with a (rather goofy) cover/sleeve that looks professional, but the inner label is handwritten, as shown here in photos.

Now, let’s talk a bit about the music.  You might expect this record to be a complete novelty, judging from the goofy cover, terrible font choices, and religious themed psuedonyms used by the three band members (my personal favorite is Lucifer the Cross, though your mileage may vary).  Well, it’s not.   The album is a rather good, if but a little one-dimensional synth-driven record that utlizes the same bombastic drum machine pattern and vocal melody on almost every track.  So, while the band certianly doesn’t take themselves too seriously, even on the compositional side of things, there are some nice gems to be found here, even if they all sound pretty interchangeable with each other.  The good news is that the album is rather short- 7 tracks in 25 minutes, so as long as you like the vibe, it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

You know, it’s funny that I mentioned both VHF and Eleven Pond up there, as this album almost comes across like a hybrid of both records, combining the synth-heavy, toe-tapping catchiness of VHF with the darkwave/Factory records vibes of Eleven Pond.  The religious themes also remind me heavily of Eyes of God, but in all honesty, this LP sounds like a long lost, fully synth-driven cousin of Sanity Plexus, but I digress.  Check this one out for yourself.

The Chyldren- Mortis Hora LP
1. Private Crucifixion
2. Sin
3. Chase Me
4. Speed
5. Burn
6. Fade Away
7. You
8. Dope

*download it here*

7 Comments »

Vietnam- Vietnam LP

Posted in 1980s, 1985, coldwave, new zealand, post-punk, vietnam on October 22, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Vietnam1984v1

(Photo credit: Neil Monkhouse)

Sorry for the delay, it’s been a very busy time at SOR headquarters so I’ve been slacking a little bit.  Plus, it’s Fall in New York, so I’m trying to make the most of being outside before hibernating for the winter.  Anywho, here’s a post lovingly ripped and donated by xerfrank, a fellow friend and passionate collector from Spain.  You may have seen this back on Vinyl Obscurity a few years ago, but I believe the post was taken down immediately by some Mediafire bots looking for the latest Rhianna record, long before his blog disappeared into the either as well.  I also included the “best” track from this record on my last v/a compilation, so some of you may be interested in hearing the rest of it.  While ‘Victory’ reigns as my favorite track on this record, I enjoy this one as a whole.

There’s little to be found about Vietnam, yet another extremely difficult band name to Google, but I do know that they existed for a short period of time as part of New Zealand’s post-punk movement and released this record in 1985 on Jayrem Records, a catch-all label for local artists.  There’s the pre-requisite Joy Division influence present in the vocals (fans of De Press, The Opposition, Stranger to Stranger, and Dropopop should enjoy this one especially) but the music jumps from moody post-punk and flirts occasionally with jangle-pop progressions and dreamy, Cure-esque melodies.  “China Tonight” is an excellent moody instrumental track with a descending synth/piano melody.  “Behind the Paintings” is as gloomy, yet driving political anthem, a general theme in the lyrics that hints at a slight U2 influence, who were at the peak of their fire-y political leaning at that point in time.   Honestly, with a name like Vietnam and with artwork like this, it’s safe to assume that the lyrics have a little more spark to them.

EDIT 6/30/14:  I’ve since been in touch with Adrian Workman, the band’s bassist and synth player, who has shared some tales about the band’s inception and current whereabouts:

Four lads from the same High School in working-class town called Wainuiomata (pronounced Y-noo-ee-o-ma-ta , a suburb of Wellington, NZ).  We started writing/playing together in my parents garage and drove the neighborhood insane over a period of time. New Zealand in 1982 mirrored Thatchers UK; an ultra conservative government, poor economy and civil unrest. Wellington (the nations capital) was a volatile mix of public servants, politicians, university students ,and skinheads. The messages of the Punk and Post-Punk era emanating from the UK resonated strongly in the Wellington music scene and local musical acts discovered their own version of the genre. 

