Happy friday, ladies and gents. Today’s band is one I could find little information on aside from their origin and lone release info.
Der Deutsche Adel is the name of the band, a German post-punk band with a killer synth-heavy sound and just one self-titled release under their belt. Can’t seem to dig up any more info about the record, but it’s easily one of the best of its kind.
Though the band hailed from Germany, there are French and Spanish pressings of this mini-LP, the former released on Divine (Mecano, Fra Lippo Lippi, End of Data, Complot Bronswick, Seconde Chambre, etc.). Curious. Here’s the info:
Der Deutsche Adel- Der Deutsche Adel MLP
1. Unfurled Flags
2. Build Those Fires
3. Dive
4. Sometimes
5. Sally Oh Sally
6. Guess Works
I feel as if I’ve made a dozen allusions to this band in previous posts without any actual information on them, so for today, I shall be profiling Crime & the City Solution.
The band was one of several formed from the demise of the Birthday Party, 4AD’s premier scuzz-punk unit led by Nick Cave. The band existed previous to the Birthday Party, featuring an unknown cast of characters among mainstay singer Simon Bonney, but no recordings ever surfaced until the mid-80s, with a more infamous lineup. A strict comparison could be made between the bands, for distinctive guitar work and a similar blues-based drawl was also a basis for Crime & the City Solution’s repertoire.
Alongside Bonney, other prominent members of the group have included Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S. Howard, Mick Harvey of both BP and Badseeds fame, Swell Maps drummer Epic Soundtracks, and Einstürzende Neubauten’s Alexander Hacke (aka Von Borsig). Was this a supergroup? Perhaps by definition, but the band survived several lineup shifts and have released five full-lengths and a handful of EPs, each one different depending on contributors.
Though each Crime record is a unique and solid effort on their own, I’ve uploaded a duo of tracks which both appear on 1986’s Room of Lights, my favorite of their records. The first is their best known song, the epic and powerful ‘Six Bells Chime’ and the second, the closing track from the record.
I first heard of this band from a sequence in Wim Wender’s 1987 film Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire). Here’s the very scene, a live shot of the band performing ‘Six Bells Chime’ in a small German venue. The volume’s a bit low, but I still love this scene so:
Today’s writeup will feature a two track single, an exciting and stellar collaboration by two great experimental artists, both of which need no introduction to most.
Einstürzende Neubauten (translation: collapsing new buildings) formed in 1980 in West Berlin, the brainchild of several local avant-garde musicians. Since then, the band has deconstructed the face of popular music, remaining an active, prolific, and powerful force in industrial and experimental music.
Lydia Lunch is an American musician and poet. She was the former frontwoman of influential NYC no-wave act Teenage Jesus & the Jerks until the band disbanded in 1979. She then persued a solo career, offering up several classic records and collaborations, and has since explored film, poetry, and other creative disciplines.
In 1982, as the two were gaining steam and exploring the boundaries of music with their own respective acts, Einstürzende Neubauten would record but two tracks with Lydia Lunch, also featuring contributions from Birthday Party/Crime & the City Solution guitarist Rowland S. Howard. What resulted is a true masterpiece of experimental work, a frightening two track 12” single entitled Thirsty Animal. Combining the subtleties and talents of both units, these two pieces are among the most powerful and harrowing tracks that either would record.
…and here they are, for your listening ‘pleasure:’
Please pardon the lack of updates over the past few days, my dears…but I have been indisposed and out of town. That said, I’ve dug up an old favorite for you folks today, one that were once on to something great before disbanding prematurely, but have since resurrected themselves and are a currently active and coherent unit.
Bunnydrums culminated with various members of the Philadelphia punk rock scene in 1980. Keen on expanding the punk aesthetic with a slew of dance rhythms, saxophones, and electronics, Bunnydrums would set up shop and focus most of their energy recording, but would occasionally gig out in support of such bands as R.E.M., Pere Ubu, Bauhaus, and the Cult.
The band released a handful of singles, a duo of EPs, and two full length, 1983’s PKD and 1984’s Holy Moly before their split on New Year’s Eve, 1986. Though the current lineup occasionally explored other musical avenues and managed a few one-off shows the year after they split, the band would remain dormant until the new millennium, when the band shockingly reunited. Though they have yet to release new tracks, they’ve been gigging steadily in the east coast, and after signing to Metropolis Records, they have since remastered and re-released most of their back catalog on the compilation PKD/Simulacra.
For your listening pleasure, I’ve uploaded two seminal Bunnydrums tracks, the driving synthetic drone of ‘Smithson’ and the funky dark groove of ‘Holy Moly.’
Enjoy!
and here’s a youtube video of the revamped band performing the song ‘Closed Eyes’ live at the Trocadero in July of this year.
