Posted in Uncategorized on July 19, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Once in a while, a band comes along that has the sheer intention of hitting you in the guts. Six Finger Satellite are one of those bands.
A volatile mixture of any of Steve Albini’s pet projects (Shellac, Rapeman, Big Black, etc.) and the quirky synthpunk stylings of bands like Devo and Suicide, Six Finger Satellite came to prominence in the early 1990s as part of the influential wave of Sub Pop acts. Formed in Rhode Island, the band incorporated a slew of buzzing synths into an fast, abrasive, and jagged punk template- creating some furiously catchy and violent tracks.
Over the course of ten years, the band would release four records and a few eps under Sub Pop before splitting up. Members of the band went on to join the Chinese Stars, the Juan Maclean, and most notably, the LCD Soundsystem.
Today’s tracks are two of the standouts from their 1995 sophomore effort, Severe Exposure:
Posted in Uncategorized on July 17, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Today’s band has been through several different stylistic changes and the main members have been involved in a slew of projects throughout the years.
In their first incarnation, a pair of musicians from Boston named Jeff and Jane Hudson formed the Rentals in 1977, a art-punk band who shared similar bills with the likes of the Clash, the B-52s, and James Chance & the Contortions. After relocating to NYC, the band released a full length record on Beggar’s Banquet and subsequently split. After a brief tenure as the Manhattan Project, playing opening slots for no-wave terrors Suicide, the pair split off and recorded together as simply Jeff and Jane Hudson.
The band employed a TR-808 drum machine and took up synth pop, releasing two records in two years and a series of 7” singles that explored synthetic territory with a bit of the old art-punk aesthetic. They shared stages with Ministry, Public Image Ltd., and Duran Duran. The duo split in ’85 to pursue separate projects, and only reunited in 1995 under the same name as a psychedelic act. As far as is determined, the duo still play together under this style, and have re-recorded older tracks and Rentals songs alongside their newer material.
Today’s tracks are from their synth-era, and I’ve uploaded one of their 7” singles as well as one of their more well known tracks for your listening pleasure. Also linked below is a recording of the Rentals song ‘Elephants,’ taken from Jeff and Jane’s official site. Without any further delay:
Jeff and Jane Hudson- No Clubs 7”
*Download links removed, see below for reissue info*
ATTENTION, dear readers- you can now get a remastered copy of all the Jeff and Jane Hudson via the always excellent DARK ENTRIES label, an awesome reissue label based out of the west coast. Click here for more info!
Posted in Uncategorized on July 16, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Anyone who’s known me both online and off knows that I champion today’s band at every single step, having seen them live about a dozen times and talked about them in conversation to absolutely no end. After catching them live once more at Galapogos this past Friday eve, it’s only appropriate for them to make their appearance on these pages…
Hailing from New York City, A Place to Bury Strangers are explosively sonic post-punk/shoegaze outfit often deemed “the Loudest Band in NYC.” Rather than being loud for the sake of being loud, the band combines the coarse sonic textures of both the shoegaze and no-wave movement with the craft and beauty of dreampop, a delicate yet perfect balance that is far more moving than it is unsettling.
The origins of the band trace back to Virginia’s Skywave, a similarly styled outfit featuring fuzzed out guitar tones and abrasive drum machines. Guitarist Oliver Ackermann relocated to NYC and took the helm of a A Place to Bury Strangers, expanding on the already jagged soundscapes of Skywave, adding more catchy rhythmic undertones and a more intense approach for this new outfit. Meanwhile, the remaining members of Skywave remained local and formed fellow shoegaze group Ceremony.
On record, the band is overdriven and sharp, all instruments pushing into the red with a pseudo-industrial aesthetic, while on stage they are an intensely passionate and pummeling force of fury, a treat for both the eyes and the ears.
Oliver is also founder of the Brooklyn-based experimental pedal company, Death By Audio. Many of the band’s unique sonic textures are the result of his own audio experimentation and deconstruction of electronics.
Needless to say, this band is best experienced at maximum volume. For your listening pleasure, here’s a handful of self-released EP tracks:
…and here’s a live video of the band performing the yet-to-be-released track ‘Gimme Acid’ at a Jezebel Music showcase at Union Pool on April 17th of this year. If you look closely, you may spot me thrashing away in the front…
For more information about the band, including more tracks, visuals, and show information:
Posted in Uncategorized on July 13, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Blue in Heaven, a highly wave influenced post-punk unit, formed in Dublin in 1982 in the wake of explosions from bands such as the Chameleons and Echo & the Bunnymen, and though they never quite rose to the same level of fame and fortune that another particular Irish quartet achieved, they were a minor college radio splash before their swift demise and reform as the Blue Angels in 1990.