The legal drinking age was 20 years old, yet we performed in pubs, clubs and community halls from as young as 16 years, somehow avoiding detection from the authorities.
 
Vietnam was definitely a coming together of 4 very different people that shared a common malaise; suburban isolation in a depressed and oppressed society in the early 1990’s. We were a  weird combination of cultural/ethnic diversity, (unusual in that musical era), and ironically we all achieved well in school and sports…being working class was a badge of honour for us and  we strongly resisted being pigeon-holed into societal roles. Vietnam was a head-fuck for many people because, I believe, we delivered more than was expected of us given our collective backgrounds. We almost dethroned a significant corporate rock band in the national ‘Battle of the Bands’ comp, leaving them crapping their collective duds after we performed a kick-ass set, including  a Vietnam version of ‘Echo Beach’ and just missing the final cut. Anyways…this show got us attention from the right people.
 
It was a pretty intense music scene from memory. Vietnam was a square peg in that scene, mainly due to the stigma associated from the suburb we came from. We played a lot of shows,( including the Aerial Railway stage at ‘Sweetwaters’,  an annual 3 day Music festival, (just think Woodstock meets Lollapallooza). Supported some good acts of the era and made our EP in late 1984 (released in 1985). Radio with Pictures TVNZ picked up ‘Victory’ and the video was made at the cost of taxpayers monies. Shortly after the release I migrated to Sydney, Australia (18 yrs old) in mid 1985, Pete Dransfield followed about a year later. After several attempts to reincarnate a version of the band under different monikers we went our separate ways in 1988, and Pete returned to NZ.
 
Pete released some material in the late 1990’s under the name ‘The Thorn Field’ , became a semi-professional boxer, and continues to work in the live music scene in NZ in a technical capacity.
 
Shane went on to have a stellar career as a national spokesperson for indigenous programs relating to smoking cessation (Go Bro!). Leon has continued to perform political rap in various line-ups.
 
I joined Sydney Band ‘The Bhagavad Guitars’ in late 1988, and stayed with them until 1992. Releasing several recordings in this time on the Red Eye Label, including the belated release of an album produced by Toney Cohen (of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame) in 1995 (Lead vox  ‘No News’). We almost made it to the States, but the band imploded exactly at the critical moment:(
 
I was also a founding member with ‘The Verys’ in the grunge era of the 1990’s, releasing the EP ‘That’s A Moray’ in 1993. Ran my own record label briefly and ventured into twisted world music with Bonepeople in the late 1990s. Recently recorded a reformation album with The Bhagavad Guitars in 2011 called ‘Unfamiliar Places’ (Lead vox ‘Autumn’). Check out my name on ‘Discogs’ website for refs. and/or reverbnation ‘Bhagavad Guitars’.

Vietnam- Vietnam LP
1. Broken Doll
2. China Tonight
3. Behind the Paintings
4. Another Day
5. Victory

*DOWNLOAD LINK REMOVED* – please visit B.F.E. records (website/bandcamp) for a reissue of this LP with some bonus tracks!

There’s also a video for “Victory” (!).  Feels like it’s been ages since we had one of those:

Thanks again to xerfrank for ripping this one!  I have some mail arriving over the next few weeks that may interest some of you looking for something a little seedier/synthier.  In the meanwhile, I picked up some rad stuff in Canada, one record in particular that deserves a re-posting ASAP.  I also have another post lined up from xerfrank’s expansive archives, as well as more from Klumpa’s collection to come in the near future.  Also, perhaps some modern surprises as this year winds down to a close.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

On a completely unreleated note, might I bring your attention to THIS?  I have a new project that you all may enjoy, and we just released a limited edition cassette (!) on fellow Brooklyn-based label Function Operate.  I reckon a few of you may enjoy it, and we’ll have plenty more news soon.  If you want to check in on us, we can be found HERE.