Keep your eyes peeled for Bunnydrums live dates in the east coast, including a gig in NYC with our little band, Funeral Crashers in October! For interested purchasing parties, here’s a link to order PKD/Simulacra on CD:
Today’s band is one that became a household name in the mid-1980s based on a one-off hit, but hasn’t made any commercial impact since, lost in the hearts of 80s nostalgia and easily dismissed as a one-hit wonder. Truth is that today’s band, Modern English, were more than capable of writing a myriad of other amazing songs, and a handful of seminal records in an emerging post-punk scene, even if they went mostly ignored by all but the impassioned.
This Essex-based band originally began in 1977, originally christened the Lepers. The band released a one-off single before changing their name to Modern English and signing to a budding 4AD records, the band being the first that Ivo Watts-Russel approached after creating the label. Both stylistically, and commercially, Modern English helped put the label on the map.
Musically, the band originally drew heavily from the doom and gloom of fellow contemporaries Joy Division and Bauhaus, a rude awakening for fans who stumbled across them after the perfect pop song ‘I Melt With You from their 1982 sophomore record, After the Snow.
Pressured after such a large success, the band fell apart after one more record, two of the original members departing for greener pastures, but instead of a side-project, the band revamped and kept pushing forward, occasionally releasing records into the 90s. Though they remained a college favorite, the band never again broke the US or UK charts. Despite sporadic output, Modern English remain together to this day, playing gigs from time to time. The band has a new recording contract with A.P.G. as of 2001, but there’s no clear word as to when to expect new material.
I’ve uploaded a handful of tracks from their debut record, 1981’s Mesh & Lace. The first was also their second single, while the second is a deeper cut and favorite from the record. Here they are, for your listening enjoyment:
and for a nice dose of 80s nostalgia, here’s what seems to be the official video for ‘I Melt With You.’ Let’s hear it for the M&Ms theme song, ladies and gentlemen:
and if you want to toss some bucks around and pick up some of their records, here’s an Amazon link, which though some of their earlier material is out of print, still features a few used copies:
Some classic minimal synth for you today, ladies and gentlemen… Today’s band is the Fast Set, a one man synth project who’s first and only 7” recording was also the very first release on Axis, aka 4AD.
The Fast Set is comprised of avant-artist David Knight, who signed with with Axis records upon its inception in 1980, just before label-head Ivo Watts-Russel was forced to change the label’s name to 4AD. As a one man project, the Fast Set recorded just one 7” single for the song ‘Junction One’ in 1980. The b-side of the single was a synthetic dirge rendition of ‘Children of the Revolution’ by T.Rex.
The band’s only other recorded moment was a cover of T.Rex’s ‘King of the Rumbling Spires,’ released on a Some Bizzare compilation in 1981. Afterwards, David disbanded his project and went on to work with the likes of Danielle Dax and the Shockheaded Peters.
Here’s that lone single for your listening and downloading pleasure:
The Fast Set- Junction One 7”
1. Junction One
2. Children of the Revolution
*DOWNLOAD LINKS REMOVED* Click here to purchase these via 4AD’s official site.
To kickstart another week, I’ve uploaded some loose compilation tacks by rare and forgotten U.K. post-punk outfit The Victims of Romance. Naturally, as with any band that has but a handful of songs in their (reported) discography, there’s little information to be found through various internet sources, but I’ve come up with a small dollop.
Victims of Romance was conceived in Gainsborough, featuring a female singer with the drawl of a passionate and operatic Patti Smith (complete with the occasional spoken word rant). The band’s style was gloomy, sharp, and minimal, with easy comparisons to early era Siouxsie and the Banshees, with a splash of synthesizer tossed in for good measure. The band split quickly after recording a handful of tracks, each of the members defaulting to various other projects, none of which got any further off the ground than The Victims of Romance.
The band released one cassette tape, which is incredibly scarce and hasn’t been circulated yet to my knowledge. The three tracks I’ve managed to acquire all hail from various compilations, while there’s yet another loose track floating around on the Nuclear Terra cassette.
The Victims of Romance- Compilation Tracks
1. 9 a.m.
2. All There Is
3. Abigail’s Party
“9 a.m.” hails from the We Couldn’t Agree on a Title comp., 1981
“All There Is” hails from the No Platform For Heels comp., 1982
“Abigail’s Party” hails from the Giraffe In Flames comp., 1984.
Today’s band, Testcard F, has so little recorded output that I almost considered tossing it all at you, but that would take all the fun out of hunting it down and savoring it, wouldn’t it?