After a handful of singles and EP releases, the band’s first record, All the Gods Men earned the band a fair amount of buzz in 1985, having been produced by Joy Division/New Order mainstay Martin Hannett and following a paint-by-numbers post-punk aesthetic, with heavy draw from Stooges frontman/solo wonder Iggy Pop. Released just a year later, Explicit Material honed in on their sound, allowing for the previous culmination of influences and styles to shine more than their debut. For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded a duo of tracks from Explicit Material. If you listen closely, you can still hear the pops and cracks of the vinyl, as the copy I’ve acquired seems stripped straight from the source. I don’t think any of their catalog has gotten a proper dusting off and cd pressing, come to think of it, so I’m uncertain as to how to purchase their material properly unless you stumble across an old LP…
Posted in Uncategorized on July 12, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Unlike the majority of the bands featured in Systems of Romance thus far, today’s band is very much alive and well, keeping mutant synthpunk alive in a new era. Hailing from Canada, this band seems to make little sense at first glance…piercing high pitched synth notes at obscene levels, harsh yet thin electro-beats pulsing like broken machinery, and a female vocalist laced with in-the-red distortion shrieks and screams a strange combination of what sounds like nursery rhymes certain times, biblical passages at others. This band is frantic, but beneath all the chaos lies an incredibly catchy simplicity, a controlled medium in which this band thrives perfectly.
I had the pleasure of catching this band in the flesh just about a week ago, and in person they are easily just as frantic and chaotic- perhaps even more so. A tarted up duo (there was once a live drummer in the band, but no more); one sat behind a rack of keyboards and drum machines controlling the sounds, while the singer provided a spastic full-cardio workout in a blue sequined dance suit, complete with twirling faux-fur props. She swung the microphone to dizzying heights, twirled and broke lit candles from the wall, and thrashed around in the audience, not missing a single beat. I haven’t felt so threatened, yet so compelled to dance at a show in a very long time…
Dandi Wind has one album and one EP under their belt, with plans to release their sophomore effort later in the year. For today’s consumption, I’ve uploaded a track from their first record, entitled Concrete Igloo, as well as the first single from its soon-to-be-released follow up, Yolk of the Golden Egg. Enjoy!
Posted in Uncategorized on July 11, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
I might have another post up my sleeve for later today, but first things first, this entry will feature Danish post-punk greats Sort Sol. Considered to be the first punk band out of Denmark, Sort Sol released a series of seminal singles and albums throughout a rather long tenure, only calling it quits in 2003 after a marginal breakthrough in their home country.
The band was rhythmic and jagged, often to unsettling ends. Under their original name, the Sods, the band released two records- 1979’s Minutes to Go and 1980’s Under en Sort Sol, soon after switching their name to Sort Sol proper for the remainder of their career. British underground greats 4AD quickly re-released their first record, and put out a single featuring two songs from Under en Sort Sol, which helped to kick the band off to greater heights. Recording with no-wave legend Lydia Lunch soon after also worked wonders for their exposure…and the band continued on to record seven more records before their hiatus.
Since these popped on random during this morning’s routine, I’ve uploaded two of my favorite tracks from Under en Sort Sol for your listening pleasure…without any further ado:
Posted in Uncategorized on July 10, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Allow me this opportunity to plug a rather solid compilation of new, rare minimal and coldwave acts that has been making the circuit and breathing fresh life into it. Since 2003, Wierd Records has existed in the recess of the NYC music scene, a series of weekly events that combine live music and solid djs spinning synth, gothic, darkwave, post-punk, etc. The label is run by artist and DJ Pieter Schoolwerth, and this compilation, released on vinyl last year (3 lps and a bonus 7”!) yields a hefty bounty for anyone with a proper turntable and a passion for underground wave.Today’s tracks are featured on this compilation and come from Xeno and Oaklander, a NYC-based minimal outfit featuring multi-instrumentalists Liz Wendelbo and Sean McBride (also the brainchild of fellow Wierd act Martial Cantarel). Pulsing layers of synthesizers and catchy female vocals lace these two songs, and I hope you all enjoy ’em.
Posted in Uncategorized on July 9, 2007 by Frankie Teardrop
Though most of the more well known post-punk acts have hailed from Britain, there were exciting things happening even a short distance away. Most of these bands, including Norma Loy and Trisomie 21, barely scratched the surface outside of their native countries, culminating as unfortunate footnotes in music history. Truth is, however, there were gems to be found left and right- high class eps and lps by bands otherwise forgotten. One band lost in the haze was Asylum Party- a coldwave project formed in 1985.
The band’s tenure lasted a mere five years, but during that time, Asylum Party released two full length records, a handful of singles and eps, and scattered compilation material. Though there are plenty of songs worth their weight, this is easily my favorite, featured on their final record, Mère.
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.
Once in a while, a band comes along that has the sheer intention of hitting you in the guts. Six Finger Satellite are one of those bands.