7 Comments »

Toccata- We Are the Sub-Machines 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1987, british, new wave, synth, toccata, uk on October 8, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I first heard this one on a cassette while sitting in a car outside the Wierd party with Martial Canterel and Nick from Crispy Nuggets, and we all couldn’t get enough of it.  I’ve been trying to track the single down since with no luck, but many thanks to Klumpa for providing a rip of this one to share. We can expect a few more treats along these lines, including a handful of loose tracks just itching to be compiled and an Italo flavored 7” to come over the next few weeks.

Very little info to be found about this band (who shares the name with classical terminology, making it difficult to google), though the sleeve indicates that this was released in 1987 and featured the duo of Jan Sinclair and Pete Ward, with various guest musicans and backup singers contributing.  There are a few Pete/r Wards out there, some active around the same period, so I can’t really pinpoint which, if any, are responsible.  Believe me, I’ve tried!

However, here we have two excellent tracks, the a-side coming across like a Kissing the Pink/Eurythmics hybrid with a stomping, torch song rave-up, while the b-side has a very neofolk-esque frailty reminiscent of the Nature & Organisation record and other Rose Mcdowall contributions over the years…

Any more information on this one is welcome!


Toccata- We Are the Sub-Machines 7”
1. We Are the Sub-Machines
2. Gypsy Eyes

*download it here* (RE-RIPPED 11.21.15)

10 Comments »

Decade- Diva Diva 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1987, coldwave, Decade, france, french, post-punk on October 1, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

Originally posted by the great Dreams and Voices and freshly ripped from my own copy, this is one of my favorite mid-tempo French singles from Montpellier, a little romanticism in the B-side to get you through the week.  As he mentions, there’s a Little Nemo vibe in “Diva Diva,” certainly a welcome addition to the cold, melancholic French catalog.  “Conquistador” isn’t too shabby either, with a sinister synth undercurrent and a percussive-heavy melody.

This single was released in 1987 and is their only known recording.  Not much more to say about this one, other than enjoy!

Decade- Diva Diva 7”
1. Diva Diva
2. Conquistador

*download it here*

7 Comments »

Lama- Love On the Rocks 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, electro, electronic, italian, italo, italo disco, lama, lucio battisti, new wave, synth on September 24, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

While many of you are still digesting the latest Sequins and Spandex compilation, I’ll add this as an additional supplement.  This particular 7” became a WIERD party favorite towards the end of our tenure and I still break it out from time to time when I DJ, as it never fails to get the party started.

We kicked off the latest compilation with the 12” version of the track, but here’s a fresh rip of the 1983 7”, complete with the B-side intact. Certain versions of this single have “Nineteen Ninety Three” as the a-side and “Love on the Rocks” as the flip.   My 7” clearly has “Love on the Rocks” as the title track (with the cover art below), but grooms the flip for the rightful A-side placement.  Let’s just call it a double A-side, as both tracks are killer electro/italo tracks well worth their weight in gold.  I prefer the dark apocalyptic feel of “Nineteen Ninety Three” overall (written by Arcibaldo aka Antonino Cocco), but the other track is no slouch, and is apparently a more electro-fied cover of Lucio Battisti’s original disco smash “Il Veliero.” Curiously enough, this 7” was released on Numero Uno records, which boasts many of Battisti’s own releases from the late 70s and beyond. There also exists a 12/7” remix single for “Love On the Rocks” with several versions of that track, but I don’t have those here to rip.