In fact, there’s not only just two singles and a John Peel recording available, there’s very little information to be found about this British band, aside from a few bits and bobs:
The band formed in 1981, and reconstructed and built their own synthesizers. Unlike some synth-punk and minimal wave acts of the time, this band near-completely utilized electronic instruments, drum machines, and backing tapes; the only organic instrumentation appearing in the form of trash cans, coat racks, and other assorted debris. Oftentimes, their live performances would be slagged viciously by heckling attendees, anxious for guitars. One particular gig in their hometown of Norwich ended in a small riot.
The band split immediately on the brink of success after winning a Norwich battle of the bands and recording their two singles and Peel Session in 1984.
I’ve uploaded their b-sides, both tracks which I enjoy more than their respective flip. The first, ‘Unfamiliar Room’ is a particular favorite of mine, featured on the Bandwagon Tango 7” and the second the b-side of the Third Stroke 7”. If anyone is anxious for the remaining a-sides and Peel recordings, drop a line and I’ll happily upload the rest.
…and sadly, I have no photos, youtube clips, or homepages for you today, and naturally since their material is so far out of print, if you manage to come in cahoots with either of these vinyl singles, snap them up in a heartbeat!
Late night storms leave me a bit sleep-deprived this afternoon, and today’s choice is a band perfect for such moments. They are the Lost Patrol, a currently active dark dreampop outfit based in New Jersey.
The Lost Patrol has been gigging and recording since the late 1990s, combining a love of all things dreampop with soft touches of drum machines and synthesizers; the result an organic, dreamy sound reminiscent of Mazzy Star or Julee Cruise. The Lost Patrol sound much like the soundtrack those fleeting moments and late nights, powerful and ethereal female vocals leading an orchestra of lush instrumentation and catchy hooks. Despite their myriad of influences, the Lost Patrol sound completely unique, especially in these times.
Over the course of their tenure, the band has released five self-released full length records and an EP, each one developing their luxuriant soundscapes further as they perfect their craft.
For your ears today, I’ve uploaded three tracks. The first is the opening number from their 2004 record High Noon. The second is a featured and favorite song of mine from their most recent effort, 2007’s Launch and Landing. Last but not least, the third a sleigh-bell ridden dirge from Lonesome Sky, released in 2005.
Though some of their earlier efforts are sadly out of print, all of their material is available on the Itunes music store to purchase, and most of their full-lengths can be ordered both directly from their website and through Cdbaby.com. For more information on the band, I bring your attention to these links:
P.S.- Is there any certain artist or style you folks would like to see featured in these pages in the near future? Feel free to toss out some comments and requests anywhere along this blog!
Having gone though rather huge phases listening to nothing but post-punk greats Wire for a few days in a row, it’s no shock that I’ve also inspected and been overjoyed with the various side projects and solo outings during the band’s off-time. Today’s artist is one of the double frontmen of Wire and the primary tunesmith, Mr. Colin Newman.
When the British band temporarily split in 1980 after three records, Colin quickly pursued a solo career, taking the art-damaged direction that Wire had experimented with on both Chairs Missing and 154. The result didn’t fall far from the tree, for Colin recorded a series of three records in a similar art-pop style. The first, 1980’s A-Z, was released on Beggar’s Banquet and featured ‘Alone,’ a haunting track tapped near-ten years later for the soundtrack to Silence of the Lambs and covered by friends in 4AD project This Mortal Coil. Both 1981’s Provisionally Entitled the Singing Fish and 1982’s Not To were released on 4AD, once they were able to properly finance Newman’s recordings. The first featured instrumental tracks as a series of numbered fish while the second consisted of new recordings and reworked Wire outtakes.
Though Wire reformed in 1984 and has remained intermittently active since, Colin released three more solo records and an EP for various labels. The last, 1997’s Bastard was a largely collective and collaborative electronic outing. Over the years, Colin has also produced records for the Virgin Prunes and Minimal Compact, produced recorded full-lengths with Wire as well as longtime collaborator and wife Malka Spigel, managed Wire’s Pinkflag label, and also done double-duty as a member of Githead, an experimental rock outfit.
I’ve uploaded two solo Newman tracks for the downloading; ‘Alone’ from A-Z and ‘Don’t Bring Reminders’ from Not To.
Most of his solo and collaborative band material is easily available through Amazon and your local record shoppes, so pick some up if you’re into it! For a more thorough biography and discography on Colin, click this link:
Systems of Romance was created in mid-2007 to serve as a dumping grounds for all great things coldwave, minimal synth, post-punk, synthpunk, industrial, synthpop, and various other combinations of these styles. Feel free to make requests, noodle around, and discuss all you like...
Otherwise, this blog is dedicated to showcasing material that has long since been out of print. If you are aware of any of these items being readily available from the artist or label, or take issue with these tracks being uploaded, please let me know so I can amend the post or remove the links.