Lama- Love on the Rocks 7”
1. Nineteen Ninety Three
2. Love On the Rocks

*download it here*

2 Comments »

Sequins and Spandex Part VIII

Posted in 1980s, disco, hi nrg, italian, italo, italo disco, mixes, new wave, sequins and spandex, space disco, synth, wave on September 18, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I meant to post this at the beginning of summer 2012, and put it off for some reason or another. Though the season is coming to a close here in New York, I figured the longer I waited, the more I’d keep pushing it back, so better late than never…

For those unfamiliar with this series, I have a semi-closeted love of Italo disco- a cult Italian-centric genre of music (though the influence can be heard all over Europe in the mid-1980s) with shameless hooks, catchy vocal lines, and drum machines/synths that push the gear to their robotic limits. As with any dance craze (see also: new beat & freestyle) the same law of diminishing returns holds true: for every truly great italo gem there’s a ton of terrible or overblown ones that flooded the market, so with these compilations, I attempt to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. I generally steer towards the darker italo, things that sound right at home in a John Carpenter flick or alongside the more club-friendly minimal synth tracks (and file right in line with some of the things I post here), and obviously, the less overtly corny the songs are, the better, though that’s not to say I don’t like a little sprinkle of cheese here and there.

So this is my eight installment of the series, the rest which can be found HERE. Some major favorites in this installment, including another Sensitive track, the Disaster’s KILLER “Oh My God This Sound,” Ein-St-Ein’s mid-tempo romp through sleazy Italian streets, and Moskow’s epic “Come Back.”   I may say this every time, but this may be my favorite installment of the series…

Sequins and Spandex Part VIII
1. Nineteen Ninety Three- Lama
2. Pendulum- Smiles
3. Oh My God This Sound- Disasters
4. Varsavia- Ein-st-ein
5. Don’t Be Afraid- Some Bizarre
6. Give Me- Sensitive
7. Red For Love- Grant Miller
8. A Love Again- Savage
9. Rise Up (For My Love) (Club Mix)- Yvonne Kay
10. Dreamland (Extended Vocal Version)- Mark
11. She’s Gone Away- Jimy K
12. Come Back- Moskow
13. Grace- Three Of You

*download it here* (updated 6.12.18)

I have a special 7” to post next that somewhat duplicates one of the artists on this compilation, so if this is your bag, stay tuned for more sleazy, sweaty nightmusic next week…

13 Comments »

Sits. Vacant- Alone In the Dark 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1981, perfect circle, post-punk, sits. vacant, the tier garden, uk on September 9, 2013 by Frankie Teardrop

I’ve been curious about this single for some time now, first hearing the title track from Stéphane’s excellent Coldwave.fr website, and now, thanks to the always excellent Bx-59cppw, here we have the full 7” from UK post-punk band Sits. Vacant. We have four excellent guitar driven post-punk tracks from 1981, with both a mix of gloom and bite to keep fans of both sides of the spectrum happy. If you enjoyed Sinking Ships, Language From Memory, Headleaders, Normil Hawaiians, etc. (basically, the DIY post-punk sound from the early 1980s), then this one is for you! As a nice bonus, the Bowie nut in me loves the Heroes-era photo as the 7” cover, a nice and welcome nod to the man who helped usher in the new dark wave.

While this is Sits. Vacant’s only release, the band changed their name soon after, becoming The Tier Garden (not to be confused with Edward Ka-Spel and cEvin Key’s Tear Garden, who formed in 1985, a year AFTER this band’s first release). The Tier Garden released three singles, all of which are available for free download via Last.fm. Some other members also collaborated on a 7” under the name Perfect Circle (this time predating the alt-rock supergroup by 15 years, my guess is they got the name from the R.E.M. classic).

Wait a second- is the name of the Perfect Circle track ‘Only When It Rains’? Very, very interesting. Anyway, you can hear both tracks on youtube (the b-side, ‘On Returning’ is an excellent melancholy dirge on first glance, while the a-side is akin to early Mighty Lemon Drops with a more new wave flavor), but leave a note here if you happen to have a copy or a nice rip of this 7”.

OK, enough babble, here’s the info for this excellent 7”. Thanks again to BX-59cppw for the donation!

Sits. Vacant- Alone In the Dark 7”
1. Alone In the Dark
2. Nowhere to Run
3. Vacancies
4. It’s Too Late

*download it here*

1 Comment »

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